Claim: Paul Newman was an actor.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 American Western film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman -LRB- who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the film -RRB- . Based loosely on fact , the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker , known as Butch Cassidy -LRB- Paul Newman -RRB- , and his partner Harry Longabaugh , the `` Sundance Kid '' -LRB- Robert Redford -RRB- , who are on the run from a crack US posse after a string of train robberies . The pair and Sundance 's lover , Etta Place -LRB- Katharine Ross -RRB- , flee to Bolivia in search of a more successful criminal career , where they meet their end .   In 2003 , the film was selected for the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant . '' The American Film Institute ranked Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as the 49th-greatest American film on its 100 Years ... 100 Movies -LRB- 10th Anniversary Edition -RRB- list .