“Nodding Guy” Meme: What Robert Redford Movie Is It From?

The famous “Nodding Guy” meme comes from the movie Jeremiah Johnson, and the man himself is actually Robert Redford. Turns out, many of those who knew about it and used it didn’t know the “Nodding Guy” was Redford all along – and decidedly not Zach Galifianakis, like some had previously guessed. Facts about the meme, including that the GIF was taken from Redford’s 1972 film Jeremiah Johnson, recently caused a stir online, causing both Redford and Galifianakis’ names to trend on social media

The “Nodding Guy” meme is simple and effective: Use it to emphasize approval of all kinds, be it earnest or ironic. The universally applicable member has remained in regular circulation across social media platforms, including Twitter. Per Know Your Meme, the “Nodding Guy” meme apparently first began to surface back in early 2012. The GIF was created from a brief scene in Jeremiah Johson (below) where Redford’s character, the titular Jeremiah Johnson, turns and looks back at his family after successfully catching a fish. The meme was put into regular rotation but it seems many people didn’t know where it came from or who the person in the GIF was, to begin with.

Splinter reignited interest in the Nodding Guy meme when the outlet noted that the Nodding Guy himself was actually Robert Redford, from the film Jeremiah Johnson, and not Zach Galifianakis, as has been assumed by possibly millions of people for years. Given that Redford’s whole look in the film closely resembles how Galifianakis appears in his movies, it’s easy to understand the mistake.

It looks like a bit of an age gap was accidentally exposed purely based on who was guessing which actor was in the meme and posting their reactions about it to Twitter. As such, hilarity ensued as people flocked to Twitter to discuss the meme and Redford’s almost unrecognizable Jeremiah Johnson look in it. If there was ever any confusion about which actor was in the “Nodding Guy” meme before, it has definitely been smoothed out now. If anything, the “Nodding Guy” meme will likely now get even more of a boost thanks to it once again going viral on Twitter. Ditto on interest in Jeremiah Johnson and other Redford works, as people will likely want to go and watch the film that provides even more context for this popular GIF.

How To Watch Jeremiah Johnson Online

Luckily, watching Jeremiah Johnson is pretty easy if all of this Twitter discussion has left you wanting to see more. As of July 2019, Jeremiah Johnson is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies, iTunes, Microsoft Store, and Redbox for $3.99.

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