Burt Reynolds (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, director, and sex symbol. He is best-remembered for his hit films of the 1970s and early 1980s including Deliverance, Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run.
Career[]
Reynolds' career began in the late 1950s, with appearances on multiple television shows. His first break came when he was cast in the 1959 series Riverboat. He left the show after twenty episodes, which damaged his reputation in show business. His next success came in 1962 when he was cast in Gunsmoke, essentially replacing the departing Dennis Weaver. He remained on the series until 1965.
Reynolds continued to struggle, making several low-budget films and starring in multiple failed TV series. He reportedly turned down the role of James Bond, feeling an American couldn't play the part.
In 1972, he was cast in Deliverance, which brought him worldwide fame. He made several films of varying quality and success, including his directorial debut, Gator.
His most successful period began with the 1977 release of the film Smokey and the Bandit. Many box office hits would follow in rapid succession: Semi-Tough (1977), Hooper (1978), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), Sharky's Machine (1981), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). He made only a brief appearance at the end of Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 in 1983. He was the number-one box office draw from 1978 to 1982.
Beginning with 1983's Stroker Ace (which co-stars his then-wife Loni Anderson) and The Cannonball Run II in 1984, Reynolds' career went into decline. He moved back to television with the unsuccessful detective series B.L. Stryker in 1989. In 1990, Reynolds began starring in the sitcom Evening Shade, which ran for 99 episodes and won him an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. He also produced the game show Win, Lose or Draw with Bert Convy via their production company, Burt and Bert Productions.
Reynolds' motion picture career was revived with his role in the 1997 film Boogie Nights, for which he received an Academy Award nomination among other accolades. He would go on to appear in several more films, including the 2005 film version of The Dukes of Hazzard. He also voiced many animated characters, including fictionalized versions of himself in the TV shows Robot Chicken and Archer.
Personal life[]
Reynolds was married twice. From 1963 to 1965, he was married to English actress Judy Carne and from 1988 to 1994 to Loni Anderson. He was in a long-term romantic relationship with Dinah Shore and an on-again/off-again relationship with Sally Field from 1976 to 1982.
Reynolds passed away on September 6, 2018 from a heart attack at age 82.
Notes[]
- In 1972, Burt Reynolds appeared in an implied-nude centerfold in Cosmopolitan magazine. The salacious photo became a cultural phenomenon and has been widely-referenced.
- Throughout his career, Reynolds was a strong advocate for the state of Florida. He produced films there, opened the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater in Jupiter Florida (later renamed the Maltz Jupiter Theater), and appeared in TV commercials for Florida orange juice.
- Burt Reynolds provided the voice of Eve's unseen extra-terrestrial father on the syndicated TV sitcom Out of this World, which co-starred Doug McClure.
- Burt Reynolds appears briefly in a promo for the 1979 Celebrity Comedy Football Classic that was shown during the Movie Jo Night presentation of Scream of the Wolf.
Riffed Movies[]
- Boogie Nights (Academy of Robots' Choice Awards Special [clip]) - as Jack Horner
- Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms (RiffTrax) - as Mentor
- Universal Soldier III: Unfinished Business (RiffTrax) - as Mentor
Gallery[]
