Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds
Reynolds in 1991
Born
Burton Leon Reynolds Jr.[1]

(1936-02-11)February 11, 1936
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
DiedSeptember 6, 2018(2018-09-06) (aged 82)
Jupiter, Florida, U.S.
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materFlorida State University, Palm Beach Junior College[2]
OccupationActor
Years active1958–2018
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1963; div. 1965)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1988; div. 1994)​
Partners
Children1
Websiteburtreynolds.com

Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, most famous during the 1970s and 1980s.[3][4] Reynolds first became known well as a result of featuring in television series, such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966), and Dan August (1970–1971). He had leading roles in movies, such as Navajo Joe (1966) and 100 Rifles (1969), and his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972).

Reynolds played leading roles in a number of subsequent financial successes, such as White Lightning (1973), The Longest Yard (1974), Smokey and the Bandit (1977) (which started a six-year box-office reign), Semi-Tough (1977), The End (1978), Hooper (1978), Starting Over (1979), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), Sharky's Machine (1981), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), and Cannonball Run II (1984), several of which he directed.[5][6] He was nominated twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Reynolds was voted the world's number one movie actor from 1978 to 1982 in the annual Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll, a record that he shares with Bing Crosby. After a number of box-office failures, Reynolds returned to television, featuring in the situation comedy Evening Shade (1990–1994) which won a Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. His performance as high-minded pornographer Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997) brought him renewed critical attention, earning Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, with nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ Lartey, Jamiles (September 7, 2018). "Burt Reynolds: Hollywood pays tribute to 'a true American icon'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  2. ^ Report (September 7, 2018). "PBSC Reflects On Legacy of Reynolds". Palm Beach State College. Archived from the original on May 10, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Byrne, Wayne (September 30, 2019). "The Book of Burt Reynolds: uncovering a screen icon". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "Legends of Action: Burt Reynolds". theactionelite.com. February 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Guides, Rough (August 2, 2010). The Rough Guide to Cult Movies. Rough Guides UK. ISBN 978-1-4053-8538-1.
  7. ^ "Burt Reynolds". Golden Globe Award. United States: Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference abc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Rosen, Christopher (December 3, 2015). "Burt Reynolds says he 'hated' Paul Thomas Anderson". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.