Burt Reynolds

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

(1936-02-11)February 11, 1936
DiedSeptember 6, 2018(2018-09-06) (aged 82)
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles
Alma materFlorida State University
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, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture.[2][3] Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966) and Dan August (1970–1971). Although Reynolds had leading roles in films such as Navajo Joe (1966) and 100 Rifles (1969), his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972).

Reynolds played leading roles — often as a lovable rogue — in a number of subsequent box-office hits, 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.[4][5] 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 box-office star for five consecutive years (1978–1982) in the annual Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll, a record he shares with Bing Crosby. After a number of box-office failures, Reynolds returned to television, starring in the sitcom 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 another Golden Globe (for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture), with nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.[6][7][8]

  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. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Byrne, Wayne (September 30, 2019). "The Book of Burt Reynolds: uncovering a screen icon". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "Legends of Action: Burt Reynolds". theactionelite.com. February 11, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Guides, Rough (August 2, 2010). The Rough Guide to Cult Movies. Rough Guides UK. ISBN 978-1-4053-8538-1.
  6. ^ "Burt Reynolds". Golden Globe Award. United States: Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference abc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Rosen, Christopher (December 3, 2015). "Burt Reynolds says he 'hated' Paul Thomas Anderson". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 19, 2017.