US actor Burt Reynolds — who starred in several of the most successful films of the 1970s — has died at the age of 82. He was reported to have suffered a heart attack.
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10 Burt Reynolds films
The legendary mustachioed actor who died on September 6 was beloved for his roles in low-brow comedies and action films, but he also shined in critically acclaimed works, including Deliverance and Boogie Nights.
Image: Imago/United Archives
Navajo Joe, 1966
While starring in different TV series in the 1960s, Burt Reynolds landed leading roles in low-budget films, including the title character in the spaghetti western Navajo Joe, by Sergio Corbucci (Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill movies). Around that time, Reynolds was reportedly asked to play James Bond, but he turned the role down, saying "An American can't play James Bond. It just can't be done."
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Deliverance, 1972
Reynolds got his film breakthrough role in 1972 in John Boorman's critically acclaimed thriller, Deliverance. Four city slickers (Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox) set out for a canoe adventure that turns into a nightmare — including a run-in with sadistic mountain men that leads to a notorious male rape scene. Reynolds later called it "the best film I've ever been in."
Image: Imago/United Archives
Smokey and the Bandit, 1977
Bootleg beer, fast cars, police chases and a romantic time with a runaway bride: The first feature film directed by stuntman Hal Needham put together various elements that would make up Reynolds' trademark. If the Trans Am had its period of glory in the US, you can blame it on this cult movie that inspired several more racing films as well as two sequels.
Image: Imago/United Archives
The Cannonball Run, 1981
This other racing flick featured an all-star cast, including Dean Martin, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett — and Burt Reynolds as racer J.J. McClure. In the story, based on an actual cross-country outlaw road race in the US, Reynolds races in a heavily modified Dodge Tradesman van that previously served as an ambulance. The comedy was one of the most popular films of 1981 and led to two sequels.
Image: Imago/United Archives
Paternity, 1981
"He wants YOU to have his baby" was the tagline of this romantic comedy, in which Reynolds played an ad-man who wants to have a son without getting into an actual relationship — a character that was basically a reflection of the womanizing persona he had developed through many films, without the tough guy part.
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The Man Who Loved Women, 1983
This comedy with an apt Reynolds title was a remake of a French film. He depicted a womanizing artist confronted with a mid-life crisis related to his insatiable libido. Julie Andrews and Kim Basinger co-starred as some of the women the sculptor loves. Unlike the original movie, the remake was a box office flop.
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City Heat, 1984
This action comedy picking up the classic codes of the film noir genre paired Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. He played the role of a former cop turned private detective. Despite the star power of the movie, it wasn't a box office hit. Reynolds was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for worst actor.
Paul Thomas Anderson's film chronicled the Golden Age of Porn of the 1970s. Starring alongside Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman, Reynolds made a brilliant comeback in the role of a porn filmmaker. Reynolds received over 10 accolades for his work that was praised as "his best and most suavely funny performance in years" by a New York Times critic.
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The Dukes of Hazzard, 2005
In the 2005 remake of the cult TV series from the 1980s, The Dukes of Hazzard, Reynolds took on the role of the corrupt Hazzard County Commissioner Jefferson Davis Hogg, aka "Boss Hogg." While it did relatively well at the box office, critics and fans were disappointed by the movie. Reynolds got another one of his multiple Golden Raspberry Award nominations, for worst supporting actor.
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The Last Movie Star, 2017
In Adam Rifkin's The Last Movie Star, Reynolds depicted an aging movie star who's invited to receive a lifetime achievement award — only to find out that the ceremony is held in the back of a bar. Based on the actual actor's own career, the film was practically tailored to become Reynold's final work. He was set to star in a Quentin Tarentino film in 2018, but died before shooting the scenes.
Image: picture-alliance/Everett Collection
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The veteran actor died at a hospital in Florida, his manager Erik Kritzer told film industry magazine The Hollywood Reporter.
Reynolds was reportedly taken to hospital after suffering from a heart attack, according to the celebrity news website TMZ.
His early career included television appearances in classic television shows including "Gunsmoke" and various spaghetti westerns. By the 1970s he was a leading man who starred in renowned films including the landmark thriller "Deliverance" and a number of comedies including "The Cannonball Run," "Smokey and the Bandit," and Mel Brooks' "Silent Movie."
Several of his films turned out to be the biggest cinema attractions of the 1970s and 80s, and at the peak of his career, Reynolds was one of the best-paid actors in the film business.
From football to film
In his youth, Reynolds had hoped to become a professional football player, but his hopes were dashed when he was injured in a car crash. He started acting after enrolling in junior college and moved to New York, where he began to work in stage and television roles, making his film debut in 1961.
Well-known for his trademark mustache, Reynolds experienced a career downturn in the 1980s. He made a dramatic comeback in 1997, when he was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for his part in the film "Boogie Nights." It was the first and only Academy Award nomination that the longtime lead actor ever received — for a role, playing a porn director, that he despised.
Reynolds turned down several notable roles, including that of Han Solo in "Star Wars." The actor also directed several movies in which he starred. They included "Gator" (1976), "The End" (1978), "Sharky's Machine" (1981) and "Stick" (1985).
