Very sad news today...
Burt Reynolds, the mustachioed megastar who first strutted on screen more than half a century ago, died Thursday. He was 82.
The Michigan native, whose easy-going charms and handsome looks drew prominent roles in films such as "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Boogie Nights," suffered a cardiac arrest. An iconic Hollywood sex symbol in front of the camera, Reynolds also tried his directorial hand behind it, and later earned a reputation for philanthropy after founding the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film & Theatre in his home state of Florida.
John Boorman's 1972 thriller "Deliverance," which cast Reynolds as outdoorsman Lewis Medlock, that is widely credited for launching his early career. Reynolds had hit it big and starred as an ex-football player who landed in prison in the film "The Longest Yard."
Two years earlier, he broke taboo and posed nude in Cosmopolitan magazine, which helped cement his growing status as a sex symbol.In 1998, Reynolds scored his sole Oscar nomination for best supporting actor after his portrayal of a porn film producer in the film "Boogie Nights," despite his dislike of the film and its apparent glorification of the porn industry.
He was always a likable guy in most movies and fun to watch during interviews. He had a great career and, most of the time, lived a life that most people just dream about.
He also seemed to have a lot of fun when he was filming, as you'll tell from these outtakes from Cannonball Run...
He will be missed and fondly remembered.
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