Burt reynolds biography actor
Burt Reynolds
(1936-2018)
Who Was Burt Reynolds?
Burt Reynolds was an award-winning actor who appeared regularly on television for some time before his 1972 appearance in the film Deliverance, which became a breakthrough role. He was a leading movie star in the 1970s and 1980s, appearing in films like The Longest Yard, Smokey and the Bandit, Starting Over and The Cannonball Run. Reynolds' 1997 role in Boogie Nights earned him an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe.
Early Life
Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was born on February 11, 1936, in Lansing, Michigan. His mother was a head nurse who encouraged her son to read and his father was an army colonel who later became police chief. Reynolds attended Florida State University on a football scholarship. After being drafted by the Baltimore Colts, he suffered a career-ending injury and turned to drama, eventually winning a scholarship to the Hyde Park Playhouse.
TV Beginnings
In 1957, Reynolds received his big break after he appeared in a New York City Center revival of Mister Roberts and subsequently signed a television contract. With regular roles on Riverboat, Gunsmoke, Hawk and Dan August, he became a familiar face to TV audiences. Both handsome and charming, Reynolds increased his popularity in the early 1970s by appearing on numerous talk shows, including Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, on which he would become a frequent guest.
Nude Centerfold and Movie Success
Though he had received film work in the past, Reynolds breakthrough role did not come until the 1972 drama Deliverance, co-starring Jon Voight. The film established Reynolds as both a star and a serious actor. He simultaneously became a major sex symbol when he was featured as the first nude male centerfold in Cosmopolitan magazine.
Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Reynolds remained one of Hollywood's most sought-after superstars, with movies ranging from The Longest Yard (1974) and Semi-Tough (1977) to Smokey Actor and director Burt Reynolds, one of America’s most recognized film and television personalities, made significant contributions to the film industry in Georgia. With nearly 100 films and 200 television episodes to his credit, Reynolds was the number-one box-office attraction for five straight years (1978-82), thanks to such films as Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run. During these years, Georgia became the number-three state in the nation, behind California and New York, for film production, largely as a result of Reynolds’s commitment to filming in the South. Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was born in Lansing, Michigan, on February 11, 1936, to Fern and Burton Reynolds. His mother was a nurse, and his father was a police officer. As a young boy, Reynolds moved with his family to Riviera Beach, Florida. While at Palm Beach High School, he made headlines as the school’s star running back, and his football talent later led him to play for Florida State University, where he was named All-Southern (1953) and First Team All-State (1954). Professional football teams were scouting the young halfback in 1955, when he was injured in a serious car accident. The crash ended Reynolds’s athletic dreams but marked the beginning of his acting career. After the accident Reynolds enrolled at Palm Beach Junior College. Encouraged by a professor, he read for the role of Tom Prior in the school’s production of OutwardBound. His portrayal of the sensitive alcoholic won him the Florida Drama Award (1956) and a scholarship to New York City’s Hyde Park Playhouse. The young actor made his professional stage debut in the 1956 revival of Mr. Roberts. After a variety of small roles on both stage and television, Reynolds followed the East Coast production companies to California, where he was hired for a short time as a contract player for Universal Studios. Soon after being released from his contrac Burt Reynolds Reynolds in 1991 Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. Lansing, Michigan, U.S. Jupiter, Florida, U.S. Judy Carne Loni Anderson Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an Americanactor, director and producer. He starred in many roles, such as Dan August, Deliverance, The Longest Yard with its 2005 remake, Without a Paddle (2004) and Smokey and the Bandit. He won two Golden Globe Awards, including in Evening Shade for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy and in Boogie Nights for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture. Reynolds was the son of Harriette Fernette "Fern" (née Miller; 1902–1992) and Douglas Burton Reynolds (1906–2002). He had Dutch, English, Scots-Irish and Scottish ancestry, and also claimed Cherokee and Italian roots through his father. During his career, he often claimed to have been born in Waycross, Georgia, although he said in 2015 he was actually born in Lansing, Michigan. He was born on February 11, 1936, and in his autobiography stated that Lansing is where his family lived when his father was drafted into the United States Army. He, his mother, and his sister joined his father at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and lived there for two years. When his father was sent to Europe, the family moved to Lake City, Michigan, where his mother had been raised. In 1946, the family moved to Riviera Beach, Florida. His father eventually American actor (1936–2018) Burt Reynolds Reynolds in 1991 Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. Lansing, Michigan, U.S. Jupiter, Florida, U.S. Judy Carne Loni Anderson Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. Reynolds first became well known featured in television series such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966) and Dan August (1970–1971). He had leading roles in films 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. 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 numb
Burt Reynolds
Early Career
Burt Reynolds
Born
(1936-02-11)February 11, 1936Died September 6, 2018(2018-09-06) (aged 82) Occupation(s) Actor, director, producer Years active 1958–2018 Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) Spouse(s) Partner Sally Field (1977–1980) Children 1 Website burtreynolds.com Early life
[change | change source]Burt Reynolds
Born
(1936-02-11)February 11, 1936Died September 6, 2018(2018-09-06) (aged 82) Resting place Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Alma mater Florida State University, Palm Beach Junior College Occupation Actor Years active 1958–2018 Spouses Partners Children 1 Website burtreynolds.com