The film world was dealt a mighty blow today as legendary actor and screen heartthrob Burt Reynolds has died at the age of 82. According to his agent, Reynolds died of cardiac arrest.
You say the name Burt Reynolds and it conjures up the swaggering, sexy cool of the 1970s. He was often positioned as the charismatic and funny lead in films such as The Cannonball Run, Smokey and the Bandit, and The Longest Yard. When he starred in the tense thriller Deliverance it was a change of pace for him and h careiser off in a different direction. While his star eventually faded, he still kept plenty busy, earning his first and only Oscar nomination for his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights.
Reynolds also made moves behind the camera, directing his first movie, Gator, in 1978. He would go on to helm four more films, with his most recent being 2000’s The Last Producer. While his activity level dropped for a time, Reynolds picked it back up by starring in five movies over the last two years, and was set for a role in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
We send our condolences to Reynolds’ friends and family for their loss.
