burt reynolds smokey and the bandit co star dies

#BURT REYNOLDS SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT CO STAR DIES MOVIE#
#BURT REYNOLDS SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT CO STAR DIES SERIES#

Reynolds continued to act regularly over the next four decades, notably starring in the “Cannonball Run” franchise in the ’80s and the sitcom “Evening Shade” in the early ’90s. Reynolds starred in the film alongside future girlfriend Sally Field, playing Bo “Bandit” Darville, a charming outlaw tasked with transporting a tractor-trailer filled with beer over state lines. He’d go on to star in a string of memorable hits including “White Lightning” (1973), “The Longest Yard” (1974), “Gator” (1976), “Semi-Tough” (1977) and, his most famous film, “Smokey and the Bandit” (1977).

The film helped establish Reynolds as one of the most marketable stars of the decade.

Reynolds said he considered the Oscar-nominated film, which co-starred Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox, the best of his career. He began appearing on television in the late ’50s, but it wasn’t until 1962 that he secured a consistent role as the half-Native American blacksmith Quint Asper on “Gunsmoke.”Ī decade later, he had his big-screen breakthrough in “Deliverance,” John Boorman’s psychological thriller about four friends whose rural rafting trip takes a terrifying turn. The move would be a fruitful one, earning him the Florida State Drama Award in 1956, which came with a scholarship to the Hyde Park Playhouse, a summer stock theater in Hyde Park, New York.Īfterward, Reynolds had a brief stopover in New York, where he appeared in several theatrical productions before moving out west to Hollywood. Reynolds briefly contemplated a career in law enforcement, but a teacher recognized his talent while reading Shakespeare in English class and pushed him toward acting.

#BURT REYNOLDS SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT CO STAR DIES SERIES#

An All State football player in high school, Reynolds attended Florida State University on an athletic scholarship, playing halfback.Īlthough he intended to go pro, his career was cut short by a series of injuries. His family settled in Riviera Beach, Florida, after his father, who served in the Army, returned from Europe in 1946. Reynolds was born in Lansing, Michigan, on Feb.

#BURT REYNOLDS SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT CO STAR DIES MOVIE#

My uncle was looking forward to working with Quentin Tarantino, and the amazing cast that was assembled Ī former college football player who took up acting after an injury cut short his playing career, Reynolds spent a decade taking on bit roles in Hollywood before breaking through with roles in some of the biggest films of the decade, including “Deliverance,” “The Longest Yard” and - the movie he’s best known for - “Smokey and the Bandit.” Anyone who breaks their tail bone on a river and finishes the movie is tough.

She added of his “unexpected” passing, “He was tough. “My uncle was not just a movie icon he was a generous, passionate and sensitive man, who was dedicated to his family, friends, fans and acting students.” “It is with a broken heart that I said goodbye to my uncle today,” she said in a statement. The actor’s niece Nancy Lee Hess told Page Six on Thursday that her uncle “has had health issues,” but that his death was “totally unexpected.”

Burt reynolds smokey and the bandit co star dies