PALegendary actor Burt Reynolds has died at the age of 82.
He became a household name in the 1970s with films such as Deliverance, Smokey and the Bandit and The Longest Yard.
He later earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 cult classic Boogie Nights.
He was set to appear in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood based around the Manson Family murders.
He was born and brought up in Michigan by police chief officer for a father. He went to the Palm Beach High School and Florida State University where he played college professional football, something he dreamt of pursuing further until he it was nipped in the bud thanks to serious injuries he suffered during his youth.
PAInstead went to the Palm Beach Junior, thinking that he will follow his father’s profession. But his acting skills were recognised there and he got a scholarship to work at a theatre in New York. From there onwards he strived and got himself a series of jobs in plays, television shows and movies.
‘I still haven’t done the best work I can do. I hope I get the chance,’ he said earlier this year. ‘But I’m at an age where it’s very difficult to be offered great roles.’
He added:
I’ve been very, very lucky through ups and downs. When you crash and burn, you have to pick yourself up and go on and hope to make up for it. Along the way, I’ve met some wonderful people. And you always run into some jerks. But that would be the same if you were working for the Ford Motor Co.
It’s a tough business. Very tough. But I always tried to leave a good impression wherever we shot, and I didn’t leave any buildings burning or anything. And I’ve had a good time through it all.
Our thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.
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