With acclaimed roles in Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit, Burt Reynolds's swagger and
charm made him a huge star in the '70s.
But despite his box-office clout and sex symbol status, the once-great star seems to have
faded away.
So, why aren't we seeing more from Burt Reynolds?
Becoming a star
Reynolds began his career in the late '50s and worked steadily in small TV roles through
the '60s, including an episode of The Twilight Zone, playing a cocky actor who gets punched
in the face by a time-traveling Shakespeare.
“What have I got against this personage, Stanislavsky?
You!”
But in 1972, Deliverance gave Reynolds his first major movie role.
However, just before the film was released, Reynolds was invited to pose nude for Cosmopolitan.
It was the first nude male centerfold in a major magazine, and he figured people would
look at and laugh and forget about it a few days later.
But instead of being a laugh riot, it made Reynolds the sex symbol of the '70s.
It also diminished his serious acting accomplishments in Deliverance.
“I was very young and very stupid, and it did not change my career to the better.”
Reynolds had become a huge star, but he was never really taken seriously, which would
haunt him for the rest of his career.
A few bad choices
Reynolds' signature 'stache and cocky smile won over male and female fans alike through
the '70s, but by the '80s, his movies were already getting less critical acclaim.
1981's The Cannonball Run featured an all-star cast and made a lot of money — but critics
weren't pleased.
Also released in 1981 was the well-reviewed drama Sharky's Machine, which had Reynolds
as its star.
But he squandered those critical gains by following that up with Best Little Whorehouse
in Texas, the forgettable Best Friends, and the horribly reviewed Stroker Ace.
By the time 1984 rolled around, Reynolds returned for Cannonball Run II, which got even worse
reviews and made $44 million less than the original.
By sticking to a run of mediocre comedies, Reynolds wasn't being taken seriously, and
he could only charm audiences for so long.
And if the first half of the '80s seemed troublesome for Reynolds, the second half only got worse.
Reynolds' work included a cameo in the bizarre Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 and the terribly-reviewed
Rent-A-Cop.
Things didn't get any better from there.
Too many refusals
Over the years, Reynolds turned down a lot of roles that would wind up becoming iconic.
In an interview with Business Insider, Reynolds revealed that he could've played the first
American James Bond, but he felt 007 was a role only an Englishman could play.
And before Harrison Ford took a break from carpentry to play Han Solo, Reynolds was reportedly
offered the role.
In the early 1980s, the male lead in Terms of Endearment was written especially for Reynolds,
but the star said no, as he'd already committed to Stroker Ace.
The role went to Jack Nicholson, and Reynolds regrets his decision even today.
Then in 1990, Reynolds reportedly turned down the starring role in Pretty Woman due to the
age gap between himself and Julia Roberts.
While these choices didn't affect his career at the time, they definitely hurt his legacy.
Instead, Reynolds retreated to TV, starring in sitcoms for much of the late '80s and early
'90s, appearing as a disembodied voice in Out of This World and an ex-football star
in Evening Shade.
He even won his first and only Emmy for his performance in Evening Shade.
Unfortunately, after four seasons, the show went off the air and Reynolds went back to
making bad movies, until 1997.
A thwarted comeback
In 1997, Reynolds got the comeback role of a lifetime.
And no, it wasn't in the Mr. Bean movie.
"But I love my country.
I can’t stand the idea of a bunch of Frenchies owning America’s greatest painting.
Let's get on with it."
Boogie Nights was the film that made Paul Thomas Anderson a famous director to watch,
and a role in the film gave Reynolds acclaim that he hadn't seen in a long time.
But despite overwhelming critical praise, Reynolds didn't really go anywhere after playing
Jack Horner.
So why didn't Boogie Nights work for Reynolds like Pulp Fiction did for John Travolta?
Well, first of all, Reynolds didn't actually like Boogie Nights.
Reynolds told The Guardian that even though he's never seen the movie all of the way through,
he still hates it, and that working on it was a nightmare, mostly citing creative differences
with Anderson.
Still, Reynolds' rage also extended to the cast, and according to his book But Enough
About Me, Reynolds almost got in a fist fight with co-star Thomas Jane.
Though the shoot was difficult, Anderson had no complaints about Reynolds's performance.
He even offered him a role in his next film, Magnolia, but Reynolds turned it down, saying,
"I'd done my picture with Paul Thomas Anderson, that was enough for me."
Personal problems
In addition to his spotty film career, things were also pretty difficult in Reynolds's personal
life.
After marrying actress Loni Anderson in 1988, the couple divorced in 1993.
It was not amicable, and Reynolds called the marriage, quote, "a really dumb move" while
Anderson lobbed accusations of abuse.
When the smoke cleared, Reynolds agreed to pay Anderson a little under $250,000, though
he didn't complete the transaction right away.
It took 22 years for Reynolds to complete his payments.
In 1996, the actor filed for bankruptcy, but was able to keep his large ranch in Florida,
which he eventually sold anyhow.
By 2014, money was still a problem, so he held an auction of some of his personal belongings,
including props, costumes, and awards from his films.
However, other items he tried to sell seemed a little more desperate, like his voided credit
card.
He's still busy
Despite these bumps in the road, Reynolds is still working — just not always on the
big screen.
"Burt F------ Reynolds?"
"who else could keep this town running? "
In addition to popping up in a few voice roles, he created the Burt Reynolds Institute, an
acting studio in Florida where aspiring stars can learn from Reynolds himself.
Even now, at over 80 years old, Reynolds recently completed the film Dog Years, and has multiple
films set for release in the near future.
For a guy who's been in the business for six decades, that's incredibly impressive.
Reynolds' star may not shine as bright today as it did 40 years ago, but he's still an
icon who'll always have a place in film history.
And a few bedroom walls.
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