Legendary Hollywood star Burt Reynolds has passed away aged 82
The Hollywood hunk was best known for starring in 'Smokey and the Bandit'
By Steve Brown
Legendary Hollywood actor Burt Reynolds has died aged 82.
Best known for starring as Bo ‘Bandit’ Darville in the 1977 Smokey and the Bandit blockbuster – also Alfred Hitchcock’s favourite movie – the actor’s manager Erik Kritzer broke the news of his passing to the Hollywood Reporter.
Reynolds – who received an Oscar nomination portraying porn director Jack Horner in Boogie Nights back in 1997 – died Thursday morning (September 6) and the cause of death is reported as a cardiopulmonary arrest.
The Hollywood hunk was known for his moustached grin and charming good looks which landed him hundreds of movie roles including starring alongside Dolly Parton in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
His film Deliverance – which featured an uncut 10-minute hillbilly male rape scene – was nominated for three Academy Awards but lost out to The Godfather but Reynolds said it was his best movie.
He said: “If I had to put only one of my movies in a time capsule, it would be Deliverance.
“I don’t know if it’s the best acting I’ve done, but it’s the best movie I’ve ever been in. It proved I could act, not only to the public but me.”
Most notably, the actor showed off his moustache and other assets when he posed nude for the centrefold for Cosmopolitan back in 1972 before becoming a rare man to cover Playboy.
Speaking on his Cosmo shoot, the legendary actor said: “It’s been called one of the greatest publicity stunts of all time, but it was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made.
“And I’m convinced it cost Deliverance the recognition it deserved.”
The actor also publicly slammed Charlie Sheen for hiding his HIV status and said he had “no” sympathy for Sheen after his years of ‘misbehaving’.
Reynolds was recently cast to star as George Spahn in Quentin Tarantino’s new movie Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, however, he died before his part was filmed.
