Burt Reynolds, one of the most charismatic and successful actors of his generation, passed away at the age of 82 from a heart attack. His passing on Sept. 6 came very unexpectedly, as Reynolds still had upcoming roles.
Reynolds recently finished taping “Defining Moments,” a film that is expected to hit theaters spring 2019. He was also expected to act in the Quentin Tarantino-produced project, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” which has a summer 2019 release date.
Reynolds received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights” and is also well known for his portrayal of Bo “Bandit” Darville in the cult classic “Smokey and the Bandit,” which was released in 1977. More of his notable films include the 1972 thriller “Deliverance” and the original 1974 film “The Longest Yard.” Reynolds believed that “Deliverance” was the best movie he had ever been in. He wrote in his 2015 memoir “But Enough About Me” that his performance “proved I could act, not only to the public but me.”
Although beloved by many, Reynolds has often been criticized for the well-known roles that he declined, some being box office hits, such as when he turned down the roles of Han Solo in “Star Wars,” retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove in “Terms of Endearment” and cop John McClane in “Die Hard.” Reynolds has stated publicly that passing on “Terms of Endearment” was one of his worst career mistakes. The role ended up going to Jack Nicholson, who went on to win a supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of Breedlove in the film.
Reynolds also admitted in his memoir to not taking risks, saying, “I didn’t open myself to new writers or risky parts because I wasn’t interested in challenging myself as an actor. I was interested in having a good time. As a result, I missed a lot of opportunities to show I could play serious roles. By the time I finally woke up and tried to get it right, nobody would give me a chance.”
Even though his career had been tumultuous at times, Reynolds seemed to have very few regrets during his life, saying, “I always wanted to experience everything and go down swinging. Well, so far, so good. I know I’m old, but I feel young. And there’s one thing they can never take away: Nobody had more fun than I did.”
Image from Movieclips via YouTube.com
