Burt Reynolds was one of cinema's most popular actors. He rose to prominence in television before successfully transitioning to the big screen, his breakout role in 1972's 'Deliverance' regarded as one of his finest performances. Reynolds, however, is best known for his light-hearted car-chase movies, pictures such as 'Smokey and the Bandit' (1977) and 'The Cannonball Run' (1981). In later life he returned to the small screen where he garnered Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his work on 'Evening Shade.'
Burt Reynolds died in 2018, and is fondly remembered as the guy who never took himself too seriously, but nevertheless won the respect and affection of his peers in film, television, and on stage.
Click through for an appreciation of the life and work of Burt Reynolds.