Burt Reynolds – a life in pictures

The hirsute heart-throb has died at the age of 82. Though best known for Deliverance and Boogie Nights, his prodigious output for film and television spanned six decades. Here we look back at his career

Main image: Burt Reynolds in Deliverance. Photograph: Moviestore/Rex Shutterstock

  • Burton Leon Reynolds was born in Lansing in Michigan on 11 February 1936. When injury curtailed a promising football career, he took up acting. Here he is at a pool party in Los Angeles in 1960
    Burt Reynolds at a pool party in LA in 1960

  • Gunsmoke, 1962-65

    Reynolds made his television debut in 1959 and played a succession of cops, cowboys and hustlers
    Burt Reynolds in Gunsmoke, 1963

  • Navajo Joe, 1966

    Towards the end of the 60s, Reynolds’ film career began to take off with lead roles in low-budget movies
    Burt Reynolds in Navajo Joe, 1966

  • Fade In, 1968

    Burt Reynolds in Fade In, 1968

  • 100 Rifles, 1969

    Jim Brown, Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch and Michael Forest
    Jim Brown, Burt Reynolds, Raquel Welch and Michael Forest in 100 Rifles, 1969

  • Dan August, 1970

    In 1971, Reynolds was nominated for a Golden Globe for best TV actor for his portrayal of the eponymous detective. Also that year he turned down the role of James Bond in Diamonds are Forever after George Lazenby quit the franchise
    Burt Reynolds as Lt Dan August in 1970

  • Deliverance, 1972

    John Boorman’s brilliant Georgia set thriller was Reynolds’ breakthrough. From Dueling Banjos to ‘squeal like a pig’, the film has many memorable moments and received three Oscars and wide critical acclaim
    A poster for John Boorman’s 1972 thriller Deliverance

  • The Longest Yard, 1974

    Reynolds was nominated for a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy for his portrayal of a jailed former pro quarterback assembling a winning team of convicts
    Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard, 1974

  • Smokey and the Bandit, 1977

    In 1976, Reynolds turned down the part of Han Solo because he was busy. Instead he made this, the first of the short-lived trucking films genre, with Sally Field
    Sally Field and Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit, 1977

  • Hooper, 1978

    Reynolds was so well known for his stuntwork that he was given the lifetime achievement award at the 2007 World Stunt Awards
    Burt Reynolds jumps from a helicopter in Hooper, 1978

  • Starting Over, 1979

    Candice Bergen and Jill Clayburgh were nominated for Oscars; Reynolds was nominated for a Golden Globe
    A poster for Burt Reynolds 1979 movie Starting Over

  • The Cannonball Run, 1981

    Farrah Fawcett and Burt Reynolds
    Farrah Fawcett and Burt Reynolds in The Cannonball Run, 1981

  • Sharky’s Machine, 1981

    Burt Reynolds and Bernie Casey
    Burt Reynolds and Bernie Casey in Sharky’s Machine, 1981

  • The Man Who Loved Women, 1983

    Burt Reynolds with, clockwise from top left, Julie Andrews, Denise Crosby, Kim Basinger, Marilu Henner, Jennifer Edwards and Cynthia Sikes. In reality Reynolds was married twice and linked with numerous women
    Burt Reynolds surrounded by Julie Andrews, Denise Crosby, Kim Basinger, Marilu Henner, Jennifer Edwards and Cynthia Sikes in The Man Who Loved Women, 1983

  • The Golden Girls, 1986

    From the late 80s, Reynolds gradually moved back into television work. Here, he is guest starring as himself in the episode Ladies of the Evening where the girls win tickets to attend a post-premiere movie party with Burt. However, a hitch in their plan occurs when they are mistaken for prostitutes
    Burt Reynolds guest starring in the Golden Girls in 1986

  • Evening Shade, 1990-94

    Reynolds won awards for his role, here with Ossie Davis, throughout the hit sitcom’s run including a Golden Globe and Emmy for best actor
    Burt Reynolds and Ossie Davis in Evening Shade, 1991

  • Boogie Nights, 1997

    Reynolds, here with Mark Wahlberg, was nominated for an Oscar and won the Golden Globe for best actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of porn filmmaker Jack Horner
    Burt Reynolds and Mark Wahlberg in Boogie Nights, 1997

  • The Dukes of Hazzard, 2005

    Reynolds still doing stunts as his Boss Hogg takes a whack from Willie Nelson’s Uncle Jesse
    Burt Reynolds and Willie Nelson in The Dukes of Hazzard, 2005

  • A Bunch of Amateurs, 2008

    Reynolds, here with Imelda Staunton, stars in this British comedy about a film star who comes to England to play King Lear only to find it is with an amateur dramatic society
    Burt Reynolds and Imelda Staunton in A Bunch of Amateurs, 2008

  • Reynolds at home in Los Angeles on 15 August 2011
    Burt Reynolds at home in Los Angeles on 15 August 2011

  • The Last Movie Star, 2018

    Reynolds poses for a portrait to promote his movie The Last Movie Star, in LA
    The Last Movie Star, 2018Burt Reynolds poses for a portrait to promote his movie ‘The Last Movie Star’, in LA
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