A legend of action comedies falls silent forever - Burt Reynolds dies at 82
On September 6, 2018, Burt Reynolds died at the age of 82, a Hollywood institution of the seventies and eighties. We don't normally report on such events here, but we're making an exception for "Buddy".
Best known for the 1972 film "Everybody's First to Die", most people remember him as the "bandit" in his Pontiac Firebird Trans AM (1977) or in 1981 with "The Cannonball".
In the seventies, he filmed lots of action comedies, always with fast sports cars, pretty girls and, of course, his famous moustache.
He was also a fan of the Pontiac brand in his private life. He even went so far as to want to be buried in one. However, this could prove to be difficult, as Reynolds had to sell the aforementioned car at auction a few years ago due to excessive debt.
Reynolds' career was a rollercoaster of emotions; after his successful films, his career went downhill at the end of the 1980s. A small comeback to the limelight followed in 1997 with "Boggy Nights". Here, Reynolds played a porn producer in a supporting role, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
Interesting anecdote: Reynolds turned down numerous roles during his life, including some that would have changed the whole of film history. For example, he was offered the role of James Bond in 1969, but turned it down, arguing that no American could portray the British character.
Burt Reynolds as Han Solo (Star Wars? Incredible, isn't it? But he was also offered this role. His reason for turning it down was that he didn't make science fiction films.
There's no question that Reynolds was a man with rough edges, but it was precisely these that made him so endearing. He was the epitome of the modern warhorse, casual yet charming.
This mixture made some women's hearts beat faster at the sight of him. His appearance as a nude model in Cosmopolitan in 1972 turned him into a sex symbol and for many was the reason for his breakthrough as an actor. However, he himself was never happy with this photo and thought throughout his life that it had damaged his career.
Nevertheless, Reynolds was one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood in the seventies and played in the same league as Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood.
On that note, rest in peace Buddy, you've earned it.
