FLINT TWP, MI -- After the late Burt Reynolds starred in films such as "Deliverance" and "Smokey and the Bandit," he made his mark on the small screen here.

Reynolds died at age 82, the Associated Press reported Thursday, Sept. 6, leaving behind decades of work as an actor.

But in a lesser-known performance in 1997, he surfaced in Flint Township, helping to promote a new line of Dodge Ram 1500 "Bandit" pickup trucks sold only through a Patsy Lou Williamson dealership on Corunna Road.

Reynolds recorded a television commercial to support the truck, saying he bought all his vehicles from Williamson.

Flint Journal files show Reynolds also appeared at Auto City Speedway in 1997, signing autographs and promoting the dealership and was also appointed to the board of directors of The Colonel's International Inc.

Don Williamson, husband of Patsy Lou Williamson and former mayor of Flint, held a controlling interest in the company at the time.