Burt Reynolds and Sally Field estaurant – March 15, 1978 at Steak Pit Restaurant in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

One of Burt Reynolds’ most famous relationships was with Sally Field, his Smokey And The Bandit co-star.

The couple dated for five years but ended when Burt ‘screwed’ the relationship up, he later admitted.

Despite being apart for almost 40 years, Sally Field was one of the first to pay tribute to Reynolds after the news of his death aged 82 broke on Thursday.

And she says Burt – who called Sally ‘the love of his life’ as recently as 2015 – never left her mind.


In a statement, Sally said: ‘There are times in your life that are so indelible, they never fade away.

Burt and Sally met on the set of Smokey and the Bandit (pictured) in 1977 and dated for five years (Getty images)

Burt and Sally starred together in two Smokey and the Bandit films

‘They stay alive, even forty years later. My years with Burt never leave my mind. He will be in my history and my heart, for as long as I live. Rest, Buddy.’



Aged 82, the actor died of a heart attack in a hospital in Florida on Thursday morning, surrounded by his family.

Burt and Sally co-starred in three films Smokey And The Bandit, Smokey And The Bandit II, The End and Hooper, the first being where they met in 1977.

Sally Field and Burt Reynolds (Picture: Ron Galella/WireImage)

In an interview with USA Today published in March this year, Burt recalls how he had to persuade Sally to say yes to Smokey And The Bandit, as she had originally said no.

He told the publication: ‘She first said no. And I called her and I said, “I know why you said no. You think it’s a silly movie with cars chasing each other and all that. But I don’t see it as that. I see it as a chance to work with the best young actress on the planet. If you want to, go ahead and say no”. And she went, “How the hell am I going to say no to that?”.’

Though they never married, Burt proposed to Sally – who had two children from her first marriage when they dated – on numerous occasions and longed to start a family with her.

Sally Field and Burt Reynolds during “Golda” Gala at Tower Suite in New York City, New York, United States. (Picture: Ron Galella/WireImage)

In a 1979 article, joint with Sally, he had told PEOPLE: ‘I am planning to get married, but I don’t know when.

‘The kids – Peter, 9, and Eli, 6 – and I have a great relationship, but we haven’t had enough time together. Am I supposed to tell Sally to drop them off and screech away? They’re more important to Sally than I am, which is the way it should be.’

He added: ‘I want a kid so bad that I ache, and yet I have this incredible fear. But one day you turn around and say, “Oh, hell, I’ll just do it.”‘

Like Sally, Burt had also previously been married, to Judy Carne between 1963 until 1965.

Sally and Burt pictured in August 1977, the year they started dating (Picture: Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images)

Sally Field talks while Burt Reynolds listens in a scene from the film ‘Hooper’, 1978. (Picture: Warner Brothers/Getty Images)

He went on to marry Loni Anderson in 1988 and they adopted his son Quinton during their five-year marriage.

Sally was married to Steven Craig from 1968 to 1975 and then to Alan Greisman from 1984 to 1993.

However, Burt later admitted that Sally had always been ‘the love of his life’.

‘I miss her terribly,’ he told Vanity Fair in 2015.

Burt Reynolds and Sally Field in March 1978 (Picture: Ron Galella/WireImage)

‘Even now, it’s hard on me. I don’t know why I was so stupid. Men are like that, you know. You find the perfect person, and then you do everything you can to screw it up.’

And in a 2016 interview with Event magazine, Burt claimed the end of his relationship with Field is the biggest disappointment of his life when asked.



‘Sally Field. I did four movies with Sally and spent five years with her. She was the love of my life and I screwed the relationship up,’ he candidly revealed.

‘That sense of loss never goes away. I have no idea what Sally thinks about it. She could pick up the phone and speak to me but she never does.

‘I spoke to her son recently. He said that his mum talks about me all the time. Maybe she’ll phone me one day. I’d love to have that conversation.’

In March, Sally confirmed that they no longer spoke after their split in 1982 but credited the actor with being ‘the most important influence’ to come into her life during the Seventies.

One of the main factors for this was because Burt thought she was sexy, which had boosted Field’s confidence levels in the industry.

Sally had said in an interview: ‘I thought even if the film didn’t work, if he thinks I’m attractive in it, other people will think so, too.’

Burt himself has previously revealed how he pushed to get Field in Smokey, despite casting directors advising him against it as she lacked sex appeal.

He had told the Today show: ‘I wanted her really bad for Smokey. They said she’s not sexy. “You don’t get it it,” I said, “Talent is sexy. And she’s got that”.’

Sally was among a wave of acclaimed movie stars to pay tribute on Thursday.

Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mark Wahlberg all credited Burt with being a ‘friend’ and a great ‘inspiration’.

Burt Reynolds' biggest films Smokey And The Bandit Arguably his most iconic movie, the 1977 action comedy Smokey And The Bandit also starred Sally Field, who he went on to date for five years. MORE: Burt Reynolds’ ‘love of his life’ ex Sally Field says he will ‘always be in her heart’ in poignant tribute The trucker comedy was centred around a 28-hour drive illegally delivering beer from Texas to Georgia. It went on to inspire a 1980 sequel, Smokey And The Bandit II and a 1983 threequel, Smokey And The Bandit Part 3. The Longest Yard The Longest Yard was one of Burt’s more recent films, released in 2005. It was actually a remake of the 1974 film in which Burt starred. In the 2005 movie, about a former pro quarterback Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler, played by Burt in the original movie) who is sent to prison, Burt plays Coach Nate Scarborouh who helps Crewe create an inmates’ football team to play against the prison guards. Boogie Nights Boogie Nights was a critically acclaimed movie which attracted a number of awards show nominations and high praise from critics. In the film he stars as porn director Jack Horner who recruits a busboy, played by Mark Wahlberg. Burt was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in Boogie Nights, but lost out to Robin Williams for his role as Dr. Sean Maguiredouble-dagger in Good Will Hunting. He did, however, win the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role as Horner in the 1997 film. It’s understood Burt initially hated the movie so much, he fired his agent at the time. It has also been reported that Burt never watched Boogie Nights. Deliverance Burt starred in Deliverance with Jon Voight, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox. The group of friends decide to go for a week canoeing in Georgia but things don’t go quite to plan. It won three Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations. Striptease In 1996 movie Striptease, Burt starred as politician David Dilbeck, who sets his sights on FBI office assistant Erin Grant (Demi Moore) when she falls into stripping as she needs more cash to support her family. Unlike his other films Striptease was a flop with critics but is still held in high regard by fans of Reynolds, with many believing it is what led to his starring role in Boogie Nights the following year. Shadow Fighter Shadow Fighter was Burt’s final completed film role before his death. In the movie, he played Paddy Grier. It is a film about a homeless former boxer and an inner-city kid’s unlikely bond. The film also stars Steve Daron, Omar Brunson and Cristina Figarola. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Reynolds had been cast as George Spahn in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, due out next July; it is unclear whether his part had been filmed before his death. Back in May, the actor – one of the most recognisable faces from the era portrayed in the crime drama – was announced to be playing Spahn in the film. Spahn was an 80-year old, nearly blind man who rented his ranch in Los Angeles out to be used as a location for Western films. Charles Manson and his ‘Family’ lived at the ranch in the months leading up to the murders of Sharon Tate and six others in 1969. In lieu of rent, Manson’s female followers slept with Spahn and acted as his eyes. Filming has started on Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (Picture: Instagram @leonardodicaprio) It is unknown if Reynolds had begun filming yet. Stars including Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie have already been pictured on set and in full costume. The film also stars Damian Lewis, Emile Hirsch, Luke Perry, Lena Dunham, Rumer Willis, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Dakota Fanning, who stars as Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is due for release on 29 July 2019. Burt was also an accomplished star on the small screen, appearing in TV shows including Gunsmoke, Dan August and Evening Shade.

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