1. Burton Leon “Burt” Reynolds Jr. was born February 11th, 1936 in Waycross, Georgia.



2. Burt Reynolds path to stardom…Cliff Notes style. Reynolds appeared in a college play called Outward Bound. His performance in that play helped him win a scholarship that got him into the Hyde Park Playhouse in New York. Here he met Joanne Woodward who helped him find an agent. While in a production of Mister Roberts he was spotted and signed to a television contract for the television show Gunsmoke for three years. From here he did the Clint Eastwood….”go overseas and star in low budget movies”. In 1969 he had his first box office success with 1969’s 100 Rifles. 3 years later he became a superstar with his performance in 1972’s Deliverance.

3. Burt Reynolds earned a football scholarship to Florida State. His college career ended after suffering a knee injury. He played halfback…which explains why he looked so comfortable in his The Longest Yard role.

4. Burt Reynolds was a Quigley Publishing Top Ten Box Office Star from 1973 through 1984. That consecutive 12 year run is one of the longest streaks ever in the 80 plus years that Quigley Publishing has released their annual list.



5. Burt Reynolds has been married two times. He was married to Judy Carne from 1963-1965. He was married to Loni Anderson from 1988-1994. Reynolds and Anderson have one child together…Quenton Anderson Reynolds.



6. Burt Reynolds’ Smokey and the Bandit (1977) is the 67th biggest box office hit of all time when looking at adjusted box office grosses.



7. Burt Reynolds has been nominated for one acting Oscar®….Best Supporting Actor in 1997’s Boogie Nights. He has been nominated for three movie acting Golden Globes®….Best Actor in 1974’s The Longest Yard, Best Actor in 1979’s Starting Over and he won the Golden Globe® for Best Supporting Actor in 1997’s Boogie Nights.



8. Roles turned down by Burt Reynolds or he was seriously considered for: Rosemary’s Baby (John Cassevetes part) Soapdish (Kevin Kline part), Terms of Endearment (Jack Nicholson part), Die Hard (Bruce Willis part), Star Wars (Harrison Ford part), One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (Jack Nicholson part) and Taxi Driver (Robert DeNiro part). On the flip side of this….Reynolds got his star making role in Deliverance only after Henry Fonda, James Stewart and Marlon Brando.



9. Burt Reynolds the singer? Yep. He hit number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1980 with the song “Let’s Do Something Cheap and Superficial” from Smokey and the Bandit II.

10. Check out Burt Reynolds‘ career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.



Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks of the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. Golden Globes® are the registered trademark and service mark of the Hollywood Foreign Press.

Jump To Burt Reynolds Links: 1. Box Office 2. Oscar Movies 3. Reviews 4. Trailers 5. UMR Table