Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds (February 11, 1936, Lansing, Michigan, USA - September 06, 2018, Jupiter, Florida, USA) was an American actor, director, producer and former football halfback player. He first rose to promience starring in television series such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965) and Dan August (1970–1971).
His breakout film role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972). Reynolds played the leading role in a number of box office hits, such as The Longest Yard (1974), Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Semi-Tough (1977), Hooper (1978), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982).
After a string of box office failures, Reynolds returned to television, starring in the sitcom Evening Shade (1990–1994). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Boogie Nights (1997).
The Florida State Drama Award included a scholarship to the Hyde Park Playhouse, a summer stock theater, in Hyde Park, New York. Reynolds saw the opportunity as an agreeable alternative to more physically-demanding summer jobs, but did not yet see acting as a possible career. While working there, Reynolds met Joanne Woodward, who helped him find an agent, and was cast in Tea and Sympathy at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. After his Broadway debut Look, We've Come Through, he received favorable reviews for his performance and went on tour with the cast, driving the bus and appearing on stage. After the tour, Reynolds returned to New York and enrolled in acting classes, along with Frank Gifford, Carol Lawrence, Red Buttons and Jan Murray.
Reynolds guest-starred in the Pony Express episode, "The Good Samaritan", which aired in 1960 on the centennial of the famed mail route. He used television fame to secure leading roles for low-budget films. Saul David considered Reynolds to star in Our Man Flint, but Lew Wasserman rejected him. Albert R. Broccoli asked Reynolds to play James Bond, but he turned the role down, saying "An American can't play James Bond. It just can't be done." The role went to George Lazenby. Reynolds then filmed Shark! with director Sam Fuller and Fuller disowned the rough cuts. Reynolds made his breakout performance in Deliverance and gained notoriety when he appeared in the April 1972 issue of Cosmopolitan. Reynolds claims the centerfold in Cosmopolitan hurt the chances for the film and cast to receive Academy Awards. In 1977, Reynolds and Nick Nolte declined the role of Han Solo in the Star Wars franchise, which went to Harrison Ford. After a string of box office failures, he returned to television, starring in the sitcom Evening Shade (1990–1994). Reynolds was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Boogie Nights (1997). He refused to appear in Paul Thomas Anderson's third film, Magnolia.
| Year | Image | Character | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 
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Narrator | The Legend of Frosty the Snowman |