Offscreen Notes
Burt Reynolds (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018)
The unassuming star who was never afraid to deflate his own ego, Burt Reynolds, died of a cardiac arrest at age 82 on September 6, 2018. Reynolds was cut in the rugged handsome mold, the ‘Marlboro’ man, and although he was born in Michigan, developed his most iconic roles (Sam Whiskey, White Lightning, Gator, Smokey and the Bandit) as a ‘good old boy’ from the South. Reynolds was at heart a character actor who could play ladies men but also tough urban types (Fuzz, Shamus) and excelled when asked on the odd occasions to stretch his dramatic acting ability (Deliverance, The Longest Yard). Reynolds was much closer to the iconic Hollywood stars of the 1940s, 1950s (Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn) than the actors who followed him. A unique persona, the likes of which we will probably never see again.
