Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds passed away last week. I recently saw him on The Talk. He looked good to me and I was impressed with his wit. I was interested to learn that he felt his true love was Sally Field and that he was still after her. How sweet.
I loved Burt Reynolds. He was one of my childhood crushes. He was older than my dad which is kind of gross, but he was gorgeous. My crush began after watching Smokey and the Bandit. (FYI, I also had a crush on Jerry Reed. I did NOT develop a crush on Jackie Gleason.) I was so jealous of Sally Field. She got to kiss Burt Reynolds! I loved that scene in Smokey and the Bandit where they first kiss. That was so romantic to me. I always imagined kissing him. He had such nice full thick lips. Yum.
Early Burt
Burton Leon Reynolds, Jr. was born on February 11, 1936 in Lansing, Michigan. He was quite the athlete in high school and received multiple scholarship offers for college. He ended up attending Florida State University on a football scholarship and played halfback. Injuries put an end to his football career which worked out great for us.
Burt Reynolds was in some pretty major TV shows during the 50’s and 60’s but I think it was the movie Deliverance where everyone started to know his name. I didn’t know who he was until Smokey and the Bandit. Just sayin….
Love Life
Burt Reynolds was married in the mid 60’s for a few years. He was with Dinah Shore in the 70’s for about five years. She was 20 years older which shows that age is just a number. He then had a long relationship with Sally Field. I love her. I wonder why she never accepted any of his marriage proposals. Burt then married Loni Anderson which ended in divorce. All of his relationships seem to have lasted about five years. Interesting.
Trivia
- Burt Reynolds has an adopted son, Quinton, with Loni Anderson.
- He graduated from Florida State University in 1958.
- Burt turned down the role in Terms of Endearment that ended up earning Jack Nicholson an Oscar.
- He turned down the role of John McClane in Die Hard. I really love Bruce Willis in that role though.
- Burt also turned down the role of Hans Solo in Star Wars. Mmmm…..
- Burt Reynolds was the first choice for the lead in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest but they decided to go with Jack Nicholson instead.
- He once appeared on The Dating Game.
- He was a big fan of The Pittsburgh Steelers. I’m a big fan of the Oakland Raiders.
- Burt Reynolds got naked in 1972 for a Cosmopolitan centerfold. Mario Lopez recreated this pose 36 years later.
I remember seeing Burt Reynolds on a talk show in the 80’s. He was discussing the new actors and giving his opinion. I don’t remember who he liked but I do know he said Tom Cruise was a little too smiley and toothy for him. Ha! I love it. I feel the same way.
Burt Reynolds had heart issues for many years. He underwent a quintuple coronary artery bypass surgery in 2010. Sadly, he passed away on 9/6/18 of cardiac arrest. He was 82. He shall be missed.