Burt Reynolds: Five most iconic performances

The film and entertainment lost an industry icon as Burt Reynolds died at the age of 82. Let’s take a look at the actor’s five most iconic performances.

The entertainment community is in mourning as one of the most legendary actors of all-time, Burt Reynolds, died on Thursday. The 82-year-old had a memorable career that spanned over six decades. At the time of his passing, Reynolds was set to make an appearance in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, but was never able to film his scenes.

With a long and illustrious career, Reynolds had the opportunity of playing many characters that are still beloved by fans today. Here are his five most iconic performances.

Deliverance

This was the breakout role for Reynolds. In the thriller Deliverance, Reynolds played Lewis Medlock, an outdoorsmen who takes his friends on a river-rafting trip into the dangerous American countryside where they eventually have to fight for their lives. Around the same time, Reynolds posed nude on the cover of Cosmopolitan, which was iconic in its own right despite Reynolds later regretting it. Nevertheless, a star was born.

The Longest Yard

Before Adam Sandler and Chris Rock starred in the remake, the original film starred Reynolds as Paul Crewe, an ex-NFL player in prison who recruits prisoners to take on the guards in a game of football. Reynolds performance as a quarterback was so realistic because he played football at Florida State in the ’50s.

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Smokey and the Bandit

If you had to pick one role that Reynolds will be most remembered for, it would be his performance in Smokey and the Bandit. Reynolds played Bo Darville aka The Bandit, the free-spirited cowboy who is hired to drive illegal beer over state lines all while being chased by the Sheriff, Smokey, played by Jackie Gleason. To put into perspective how popular this movie was in 1977, only Star Wars had a higher domestic gross than Smokey and the Bandit.

The Cannonball Run

Before The Fast and Furious popularized street racing, there was The Cannonball Run in 1981. The Cannonball Run brought together a plethora of strange and unconventional racers to take part in a wild and illegal cross-country race. Reynolds played J.J. McClure, who was full of charisma and willing to do whatever it takes to win. The film spawned two sequels.

Boogie Nights

If you were not alive in the ’70s, the role you might associate the most with Reynolds is in Boogie Nights, which chronicles the Golden Age of Porn in the ’70s and ’80s. Reynolds played Jack Horner, a porn filmmaker who takes a young Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) under his wing and watches his rise and fall to superstardom. Reynolds won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and many believed he would win the Oscar before losing to Robin Williams. That being said, Reynolds’ performance was met with critical acclaim across the board and many called it his comeback role to superstardom.

Burt Reynolds’ final role will be in Defining Moments, which is set to be released in April 2019.