Reynolds remembered as a legend and trailblazer of the film world
FILM STARS have paid tribute to Hollywood “trailblazer” Burt Reynolds who has died at the age of 82.
The Michigan-born actor was one of the biggest box office draws in the world in the 1970s, starring in hit films The Longest Yard, Smokey And The Bandit and
Semi-Tough, among others. In a statement, a spokesman for Reynolds said he died in hospital in Jupiter, Florida, yesterday morning after suffering a heart attack.
Among those paying tribute to Reynolds online was actor Wesley Snipes, who referenced a line from Smokey And The Bandit.
Snipes tweeted: “Meeting you was one of the greater joys of my adult life and artistic career. You were the ‘Man’ then, now and forever in my book. 10-4 Bandit, you’ve got nothing but open road now – love, WS. the Student.”
Mark Wahlberg, who was Reynolds’ co-star in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 film Boogie Nights – for which Reynolds earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination – shared a picture of them together on the film’s set and wrote: “Rest in peace to a legend and a friend.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger also paid tribute to Reynolds, commenting: “He was a trailblazer. He showed the way to transition from being an athlete to being the highest paid actor, and he always inspired me.”
Reynolds famously turned down the role of James Bond in 1970 when George Lazenby quit after On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, saying an American could not play the role – a decision he later admitted he regretted.
He was a college football star for Florida State University before his acting career began on stage in New York in the 1950s.
He married his second wife, actress Loni Anderson, in 1988 before divorcing in 1993. The couple adopted a son, Quinton.
The actor had struggled with health issues in recent years and had major heart surgery in 2010.
Reynolds’ last film appearance will be in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
starring Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is due to be released next July.