Burt Reynolds Dead at 82

Sad news to report on this Thursday afternoon. Charismatic and Oscar-nominated actor Burt Reynolds has died. 

He was 82.

Reynolds was born in Georgia and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida. He played halfback for the Florida State Seminoles and he was first introduced to acting after he suffered a knee injury. He started out on stage and he made numerous TV appearances including a role on Gunsmoke.

In the 70's Reynolds became a movie star, first by appearing in Deliverance, and then he went on to star in The Longest Yard. He became a superstar when he landed the role of Bo Darville better know as the "Bandit" in the box office smash Smokey and the Bandit. At the time, the film grossed $126 million (today adjusted for inflation works out to $508 million).

While the actor enjoyed steady work throughout the 80's and 90's, anyone remember Evening Shade? Reynolds won an Emmy in 1991 for his role as ex-Pittsburgh Steeler Woodrow "Wood" Newton. His profile rose again when he co-starred in director Paul Thomas Anderson's ode to the adult film industry Boogie Nights. Reynolds won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and he would later earn an Oscar nomination.

According to imdb.com, Reynolds was filming a role for the upcoming Quentin Tarantino movie about The Manson Family Murders, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.