Burton Leon Reynolds Jr February 11 1936 September 6 2018 was an American actor director and producer considered a sex symbol and icon of American popular culture Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in several different television series such as Gunsmoke 19621965 Hawk 1966 and Dan August 19701971 Although Reynolds had leading roles in such films as Navajo Joe 1966 his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance 1972 Reynolds played the leading role often a lovable rogue in a number of subsequent box office hits such as The Longest Yard 1974 Smokey and the Bandit 1977 SemiTough 1977 The End 1978 Hooper 1978 Starting Over 1979 Smokey and the Bandit II 1980 The Cannonball Run 1981 Sharkys Machine 1981 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas 1982 and Cannonball Run II 1984 several of which he directed himself He was nominated twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Reynolds was voted the worlds number one box office star for five consecutive years from 1978 to 1982 in the annual Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll a record he shares with Bing Crosby After a number of box office failures Reynolds returned to television starring in the sitcom Evening Shade 19901994 which won him a Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series His performance as highminded pornographer Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Andersons Boogie Nights 1997 brought him renewed critical attention earning him another Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor Motion Picture with nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Description above from the Wikipedia article Burt Reynolds licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia
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