Knowra Burt Reynolds Burt Reynolds Burt Reynolds (1936–2018) was an American actor and director whose screen career ranged from television westerns to blockbuster comedies and acclaimed dramatic roles.
Deliverance : A 1972 thriller in which four city men face violence and survival challenges on a canoe trip in rural Georgia. Reynolds played Lewis Medlock, the outdoorsman who leads the trip.
Hal Needham : An American stunt performer and film director known for action comedies and long collaborations with Burt Reynolds. Needham directed several Reynolds hits, including Smokey and the Bandit and Hooper.
Florida State University : A public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, founded in 1851. Reynolds attended the university on a football scholarship before an injury redirected his career.
Hollywood New Wave : A period of American filmmaking from the late 1960s through the 1970s marked by director-driven films and experimentation. Deliverance placed Reynolds within the era’s turn toward darker, more naturalistic screen storytelling.
Smokey and the Bandit : A 1977 action comedy about a bootlegger’s high-speed attempt to transport beer across state lines. Its runaway success made Reynolds a major box-office star.
Dolly Parton : An American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spans country music, pop music, film, and television. She co-starred with Reynolds in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
College football : The organized form of American football played by teams representing colleges and universities. Reynolds’s football career began as a college running back.
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor : An annual Academy Award recognizing a performance in a supporting role in a film. Reynolds received a nomination for Boogie Nights, his first Academy Award nomination.
The Longest Yard : A 1974 sports comedy-drama about a former professional football player leading prison inmates in a game against guards. Reynolds drew on his own football experience to play quarterback Paul Crewe.
Sally Field : An American actor whose film and television work includes Norma Rae, Places in the Heart, and Forrest Gump. Field and Reynolds became a prominent screen pairing in Smokey and the Bandit and other films.
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