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with acclaimed roles in deliverance and smokeyand the bandit, burt reynolds's swagger and charm made him a huge star in the '70s. but despite his box-office clout and sex symbolstatus, the once-great star seems to have faded away. so, why aren't we seeing more from burt reynolds? becoming a star reynolds began his career in the late '50sand worked steadily in small tv roles through the '60s, including an episode of the twilightzone, playing a cocky actor who gets punched in the face by a time-traveling shakespeare.

“what have i got against this personage,stanislavsky? you!” but in 1972, deliverance gave reynolds hisfirst major movie role. however, just before the film was released,reynolds was invited to pose nude for cosmopolitan. it was the first nude male centerfold in amajor magazine, and he figured people would look at and laugh and forget about it a fewdays later. but instead of being a laugh riot, it madereynolds the sex symbol of the '70s. it also diminished his serious acting accomplishmentsin deliverance. “i was very young and very stupid, and itdid not change my career to the better.”

reynolds had become a huge star, but he wasnever really taken seriously, which would haunt him for the rest of his career. a few bad choices reynolds' signature 'stache and cocky smilewon over male and female fans alike through the '70s, but by the '80s, his movies werealready getting less critical acclaim. 1981's the cannonball run featured an all-starcast and made a lot of money — but critics weren't pleased. also released in 1981 was the well-revieweddrama sharky's machine, which had reynolds as its star.

but he squandered those critical gains byfollowing that up with best little whorehouse in texas, the forgettable best friends, andthe horribly reviewed stroker ace. by the time 1984 rolled around, reynolds returnedfor cannonball run ii, which got even worse reviews and made $44 million less than theoriginal. by sticking to a run of mediocre comedies,reynolds wasn't being taken seriously, and he could only charm audiences for so long. and if the first half of the '80s seemed troublesomefor reynolds, the second half only got worse. reynolds' work included a cameo in the bizarresmokey and the bandit part 3 and the terribly-reviewed rent-a-cop.

things didn't get any better from there. too many refusals over the years, reynolds turned down a lotof roles that would wind up becoming iconic. in an interview with business insider, reynoldsrevealed that he could've played the first american james bond, but he felt 007 was arole only an englishman could play. and before harrison ford took a break fromcarpentry to play han solo, reynolds was reportedly offered the role. in the early 1980s, the male lead in termsof endearment was written especially for reynolds, but the star said no, as he'd already committedto stroker ace.

the role went to jack nicholson, and reynoldsregrets his decision even today. then in 1990, reynolds reportedly turned downthe starring role in pretty woman due to the age gap between himself and julia roberts. while these choices didn't affect his careerat the time, they definitely hurt his legacy. instead, reynolds retreated to tv, starringin sitcoms for much of the late '80s and early '90s, appearing as a disembodied voice inout of this world and an ex-football star in evening shade. he even won his first and only emmy for hisperformance in evening shade. unfortunately, after four seasons, the showwent off the air and reynolds went back to

making bad movies, until 1997. a thwarted comeback in 1997, reynolds got the comeback role ofa lifetime. and no, it wasn't in the mr. bean movie. "but i love my country. i can’t stand the idea of a bunch of frenchiesowning america’s greatest painting. let's get on with it." boogie nights was the film that made paulthomas anderson a famous director to watch, and a role in the film gave reynolds acclaimthat he hadn't seen in a long time.

but despite overwhelming critical praise,reynolds didn't really go anywhere after playing jack horner. so why didn't boogie nights work for reynoldslike pulp fiction did for john travolta? well, first of all, reynolds didn't actuallylike boogie nights. reynolds told the guardian that even thoughhe's never seen the movie all of the way through, he still hates it, and that working on itwas a nightmare, mostly citing creative differences with anderson. still, reynolds' rage also extended to thecast, and according to his book but enough about me, reynolds almost got in a fist fightwith co-star thomas jane.

though the shoot was difficult, anderson hadno complaints about reynolds's performance. he even offered him a role in his next film,magnolia, but reynolds turned it down, saying, "i'd done my picture with paul thomas anderson,that was enough for me." personal problems in addition to his spotty film career, thingswere also pretty difficult in reynolds's personal life. after marrying actress loni anderson in 1988,the couple divorced in 1993. it was not amicable, and reynolds called themarriage, quote, "a really dumb move" while anderson lobbed accusations of abuse.

when the smoke cleared, reynolds agreed topay anderson a little under $250,000, though he didn't complete the transaction right away. it took 22 years for reynolds to completehis payments. in 1996, the actor filed for bankruptcy, butwas able to keep his large ranch in florida, which he eventually sold anyhow. by 2014, money was still a problem, so heheld an auction of some of his personal belongings, including props, costumes, and awards fromhis films. however, other items he tried to sell seemeda little more desperate, like his voided credit card.

he's still busy despite these bumps in the road, reynoldsis still working — just not always on the big screen. "burt f------ reynolds?" "who else could keep this town running? " in addition to popping up in a few voice roles,he created the burt reynolds institute, an acting studio in florida where aspiring starscan learn from reynolds himself. even now, at over 80 years old, reynolds recentlycompleted the film dog years, and has multiple films set for release in the near future.

for a guy who's been in the business for sixdecades, that's incredibly impressive. reynolds' star may not shine as bright todayas it did 40 years ago, but he's still an icon who'll always have a place in film history. and a few bedroom walls. thanks for watching! click the looper icon to subscribe to ouryoutube channel. plus check out all this cool stuff we knowyou'll love, too!

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