ACTOR
Burt Reynolds
77 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (77)
- #001
Burt Reynolds had a long relationship with Sally Field, but he turned down her numerous marriage proposals and they eventually separated. He said she had a positive effect on him and was in fact the love of his life.
- #002
Burt Reynolds was considered for Harrison Ford's roles in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) and Blade Runner (1982).
- #003
Burt Reynolds attended Florida State University on a football scholarship but played only two seasons. He was a running back. His college football career ended due to a knee injury.
- #004
Burt Reynolds turned down the role of John McClane in Die Hard (1988). It went to Bruce Willis.
- #005
Burt Reynolds was director Miloš Forman's first choice for the lead in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), but United Artists believed his appeal to the average moviegoer might prevent the film from drawing the critical attention they thought necessary for it to be a box-office hit. Jack Nicholson was cast instead and won his first Best Actor Oscar. Eight years later, Reynolds was writer-director James L. Brooks's first choice for the role of the amorous astronaut Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment (1983). This time Reynolds accepted the project, paving the way for Nicholson to win his second Oscar, for Best Supporting Actor.
- #006
Early in his career, Burt Reynolds appeared as a contestant on The Dating Game (1965).
- #007
Burt Reynolds had a serious relationship with Inger Stevens shortly before her suicide in 1970. He refused to discuss the relationship.
- #008
In February 2010, Burt Reynolds underwent quintuple heart bypass surgery.
- #009
Burt Reynolds was the first choice to play Garrett Breedlove in Terms of Endearment (1983). Although he liked the script, he had already agreed to star in Stroker Ace (1983), so he turned the role down. The part went to Jack Nicholson, who ultimately won the Oscar for it. Reynolds later said it was one of his most terrible mistakes.
- #010
In the early 1970s, Burt Reynolds had a long-term relationship with Dinah Shore. She was 20 years older than him. The age difference eventually led to a friendly breakup because Reynolds wanted to become a father.
- #011
In May 2018, Burt Reynolds joined the cast of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood (2019) in the role of George Spahn, but he died before filming his scenes. Bruce Dern was cast in his place. In the scene where Rick and Cliff watch All the Streets Are Silent (1965), the actor playing Rick Dalton in the actual TV episode was Burt Reynolds.
- #012
Even though their relationship ultimately did not work out, Burt Reynolds spoke fondly of Sally Field and believed she had a positive effect on his life.
- #013
Although he had difficulty walking due to forty broken bones from performing his own stunts early in his career, Burt Reynolds had no plans to retire in his later years. The financial problems he faced after his second divorce overshadowed the last 25 years of his life.
- #014
During the making of Boogie Nights (1997), Burt Reynolds's working relationship with Paul Thomas Anderson was very difficult, and he hated the film so much that he fired his agent immediately after watching a screening. This was before the critical praise that followed the New York Film Festival. He was later persuaded by Anderson to promote the film on a radio tour and grew even angrier at Anderson's behavior (constantly not letting Reynolds speak). This was the last straw for Reynolds, who tried to punch Anderson in the face about a week after promoting the film and quit promoting it. Reynolds refused to join Anderson's next project, Magnolia (1999).
- #015
Burt Reynolds beat out more than 300 other contenders for the role of Quint Asper on Gunsmoke (1955).
- #016
One of the projects that never came together for Burt Reynolds was "Bulls Night Out" in 1999. The film was to be an old-fashioned police drama about cops on high taking justice into their own hands. It was to be directed by Reynolds himself and was to star him along with several other veteran action stars. Roy Scheider, Danny Aiello, Louis Gossett Jr. and Charles Durning were also attached. It was to be financed by a new studio called Ray Art Studios, based in Canoga Park, CA. For various reasons, the film was never made.
- #017
Burt Reynolds had an adopted son with his ex-wife Loni Anderson named Quinton A. Reynolds (also known as Quinton Anderson Reynolds, born August 31, 1988).
- #018
Burt Reynolds turned down the role of James Bond because he believed an American could not play the part.
- #019
Burt Reynolds graduated from Florida State University in 1958.
- #020
In 2015, Burt Reynolds was inducted into the International Mustache Hall of Fame in the Film and Television category as part of its inaugural class.
- #021
Burt Reynolds once paid $12,200 for a custom hairpiece.
- #022
Burt Reynolds was offered the role of Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman (1990) but turned it down. In 2012, on Piers Morgan's Life Stories (2009), he joked that he had made a mistake in not taking the role after seeing the film and the love scenes with Julia Roberts.
- #023
Burt Reynolds's close friends included Johnny Carson, James Hampton, Dom DeLuise, Jerry Reed, Charles Nelson Reilly, Tammy Wynette, Lucie Arnaz, Adrienne Barbeau, Tawny Little, Dinah Shore and Chris Evert.
- #024
Ironically, Burt Reynolds was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actor - Musical or Comedy for his performance as "Paul Crewe" in The Longest Yard (1974), while his performance in the 2005 remake (The Longest Yard (2005)), in which he played "Coach Scarboro" to Adam Sandler's "Paul Crewe," earned him a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actor.
- #025
When Francis Ford Coppola decided to make a project about the life of the famous Preston Tucker, he wanted Burt Reynolds to play Tucker. They discussed and planned the film extensively, but it was not made until 1988, by which time Jeff Bridges had the role. Reynolds only landed the role of Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972) after the stars originally cast in the lead (including Marlon Brando, Henry Fonda and James Stewart) turned it down upon hearing about the dangers of the Chattooga River.
- #026
The character design of the Comedian/Edward Blake in Alan Moore's comic book "Watchmen" is said to have been based on Burt Reynolds. He was even considered for the role when a film adaptation of the graphic novel was being discussed.
- #027
Burt Reynolds was considered for Robert De Niro's roles in Taxi Driver (1976) and Midnight Run (1988).
- #028
Although Burt Reynolds was known for wearing a wig or a combo to cover his receding front hairline, he can be seen without a wig or combo in films such as Sharky's Machine (1981), City Heat (1984), Stick (1985) and Breaking In (1989).
- #029
After working with director John Boorman on Deliverance (1972), Burt Reynolds was cast by Boorman a year later to star in the science fiction film Zardoz (1974). Reynolds had to withdraw because of illness, and Sean Connery took the role. Reynolds and Boorman nearly worked together again in 1980, when Boorman was briefly attached to direct him in Sharky's Machine (1981). When Boorman left the film, Reynolds directed it himself.
- #030
Burt Reynolds's appearance on the cover of Playboy magazine (October 1979) made him the second man, after Peter Sellers (April 1964), to be granted that rare privilege.
- #031
Burt Reynolds is mentioned in the theme song of the pilot version (November 4, 1981) of the 1980s TV hit The Fall Guy (1981).
- #032
In 1972, Burt Reynolds's nude centerfold photo in Cosmopolitan magazine sold 1.5 million copies. He later said he believed the photo cost him an Oscar nomination for Deliverance (1972) because he would not be seen as a "serious actor," and that he deeply regretted posing for it. A depiction of the photo was also used on the poster for Fuzz (1972), in which Reynolds also appeared.
- #033
In 1981, Burt Reynolds received an honorary doctorate from Florida State University and later approved the construction of a new performing arts facility in Sarasota, Florida.
- #034
Sidney Lumet wanted Burt Reynolds for the lead role in Power (1986). Reynolds turned the role down, and Richard Gere was cast.
- #035
As of his death in 2018, Burt Reynolds had appeared in one film nominated for Best Picture: Deliverance (1972).
- #036
Burt Reynolds had an adopted brother named Jimmy/James Hooks Reynolds.
- #037
Burt Reynolds was initially considered for the lead role in Every Which Way But Loose (1978).
- #038
Burt Reynolds was offered the lead role in M*A*S*H (1970), but turned it down after being told "the other two leads would be Barbra Streisand's husband and the tall, skinny guy from The Dirty Dozen (1967)." Tom Skerritt played the role instead.
- #039
Burt Reynolds was named 12 times to Quigley Publications' annual Top 10 Money-Making Stars poll, tying with Harrison Ford at tenth place. John Wayne topped the all-time list with 25 appearances in the Top 10.
- #040
In 1967, Burt Reynolds auditioned for a role in Rosemary's Baby (1968), but Roman Polanski chose John Cassavetes for the part.
- #041
Burt Reynolds underwent back surgery in May 2009.
- #042
Agent Richard Clayton was Burt Reynolds's personal manager for more than 20 years.
- #043
Burt Reynolds repeatedly turned down the chance to play Clark Gable in Gable and Lombard (1976).
- #044
Burt Reynolds's remains were cremated at the Gold Coast Crematory in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but his ashes were buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
- #045
Burt Reynolds owned a private dinner theater in Jupiter, Florida, focused on training young performers who wanted to enter show business. The theater was later renamed the Burt Reynolds Jupiter Theatre and closed in 1997 after Reynolds declared bankruptcy.
- #046
Burt Reynolds was mostly of English ancestry, with smaller amounts of Scotch-Irish/Northern Irish, Scottish, German and Dutch roots. He was also said to have Italian and Cherokee Indian heritage, but those roots do not appear in his family tree.
- #047
In 1984, Burt Reynolds opened a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, "Burt & Jacks," which he co-owned with Jack Jackson.
- #048
Burt Reynolds turned down the role Kevin Kline played opposite Sally Field in Soapdish (1991) because his then-wife Loni Anderson told him all of Hollywood would laugh at him, since Reynolds and Field had once had a very long and heavily publicized relationship.
- #049
Burt Reynolds was considered for the lead role in Superman (1978), but was seen as too recognizable and not right for the character.
- #050
Burt Reynolds was a graduate of Palm Beach High School in Palm Beach, FL, class of 1954.
- #051
Burt Reynolds inspired the British television comedy play I Tell You It's Burt Reynolds (1977).
- #052
Burt Reynolds asked that his name be removed from the credits of Out of This World (1987) because he had done it as a favor to the producers. At the time, Reynolds was busy with B. L. Stryker (1989) and won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe in 1991 for another hit series, Evening Shade (1990).
- #053
Burt Reynolds owned a luxury home in Waterways, Jupiter, Florida.
- #054
Burt Reynolds was a big Laurel and Hardy fan and had recorded all of their films on tape.
- #055
Burt Reynolds is mentioned in Bruce Springsteen's song "Cadillac Ranch."
- #056
Terms of Endearment was written for Burt Reynolds, but he had to turn it down while filming Cannonball Run.
- #057
Burt Reynolds founded the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre (1979-96), a workshop for young actors. It is now known as the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.
- #058
Immediately after his artistic comeback with Boogie Nights (1997), Burt Reynolds appeared in and starred in a series of independent films. One of these projects was the comedy The Oh in Ohio (2006). Parker Posey, a Reynolds fan, personally offered him a role in the film, but his commitment to another project made it impossible for him to take the part. Danny DeVito got the role.
- #059
Burt Reynolds was accepted for the lead role of John Brent in the film Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970).
- #060
In the late 1970s, Burt Reynolds opened Burt's Place, a nightclub restaurant at the Omni International Hotel in the Hotel District of Downtown Atlanta, and briefly operated a second version at Lenox Square.
- #061
Burt Reynolds's final performance was in director Stephen Wallis's feature film "Defining Moments."
- #062
Burt Reynolds said he enjoyed directing more than acting and regretted that he could not direct as he got older.
- #063
Burt Reynolds met director David O. Russell for dinner in late 1995 to discuss a possible role in the independent film Flitting with Disaster (1996). Although the two were very keen for him to play a role, the negotiations ended in failure.
- #064
Burt Reynolds turned down Richard Gere's role in Pretty Woman and Jack Nicholson's role in Cuckoo's Nest.
- #065
Burt Reynolds was the son of Harriette Fernette "Fern" (Miller) and Burton Milo Reynolds. On his father's side, he was the grandson of John Burton Reynolds, born at Niagara Falls, Niagara, New York, and Effie May Thompson, born in Aurelius, Ingham, Michigan. On his mother's side, he was the grandson of Leon Chauncey Miller and Nina Bell Wheeler, both from Michigan; his grandfather was from Casnovia, Muskegon.
- #066
In January 1998, Burt Reynolds became engaged to former waitress Pam Seals.
- #067
Like many other celebrities, Burt Reynolds was a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
- #068
On August 16, 2011, Merrill Lynch Credit Corporation filed foreclosure papers claiming that Burt Reynolds owed 1.2 million US dollars on his home in Hobe Sound, Florida.
- #069
Burt Reynolds was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.
- #070
While filming City Heat, Burt Reynolds was hit with a steel chair instead of a breakable one and broke his jaw. This meant he could not eat and lost a quarter of his body weight, and he was addicted to painkillers for two years.
- #071
The fictional character Alabama Whitman mentioned Burt Reynolds as a nod to him in the film True Romance (1993).
- #072
Burt Reynolds was born in Waycross, Georgia, and grew up in Florida.
- #073
During a fight scene in City Heat, Burt Reynolds was hit with a real chair instead of a breakaway prop, breaking his jaw and sending him to the hospital; he suffered from the injury for years.
- #074
According to an article published in The Detroit Free Press, Burt Reynolds said he was born in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up in Florida; his family moved there when he was 5 years old. He said he wanted to be a Southern boy, not a Northerner.
- #075
In a photograph taken shortly before Burt Reynolds's death, he is wearing a Christian cross necklace. The cross was a gift from Burt's close personal friend Bobby Bowden, the Florida State University football coach.
- #076
Burt Reynolds was considered for the role of Bert in Mary Poppins (1964).
- #077
Burt Reynolds held shares in the Daisy Dinner & Po Folks Restaurant chain.
Continue through the archive
Boogie Nightsas Jack Horner
Deliveranceas Lewis Medlock- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texasas Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd
- Mystery, Alaskaas Judge Walter Burns
- Smokey and the Banditas Bandit
- Stripteaseas Congressman David Dilbeck
- The Cannonball Runas J. J. McClure
- All Dogs Go to Heavenas Charlie
- The Longest Yardas Paul Crewe
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