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Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner. He has enjoyed enormous success as an actor and director in feature films, television, and stage productions. In addition to receiving an Oscar nomination and winning the Golden Globe Award for Boogie Nights, Reynolds was honored by The New York Film Critics, The Los Angeles Film Critics, The Chicago Film Critics, and The National Society of Film Critics with Best Supporting Actor awards for his memorable role in that film.

He is currently filming A Bunch of Amateurs in England. Recent films include Broken Bridges a drama with Willie Nelson, The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, The Dukes of Hazzard, End Game with Cuba Gooding Jr., Forget About It, Cloud Nine, Grilled and In The Name of the King.

Other feature films include Driven, The Crew, Mystery Alaska, Without a Paddle, Striptease, Citizen Ruth, Bean, Cop and a Half, Deliverance, Starting Over, White Lightening, The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing, Hustle, Semi Tough, Hooper, Stroker Ace, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Longest Yard, Smokey and the Bandit, Sharky's Machine, Gator, The End, and The Final Hit. He also directed the latter four films. Others are Tempted, Snapshots, Hotel, directed by Mike Figgis, Time of the Wolf, and the four-hour mini-series Johnson County War and Hallmark's Hard Ground, which broke Hallmark's record as the most watched movie.

For television, Reynolds has enjoyed an auspicious career as an actor, director, and producer. Among his finest endeavors in this medium is the hit series Evening Shade (as star, executive producer and, more often than not, director). For this series he won his ninth People's Choice Award as Favorite Male Performer in a Television Series, the 1991 Emmy Award for Best Performance in a Comedy, and the Golden Globe Award for the same category. His additional television credits include Riverboat, Gunsmoke, Hawk, Dan August, and B.L. Stryker. Additionally, he hosted a series of specials titled Burt Reynolds' Conversation With…. He also starred in, directed, and produced the CBS television movie The Man from Left Field as well as directed and starred in Turner Network's most ambitious project, Hard Time, a six-hour movie thriller trilogy.

Reynolds made his Broadway debut in Look, We've Come Through with director Jose Quintero. In addition, he directed eight productions, and starred in two at the Jupiter Theatre, which he founded in Jupiter, Florida. He also appears in his one-man show titled An Evening with Burt Reynolds.

His numerous achievements have been recognized by being named America's Favorite All Around Motion Picture Actor (People's Choice Award) for a record six consecutive years; the Most Popular Star for five years running; Star of the Year (National Association of Theatre Owners); and Number One Box Office Star for five years in a row, still an unmatched record. He was recently honored with the 2007 Taurus World Stunt Award for Lifetime Achievement for an Action Movie Star and received this special citation from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In September 2007, at the Toronto International Film Festival he was the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gala event in aid of Best Buddies Charity.

Burt Reynolds' commitment to his profession and devotion to education can perhaps be best exemplified by the program he created to give college students scholastic credit and wages for their work while obtaining an education at the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre (B.R.I.T.) located in Tequesta, Florida. By donating generous endowments, Reynolds created a chair at Florida State University and the Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.

His autobiography My Life reached The New York Times Best Seller List just after its publication, and he received the prestigious Children at Heart Award for his humanitarian efforts benefiting and aiding the children of Chernobyl.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2008.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Burt Reynolds Facts

Birth NameBurton Leon Reynolds Jr.
OccupationActor, Director, Producer
BirthdayFebruary 11, 1936 (88)
SignAquarius
BirthplaceWaycross, Georgia, USA
Height6' (1m83)  How tall is Burt Reynolds compared to you?
Awards1998 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture (for Boogie Nights)
1992 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy (for Evening Shade)

Selected Filmography

The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
The Longest Yard (2005)
Mystery, Alaska (1999)
Boogie Nights (1997)
All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)
The Cannonball Run (1981)
Deliverance (1972)
Smokey and the Bandit Pursuit Pack
The Longest Yard
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