We Remember Hollywood Legend Burt Reynolds With a Complete Guide to All His Movies

While we’re remembering the late Burt Reynolds a little more than a year after his passing, we’re reminded of what an incredible Hollywood success story he had! Burt’s career spanned an unbelievable 60 years, beginning with guest roles on TV shows and a couple series of his own. But with an eye always locked towards the big screen, he made that leap and over the course of a decade became one of the most popular movie stars in the world. In the latter part of his life, as leading man roles eluded him, he transitioned over to becoming more of a character actor — and it’s an amazing legacy he’s left us.

Today’s moviegoers may not realize it, but Burt — born Burton Leon Reynolds on February 11, 1936, in Lansing, Michigan — starred in some truly amazing movies that really connected with audiences. Among them are the still-disturbing Deliverance, the ultimate “good ole boy” adventure Smokey and the Bandit, the prison drama The Longest Yard and a drama set within the porn industry, Boogie Nights, which represented one of his most nuanced performances and even earned him an Academy Award nomination.

In between, he proved himself pretty fearless, tackling a wide diversity of roles. There were romantic comedies and dramas (Starting Over and Paternity), westerns galore (100 Rifles and The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing), black comedies (The End), private eye flicks (Shamus and Sharky’s Machine), lots of fast-paced road trips (White Lightning, Gator and The Cannonball Run), and even a musical (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas). Along the way, he was offered the role of James Bond for 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service — which he turned down because he felt Bond had to be British — and the Man of Steel in 1978’s Superman: The Movie, believing he would look ridiculous wearing the character’s blue and red tights (he was right).

In his private life, Burt was married to Laugh In actress Judy Carne from 1963 to 1965, and then to WKRP‘s Loni Anderson from 1988 to 1993. Burt and Loni adopted a son named Quinton during their union. Between the two was his famous love affair with actress Sally Field — his Smokey and the Bandit costar — who he says was, and could have very well still been, the true love of his life.

What follows is our complete guide to all of his films, from 1961 to 2019.