Burt Reynolds

Reynolds had a romantic relationship with many female artists like Tammy Wynette, Lucie Arnaz, Susan Clark, Dinah Shore, etc. He was much in news for his relationship with Dinah Shore for she was 20 years older to him.

In 1963, Reynolds got married to actress Judy Carne but the marriage worked out only for 2 years and he got married to Loni Anderson and had a son with her - Quinton Anderson Reynolds. This marriage too ended in 5 years.

In 1993, he had a troublesome divorce with his ex-wife Loni Anderson and had to give away a lot of money to her which ended up into Reynolds declaring himself bankrupt.

Burt Reynolds was born in Lansing, Michigan, to Burton Milo Reynolds, Sr. and Fern H. Reynolds. His father was a police chief of Riviera Beach and had also served in the US Army.

Reynolds studied at Palm Beach High School and after that attended the Florida State University on a college football scholarship.

He wanted to become a professional footballer but in the first season he was injured and had another injury in a car accident. This ended his hopes for a football career and after that he thought of becoming a police officer.

He went to the Palm Beach Junior in Lake Worth and it was there that one of his teachers asked him to take part in a play ‘Outward Bound’. He won a Florida State Drama Award for it.

After getting his initial award in acting, Reynolds got a scholarship to work in Hyde Park Playhouse, a summer stock theatre, New York. He met with Joanne Woodward there who helped him finding an agent.

In 1953, he was cast in a play called ‘Tea and Sympathy’ at Neighborhood Playhouse, New York. He was critically appreciated for his performance and went on a tour to perform the play in various parts of the country.

In 1957, he got a part in the play ‘Mister Roberts’. His performance fetched him an audition for a movie called ‘Sayonara’. He was rejected for the role and was told to go and try in the Hollywood.

From 1959 to 1961, he starred in a television series ‘Riverboat’, an NBC series. He worked with Darren McGavin in it. This was offered to him right after he made his Broadway debut with ‘Look, We’ve Come Through’.

In 1959, Reynolds did an episode, ‘The Payoff’, in the television series called ‘The Lawless Years’ which was a crime drama. His character was called ‘Tony Sapio’ and he starred opposite Ruta Lee.

This famous Hollywood actor lost a lot of money in unsuccessful restaurant ventures in Florida.

In 1978, Reynolds earned his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

He built a dinner theatre in Jupiter, Florida, which he had to eventually sell off.

He declined the role of James Bond by saying that there could never be an American James Bond.

This famous actor had posed naked on the cover of Cosmopolitan in 1972.