Burt Reynolds (born Burton Leon Reynolds, Jr. on February 11, 1936) is an Oscar-nominated American actor. He may be best remembered as the "Bandit" in the 1977 hit film Smokey and the Bandit.

Biography

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Early life

Reynolds was born in Waycross, Georgia to Burton Leon Reynolds, a police chief of half-Cherokee Indian descent, and Fern, who was of English descent. After graduating from Palm Beach High School in West Palm Beach, Florida, Reynolds attended Florida State University on a college football scholarship, becoming an all-star Southern Conference halfback. While at Florida State, Reynolds joined the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, the football team's fraternity of choice. After a knee injury in 1955 and then a debilitating car accident, Reynolds came home to Riviera Beach to recuperate. In order to keep up with his studies he began taking classes at Palm Beach Junior College (now known as Palm Beach Community College) in neighboring Lake Park. While there, he met a young, English Professor named Watson B. Duncan III, who enrolled him in the concept of a career in acting. Reynolds calls Duncan his mentor and the most-influential person in his life. When he returned to Florida State, he switched from athletics to college drama and won the 1956 Florida State Drama Award. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts National Football League team, but he never played professional football.

Career

Reynolds won a scholarship to the Hyde Park Playhouse and moved to upstate New York. He did gigs as a stuntman for television programs until he was "discovered" in a revival of Mister Roberts in New York City and signed to a television acting contract. He made his Broadway debut in Look, We've Come Through. Reynolds first starred on television, in the 1950s series Riverboat and went on to appear in a number of other shows, including a role as blacksmith Quint Asper on Gunsmoke from 1962 to 1965.

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