Profile of the Day: Burt Reynolds

Today we remember acting legend Burt Reynolds on what would have been his 86th birthday.

Image: Burt Reynolds / Alan Light, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Reynolds was born on February 11, 1936 in Lansing, Michigan to Harrietta Fernette Miller and Burton Milo Reynolds. His father served in the U.S. army during World War II and landed on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day.

Early in his career, Reynolds landed several guest starring roles on television. It wasn’t until his breakout performance in the 1972 film Deliverance that Reynolds’s career skyrocketed. He starred in several more blockbuster hits, including The Longest Yard and Smokey and the Bandit, and earned his first and only Academy Award nomination in 1998 for his supporting role in Boogie Nights.

Reynolds died on September 6, 2018 at the age of 82.

What’s your favorite Burt Reynolds film?

Explore Burt Reynolds’ family tree on Geni and share how you’re connected to the star.

View Burt Reynolds’ Geni Profile