[custom_adv] Burt Reynolds, one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men during the ’70s and early ’80s with such films as “Deliverance,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” “The Longest Yard” and “Semi-Tough,” has died. His rep confirmed that he died Thursday in a Jupiter, Fla. hospital. He was 82. [custom_adv] He later earned an Oscar nomination as best supporting actor in Paul Thomas Anderson’s ode to skin flicks, “Boogie Nights.” He had not yet shot his planned role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” [custom_adv] His niece Nancy Lee Hess said in a statement, “He has had health issues, however, this was totally unexpected. He was tough. [custom_adv] Anyone who breaks their tail bone on a river and finishes the movie is tough. And that’s who he was. My uncle was looking forward to working with Quentin Tarantino, and the amazing cast that was assembled.” [custom_adv] His niece Nancy Lee Hess said in a statement, “He has had health issues, however, this was totally unexpected. He was tough. [custom_adv] Anyone who breaks their tail bone on a river and finishes the movie is tough. And that’s who he was. My uncle was looking forward to working with Quentin Tarantino, and the amazing cast that was assembled.” [custom_adv] During his career, he often claimed to have been born in Waycross, Georgia, but said in 2015 that he was actually born in Lansing, Michigan. [custom_adv] He was born on February 11, 1936, and in his autobiography stated that Lansing is where his family lived when his father was drafted into the United States Army. [custom_adv] He, his mother, and his sister joined his father at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and lived there for two years. When his father was sent to Europe, the family moved to Lake City, Michigan, where his mother had been raised. [custom_adv] In 1946, the family moved to Riviera Beach, Florida. His father became Chief of Police of Riviera Beach, which is adjacent to the north side of West Palm Beach, Florida. [custom_adv] During 10th grade at Palm Beach High School, Reynolds was named First Team All State and All Southern as a fullback, and received multiple scholarship offers. [custom_adv] After graduating from Palm Beach High, he attended Florida State University on a football scholarship and played halfback. [custom_adv] While at Florida State, he roomed with college football broadcaster and analyst Lee Corso, and also became a brother of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. [custom_adv] He hoped to be named to All-American teams and have a career in professional football, but he injured his knee in the first game of his sophomore season, and later that year lost his spleen and injured his other knee by a car accident. [custom_adv] These injuries hampered his abilities on the field, and after being beaten in coverage for the game-winning touchdown in a 7-0 loss to North Carolina State on October 12, 1957, he decided to give up football. [custom_adv] Ending his college football career, Reynolds thought of becoming a police officer, but his father suggested he finish college and become a parole officer. To keep up with his studies, he began taking classes at Palm Beach Junior College (PBJC) in neighboring Lake Park. [custom_adv] In his first term at PBJC, he was in an English class taught by Watson B. Duncan III. Duncan pushed him into trying out for a play he was producing, Outward Bound. He cast him in the lead role based on having heard him read Shakespeare in class, leading to his winning the 1956 Florida State Drama Award for his performance. [custom_adv] The Florida State Drama Award included a scholarship to the Hyde Park Playhouse, a summer stock theater, in Hyde Park, New York. Reynolds saw the opportunity as an agreeable alternative to more physically demanding summer jobs, but did not yet see acting as a possible career. [custom_adv] While working there, Reynolds met Joanne Woodward, who helped him find an agent, and was cast in Tea and Sympathy at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City. After his Broadway debut Look, We've Come Through, he received favorable reviews for his performance and went on tour with the cast, driving the bus and appearing on stage.
