At least in the public's (https://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/989-in-1978-audiences-couldnt-get-enough-of-burt-reyno/#comment-1956868047) mind, it seems like (at least right before his passing) he has been reduced (https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2023/4/20/the-fractured-mirror-20-58-hooper-1978#comment-5736882333) to his post-1983 string of bombs and the trivia that he hated his hugely acclaimed role in Boogie Nights. He was basically a joke in much of the '80s and '90s (on through his stint on Evening Shade) before Boogie Nights reminded everyone how great he was.

Also, you can argue that among his starring vehicles, Smoky and the Bandit is really the only (https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2023/4/20/the-fractured-mirror-20-58-hooper-1978#comment-5737015177) one that has any cultural significance (https://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/989-in-1978-audiences-couldnt-get-enough-of-burt-reyno/#comment-1958623411) today. Keep in mind that Deliverance and Boogie Nights weren't movies designed with Burt as the main attraction. Even The Longest Yard, may have slipped (https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2023/4/20/the-fractured-mirror-20-58-hooper-1978#comment-5737243110) a bit in cultural recognition due to the Adam Sandler remake, which Burt Reynolds incidentally, co-starred in.

At least in the public's (https://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/989-in-1978-audiences-couldnt-get-enough-of-burt-reyno/#comment-1956868047) mind, it seems like (at least right before his passing) he has been reduced (https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2023/4/20/the-fractured-mirror-20-58-hooper-1978#comment-5736882333) to his post-1983 string of bombs and the trivia that he hated his hugely acclaimed role in Boogie Nights. He was basically a joke in much of the '80s and '90s (on through is stint on Evening Shade) before Boogie Nights reminded everyone how great he was.

Also, you can argue that among his starring vehicles, Smoky and the Bandit is really the only (https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2023/4/20/the-fractured-mirror-20-58-hooper-1978#comment-5737015177) one that has any cultural significance (https://thedissolve.com/features/forgotbusters/989-in-1978-audiences-couldnt-get-enough-of-burt-reyno/#comment-1958623411) today. Keep in mind that Deliverance and Boogie Nights weren't movies designed with Burt as the main attraction. Even The Longest Yard, may have slipped (https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2023/4/20/the-fractured-mirror-20-58-hooper-1978#comment-5737243110) a bit in cultural recognition due to the Adam Sandler remake, which Burt Reynolds incidentally, co-starred in.

It was rather sad that in the last part of his life, Mr. Reynolds got into such sorry shape that this man who'd been a rather beefy athletic man from his teens onwards came out of obscurity after some years being under the radar- and looked like a skeletal,spindly:( old woman with osteoporosis in a bad wig.

His best work was in the 60's and 70's two examples are Skullduggery and Deliverance.

Somebody recently said (https://www.datalounge.com/thread/35786709-burt-loni-a-match-made-in-hell) that Burt desperately wanted validation from his Hollywood peers. He (https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/sn8lq9/comment/l4qb2ac/) had been the number one box office star (https://www.reddit.com/r/RSPfilmclub/comments/1dqyjdy/comment/larhvq6/) longer than anyone else in history (a record that still stands to this day) but it was never enough. He wanted the respect along with the commercial success. He said as much when his won the Emmy for Evening Shade.

Part of that was his own fault (https://www.reddit.com/r/ToddintheShadow/comments/1ib2ojw/comment/m9hec50/) as he did projects out of loyalty to friends rather than taking work that might make him grow as an actor. Passing up Terms of Endearment to do another Cannonball Run or Stroker Ace was ludicrous. By the time he started taking his work more seriously, the business had passed him by, and the public moved on to actors like Tom Cruise, Schwarzenegger and Stallone.

AGkq0uDc2WE

An Actor That Dominated Cinema...Then VANISHED: Burt Reynolds

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From football star to box-office king, this documentary explores the incredible career of Burt Reynolds. It details a surprising career shift and the unexpected challenges that followed years of immense success. Witness a fascinating rise and fall, marked by both triumph and personal struggles.