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Hollywood Legend Burt Reynolds Dies at Age 82

Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds, star of iconic films such as Boogie Nights, Deliverance, and Smokey and the Bandit, passed away at the age of 82 in a Florida hospital Thursday morning, his manager confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

[row]”My uncle was not just a movie icon; he was a generous, passionate and sensitive man who was dedicated to his family, friends, fans and acting students. He has had health issues, however, this was totally unexpected. He was tough. Anyone who breaks their tailbone on a river and finishes the movie is tough. And that’s who he was”, his niece said in a statement.”[/row]

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Few names leave behind quite the genre-defying footprint as Reynolds. Heralded for his performance in films like Boogie Nights, which earned him an Oscar nomination for his role as porn director Jack Horner, and Deliverance, Reynolds truly shined in lighthearted fanfare such as Bandit, The Longest Yard, and The Cannonball Run. He also reveled in the romantic-comedy genre with films like The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas with Dolly Parton, Best Friends with Goldie Hawn, and The Man Who Loved Women with Julie Andrew.

“I’ve gone through every single career phase of getting to this point. If they give the award for being old, not giving up and for loving acting almost as much as loving life, then it’s definitely mine, he once said about which Oscar he would win based on his career.”

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Born in Lansing, Michigan Reynolds excelled in athletics, attending Florida State University to play football before becoming an All-Star Southern Conference halfback. Midway through his FSU tenure, he received a career-ending injury that eventually led him to New York to pursue acting where he would dabble around in restaurants, clubs, and minor television roles before booking his first film role in 1961’s Angel Baby.

Reynolds was set to appear alongside Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He most recently made a special appearance in the film Shadow Fighter, which followed a homeless ex-boxer who forms an unlikely bond with an inner-city teen.

Celebrities took to Twitter in droves to remember the charismatic and beloved actor. 

Reynolds will go down as one of the Hollywood greats and his films will forever be a staple in cinematic history.