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Burt Reynolds, "Smokey and the Bandit" star, dead at 82


No Hollywood star has exposed his emotions, his love life, career and ambitions, or his body, quite as openly as did the actor-director Burt Reynolds, who has died aged 82. He acted in scores of films, directing many of them, and produced and appeared in hundreds of television movies and series. Many were eminently forgettable, though a role in Boogie Nights (1997) won him a best supporting actor Oscar nomination. But it was his extravagant and explosive lifestyle, aspects of which affected his career, that often made the headlines.

In 1972, the year of his breakthrough in Deliverance, widely regarded as his best work, he became America’s first male centrefold, appearing nude in Cosmopolitan. The magazine sold 1.5m copies and this single photograph became more discussed than his performance as the belligerent Lewis. The publicity upset conservative Hollywood and possibly cost him an anticipated best actor Oscar nomination; in a 2015 interview he said that he regretted having done the shoot.

Further notoriety came from his marriages, the first to the comedian Judy Carne, the second to the actor Loni Anderson. Both ended in divorce, the latter acrimoniously in 1995, after an 18-month dispute over his wealth and the custody of a son, Quinton. Long and widely publicised affairs with other actors, including Sally Field and Dyan Cannon, and with the singer Dinah Shore, who was many years his senior, also fuelled the publicity machine. Reynolds said that Shore taught him about the finer things in life and Field was the person he had loved the most.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sally Field and Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit, 1977.

Photograph: Courtesy Everett Collection/Rex Features

He was a very physical actor who often did his own stunts, and had initially hoped to become a professional football player. Throughout his career, which effectively began in 1959 with the television series Riverboat, he claimed to have one of the three quickest tempers in Hollywood, alongside those of Gene Hackman and Clint Eastwood. This caused fights, and during the filming of Heat (1986) he hit and severely injured the film’s director, Dick Richards, who sued him for assault.

The altercation came during a dismal period in Reynolds’s life, when an addiction to the painkiller Halcion and severe weight loss had led to widespread rumours that he was suffering from Aids. In fact, his debilitating illness had been caused by a fight scene that went disastrously wrong during the shooting of City Heat (1984), in which he co-starred with Eastwood. Reynolds was hit with a real bar stool, rather than a fake one, and suffered a broken jaw, leading to year-long complications with his teeth, jaw and inner ear.

Yetin 1981 he had been voted the world’s top box office attraction for the fifth consecutive year, and his film The Cannonball Run had been one of the year’s highest earners. That film was one of many, beginning with White Lightning (1973), that contributed to Reynolds’s good ole boy image, aimed at the drive-in audience and blue-collar workers. Others in that frantic, car-oriented and stunt-dominated style included the Smokey and the Bandit films.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Burt was the son of Burton Reynolds, who had been in the military and later became a police chief, and his wife, Fern (nee Miller). After the family moved to Florida, Burt attended Palm Beach high school, and won a sports scholarship to Florida State University. When ashattered knee and damaged spleen put paid to his plans to become a footballer, he headed for New York, hoping to become an actor.

There he took various menial jobs while he sought work in the theatre. A small role in a production of Mr Roberts starring Charlton Heston, while sharing a flat with the volatile actor Rip Torn, kept him afloat financially until he offered to do a dangerous stunt in a television show. Other parts followed, leading to a contract with Universal and a two-year stint as Ben Frazer in Riverboat.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Burt Reynolds and Ossie Davis in the TV series Evening Shade, 1991. Photograph: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Reynolds stayed faithful to the small screen and enjoyed success in many series including Gunsmoke (1964-65), Hawk (1966), Dan August (1970-71), BL Stryker (1989-90) and the intelligent Evening Shade (1990-94), which won him an Emmy. He also directed for television and appeared in dozens of mini-series and movies. He was a regular guest on chat shows and entertainment specials,and repeatedly featured on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; during the latter’s absences, Reynolds enjoyed huge success deputising for him and especially relished a lively encounter interviewing Carne.

His big screen appearancesbegan modestly in 1961. He was frequently cast as an American Indian, thanks to Cherokee blood on his father’s side. Sam Fuller’s ill-fated Sharkand a thriller, Impasse (both 1969), were followed by a role as Detective Steve Carella in the Ed McBain-inspired film Fuzz (1972).

John Boorman’s Deliverance propelled him into another league. A riveting outdoor adventure, based on a bestseller, it told of four men who challenge nature and themselves on a weekend trip shooting the rapids down a river high in the Appalachians. This nightmare journey and its vision of a society despoiling the landbecame a huge critical and commercial success. Between 1972 and his accident on City Heat, Reynolds starred in 30 movies, and survived potentially damaging publicity in 1973 when he became involved in the mysterious death of the writer David Whiting during the filming of The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing. A verdict of accidental death was eventually recorded.

Reynolds directed his first feature, Gator, in 1976; then The End (1978) and Sharky’s Machine (1981). But his commercial acclaim rested on his energetic characterisations including Gator, the Bandit in the Smokey and the Bandit movies, JJ McClure in the Cannonball Run successes, and numerous cop and adventure films – many directed by his former stuntman and friend Hal Needham. A commitment to one of these, Stroker Ace (1983), caused him to turn down the role in Terms of Endearment that subsequently went to Jack Nicholson, who won an Oscar. This was a bad career move comparable to his decision not to play James Bond when Sean Connery left the franchise.

Nevertheless he maintained an opulent lifestyle, and at various times owned six substantial homes, a fleet of cars, a helicopter and a jet with two pilots on standby.

He interspersed the action flicks with better movies, which included two for Robert Aldrich. He was a football-playing convict in The Longest Yard (1974) and a cop seduced by Catherine Deneuve in the stylish Hustle (1975). Aldrich said of him: “Behind that false humour and false modesty is a bright man who paid his dues. His charm is only part of the man – he’s a strong-willed self-centred businessman who does what serves Burt. And so he should.”

Silent Movie (1976), the satiric Semi-Tough (1977), Starting Over (1979) and Best Friends (1982) earned him kudos, as did founding a community project near one of his homes in Jupiter, Florida. The Burt Reynolds Theater allowed him to return to the stage and attracted friends and fellow actors to work in modern classics. Among regulars there were Martin Sheen, Charles Durning, Julie Harris and Field.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Burt Reynolds in Deliverance, 1972. Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros

After the commercial failure of City Heat and his illness, Reynolds initially worked little. The nadir of his career came during this period when a chain of restaurants he had financed closed with debts of $15m. He refused to file for bankruptcy and accepted whatever work was offered. He took the Cary Grant role in a feeble revamp of His Girl Friday, updated from journalism to television and entitled Switching Channels (1988). There were voiceovers, including one for All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989), and appearances as himself in documentaries, as well as in Robert Altman’s The Player (1992).

In 1989 he had enjoyed a minor comeback in the amiable comedy Breaking In, but it was swamped by such failures as Rent-a-Cop (1987), the psycho-horror The Maddening (1995) and the Canadian-made Frankenstein and Me (1996). The dire TV spin-off Bean (1997), in which he took fifth billing, proved popular and he followed that with a return to real form.

Boogie Nights was an ensemble piece, brilliantly directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. As a porn movie director Reynolds gave a charismatic and assured performance that gained him critical kudos and a new lease of life. He notched up an incredible two dozen screen and television appearances over the next few years. He starred in three TV movies as Detective McQueen, and returned to directing with The Last Producer (2000) and co-starred with actors as diverse as Sylvester Stallone in Driven (2001) and Julie Christie in Snapshots (2002). He was among an all-star line up in the prestigious television miniseries Johnson County War (2002).

For whatever reason – money or confirmation of his existence in a changed Hollywood – Reynolds worked relentlessly. His credits exceeded in quantity, if not quality, those of the previous decade. Performing voiceovers for video games including Legend of Frosty the Snowman (2005) was a particularly low point. Other work included full-length TV movies and straight-to-video features such as End Game (2006) and Randy and the Mob (2007), in which he remained uncredited.

Better material showed he still retained screen presence. He was the “me” to Mary Tyler Moore in the feel-good TV movie Miss Lettie and Me (2002) and met his acting match with Bruce Dern in the violent western Hard Ground (2003), where as aggressive partners they hunted a sadistic killer.

In 2005, The Longest Yard was revamped in comedy mode. Thirty years previously Reynolds had played the lead brilliantly in Aldrich’s tough version of the same story (titled The Mean Machine in the UK) about prisoners and their warders on opposing football teams. Here he was effective as Coach Scarborough in a massive hit which earned double its $80m budget on first release.

Another commercial success followed with a spin-off from the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, returning Reynolds to the car-crashing territory of earlier years. Then he was in the aptly named Forget About It (2006) – among many movies – until the amiable A Bunch of Amateurs (2008), where, as a fading star, he goes to Britain to play King Lear at Stratford, only to find that it is a local company not the RSC. Its success relied on him, Imelda Staunton and Derek Jacobi. The irony of the casting was unmistakable, as were the jokes about Deliverance in Without a Paddle (2004) or the title of Not Another Not Another Movie (2011) about a studio willing to produce rubbish for cash.

A hectic life and multiple health problems (including a back operation in 2009 and heart bypass surgery the following year) plus financial concerns behind him, Reynolds settled for a marginally less arduous work schedule, maintaining a home in Florida while working steadily in television and cinema.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Burt Reynolds, second left, in The Dukes of Hazzard, 2005. Photograph: Allstar/Warner Bros

He made guest appearances in several long-running, well regarded TV series including Ed (2003), Archer (2012) and Burn Notice (2010), observing that he had notched up 300 credits in the medium. He could also be seen or heard in video productions and voiceovers in films, plus leading roles in features, although one at least had a total budget of less than his personal fee had been for acting in Smokey and the Bandit.

These included a disaster movie, Category 5 (2014), Elbow Grease and the horror film Hollow Creek (both 2016). He kept on working even after his sardonic portrayal of a veteran performer, The Last Movie Star (2017), and appears in a comedy to be released in December, Defining Moments.

In 2015 Reynolds published a follow-up to his 1994 autobiography My Life, which had been dedicated to Quinton. The new book, co-written with Jon Winokur, was called But Enough About Me and was intended he said “to set the record straight”. It covered much of his career and his personal and working relationships during a six-decade career with the great and good of Hollywood. He ruefully noted that his choices – professionally as well as romantically – had not always been wise. In addition to James Bond, he had turned down Die Hard which confirmed the superstar status of Bruce Willis.

But while the search for cinematic respectability and an Oscar continued to elude him, he could take satisfaction in numerous other accolades and in holding the record as the only star to have been the US’s top box office attraction for five consecutive years.

He is survived by Quinton.

• Burt Reynolds (Burton Leon Reynolds), actor, born 11 February 1936; died 6 September 2018


(CNN) Burt Reynolds, the mustachioed megastar who first strutted on screen more than half a century ago, died Thursday, according to his agent, Todd Eisner.

He was 82.

The Michigan native, whose easy-going charms and handsome looks drew prominent roles in films such as "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Boogie Nights," suffered a cardiac arrest, Eisner said. A call for an ambulance came from his estate in Martin County, Florida, 911 records show.

An iconic Hollywood sex symbol in front of the camera, Reynolds also tried his directorial hand behind it, and later earned a reputation for philanthropy after founding the Burt Reynolds Institute for Film & Theatre in his home state of Florida.

His roles over the years ranged and pivoted from Southern heartthrob to tough guy to comedy, notably in his role as Rep. David Dilbeck in the 1996 film "Striptease," which flopped at the box office but earned him widespread praise for his comedic prowess.

But it was John Boorman's 1972 thriller "Deliverance," which cast Reynolds as outdoorsman Lewis Medlock, that is widely credited for launching his early career.

Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Actor Burt Reynolds, whose easygoing charms and handsome looks drew prominent roles in films such as "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Boogie Nights," died Thursday, September 6. He was 82 years old. Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds played college football at Florida State University in the 1950s. He turned to acting when injuries derailed a promising athletic career. Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds spends time with actress Lori Nelson circa 1959. Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years A bare-chested Reynolds stands on a kitchen set in 1960. Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years The cast of the hit TV show "Gunsmoke" poses around a wagon in 1962. Behind Reynolds, from left, are James Arness, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake and Ken Curtis. Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds poses for a portrait on the set of the TV show "Hawk" in 1966. Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds and Normal Fell appear in an episode of "Dan August" in 1970. Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds poses for a photo in 1972. Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds' breakthrough movie role was outdoorsman Lewis Medlock in 1972's "Deliverance." Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds stars with Sarah Miles in "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing" (1973). Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years In 1973, Reynolds attends the premiere of "Live and Let Die" with Michael and Shakira Caine. Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds went back to his football days for the movie "The Longest Yard" in 1974. Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds appears with Sally Field in 1977's "Smokey and the Bandit." Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds on a movie set in 1980. Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds and Loni Anderson attend the premiere of "City Heat" in 1984. Anderson became Reynolds' second wife in 1988. The two divorced in 1993. Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years From left, Charles Durning, Reynolds and Michael Jeter appear in the TV show "Evening Shade" in 1991. Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds received an Academy Award nomination for his role as a porn-film producer in 1997's "Boogie Nights." Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Russell Crowe and Reynolds star in "Mystery, Alaska" in 1999. Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds gets close to Jennifer Tilly and Richard Dreyfuss in 2000's "The Crew." Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds arrives with son Quinton at the First International World Stunt Awards in 2001. Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds poses with Adam Sandler, left, and Chris Rock after a remake of "The Longest Yard" in 2005. Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds accepts a Lifetime Achievement Award during the Taurus World Stunt Awards in 2007. Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: Burt Reynolds through the years Reynolds attends the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017. Hide Caption 23 of 23

Reynolds called it "by far" his best film.

"I thought maybe this film is more important in a lot of ways than we've given it credit for," he said in an interview years later. The movie's infamous rape scene may have helped the public -- especially men -- better understand the horrors of sexual attacks, Reynolds said.

"It was the only time I saw men get up, sick, and walk out of a theater," he added. "I've seen women do that (before)," but not men.

Born in Lansing, Michigan, Reynolds and his family moved to South Florida when he was 5, according to his autobiography.

At Palm Beach High School, he first made a name for himself as a football star and earned an athletic scholarship to Florida State University. But when injuries derailed a promising athletic career, Reynolds turned to acting.

He then scored small parts in the late 1950s before landing a role in the New York City Center revival of "Mister Roberts" in 1957, as well as a recurring spot in the TV series "Gunsmoke."

By 1974, Reynolds had hit it big and starred as an ex-football player who landed in prison in the film "The Longest Yard." Two years earlier, he broke taboo and posed nude in Cosmopolitan magazine, which helped cement his growing status as a sex symbol.

He later said he regretted that centerfold image, which showed Reynolds spread out across a bearskin rug, and said it distracted attention from his "Deliverance" co-stars and likely cost them an Academy Award.

Reynolds' notoriety soared through the late 1970s and 1980s, during which time he spearheaded the "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run" movie franchises. He also earned People's Choice Awards in 1979, 1982 and 1983 as all-around male entertainer of the year.

But he also turned down some of the biggest roles in Hollywood history, including James Bond to Han Solo in George Lucas' 1977 blockbuster "Star Wars." Reynolds also reportedly was among Paramount Pictures' top choices to play Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 epic "The Godfather."

Again, the star expressed regrets.

"I took the part that was the most fun. ... I didn't take the part that would be the most challenging," Reynolds said in an interview with CNN.

His love life also drew headlines after a high-profile divorce to actress Loni Anderson preceded Reynolds' bankruptcy filing in 1996.

Anderson and Reynolds shared a son, Quinton.

"Quinton and I are extremely touched by the tremendous outpouring of love and support from friends and family throughout the world," Anderson wrote in a statement on Thursday. "Burt was a wonderful director and actor. He was a big part of my life for 12 years and Quinton's life for 30 years. We will miss him and his great laugh."

In 1998, Reynolds scored his sole Oscar nomination, for best supporting actor, after his portrayal of a porn film producer in the film "Boogie Nights," despite his dislike of the film and its apparent glorification of the porn industry.

Years later, with a mustache gone gray, he suffered from health issues that led to open heart surgery. Reynolds also checked into a drug rehab clinic in 2009. The purpose was "to regain control of his life" after becoming addicted to painkillers prescribed following back surgery, his manager said.

Once among Hollywood's highest-paid actors, Reynolds later fell into financial trouble amid private ventures in an Atlanta restaurant and a professional sports team, though he continued to make cameo appearances and teach acting classes.

"I worked as an actor for 60 years, I must have something I can give," he told CNN.

Reynolds made an acting resurgence in recent years, appearing in numerous films and TV shows. He was cast in the upcoming Quentin Tarantino-directed "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," scheduled for release next year. Reynolds had not yet started shooting his appearance in the film.

This story has been updated to reflect that Reynolds was born in Michigan. A previous version incorrectly identified his birthplace as Georgia.

CNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report.


CLOSE "Smokey and the Bandit" actor Burt Reynolds died at the age of 82. We reflect on some of his most iconic moments. USA TODAY

Burt Reynolds, photographed on March 21, 2018, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. (Photo: DAN MacMEDAN/ USA TODAY)

Burt Reynolds, who balanced rugged toughness and good-ol'-boy appeal to achieve superstardom in films such as "Deliverance," "The Longest Yard" and "Smokey and the Bandit," has died at age 82.

Reynolds' niece, Nancy Lee Hess, confirmed the news Thursday in a statement to USA TODAY.

"My uncle was not just a movie icon; he was a generous, passionate and sensitive man," she wrote. "He has had health issues; however, this was totally unexpected. He was tough. Anyone who breaks their tail bone on a river and finishes the movie is tough. And that’s who he was."

With his devil-may-care attitude, a permanent twinkle in his eyes and his trademark mustache, Reynolds was a bankable box-office star of the 1970s and early '80s – accumulating a string of box-office hits and unforgettable appearances on "The Tonight Show" couch with his dear friend, host Johnny Carson.

He earned his first and only Oscar nomination in 1998 for Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights." He flaunted his sex appeal in 1972, posing rakishly on a bearskin rug as the first male nude (well, nearly) centerfold in Cosmopolitan magazine – a choice he later described as "one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made."

Burt Reynolds: 5 essential roles, from 'Smokey and the Bandit' to 'Boogie Nights'

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Appreciation: The man, the myth, the mustache: We GIF thanks for Burt Reynolds' facial hair

Reynolds was known for his personal dramas off the screen: his high-profile lost love with his "Smokey" co-star Sally Field and a messy divorce from actress Loni Anderson, a string of box-office clunkers that tanked his career, and well-chronicled financial problems.

The Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and his partner in crime (Sally Field) in 'Smokey and the Bandit.' (Photo: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS)

Reynolds re-emerged earlier this year for personal project "The Last Movie Star," which looked at the life of a faded star filled with regret and longing, an exaggerated version of the actor content to live a mostly quiet life in Jupiter, Florida.

"I've been very, very lucky through ups and downs. When you crash and burn, you have to pick yourself up and go on and hope to make up for it," Reynolds told USA TODAY in an interview in March. "Along the way, I’ve met some wonderful people. And you always run into some jerks. But that would be the same if you were working for the Ford Motor Co.

"It’s a tough business. Very tough. But I always tried to leave a good impression wherever we shot, and I didn’t leave any buildings burning or anything," he added with a smile. "And I've had a good time through it all."

Reynolds was born Feb. 11, 1936, in Lansing, Michigan, and moved to Riviera, Florida, where his war-hero father Milo was the chief of police. The young Reynolds often clashed with his tough dad, who arrested and locked him up for fighting when he was a teenager.

"For two more days, I sat in there. And for two more days, he threw every drunk he could on top of me," Reynolds recalled. "We never really made up. But I think he was proud of me at the end."

Related: Listen to the emergency 911 call for Burt Reynolds

More: Burt Reynolds has regrets, but he's still standing, smiling as 'Last Movie Star'

Also: Burt Reynolds never saw Adam Sandler's version of 'The Longest Yard'

Reynolds excelled in football and was a star halfback at Florida State University before an injury derailed his career. He moved into movie stunts and eventually small acting parts in TV and movies.

In 1972, he made his breakthrough performance in the Oscar-nominated "Deliverance," the film he remained the most proud of throughout his career.

"It didn’t make as much money as a lot of the others," Reynolds said. "But it was a very difficult picture to make it. And it was done with a crazy leading man."

Reynolds insisted that it was his frequent appearances with Carson on the "Tonight Show," including serving as host in Carson's absence, that shot him to true stardom.

"My career was going along OK. But it didn’t really take off until the 'Tonight Show.' And that was because of the way Johnny treated me," Reynolds said. "The public treated guests the way he treated you."

CLOSE Burt Reynolds shares a surprising story about the original "'The Longest Yard" and talks candidly about Adam Sandler's remake of the gridiron classic. USA TODAY

Leading roles in box-office hits followed, including "Smokey" and "Semi-Tough" in 1977, and continued through banner years such as 1981 when "The Cannonball Run," "Paternity" and "Sharky's Machine" all hit the big screen.

His most personal role was in the 1979 comedy "Starting Over," playing the divorced Phil Potter opposite Jill Clayburgh and Candice Bergen. That "was the closest to me, in terms of, I see myself in that character and it was a classic film," Reynolds told USA TODAY. "It had some beautiful women and all the good things."

Reynolds kicked himself for some of the roles he turned down, such as Jack Nicholson's characters in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Terms of Endearment," and Richard Gere's part in "Pretty Woman."

He also lamented losing out on the relationship with his "Smokey" co-star Field. "That will never die," Reynolds said in 2017.

On Thursday, Field paid her love back.

“There are times in your life that are so indelible, they never fade away. They stay alive, even forty years later. My years with Burt never leave my mind," Field said in a statement. "He will be in my history and my heart, for as long as I live. Rest, Buddy."

CLOSE Reynolds plays Vic Edwards, an aging actor who goes to Nashville for what he thinks is a prestigious award celebrating his career. USA TODAY

He wed Anderson in 1988, with whom he adopted a son, Quinton. The couple split contentiously after a six-year marriage, but she remembered him fondly on Thursday, praising him as "a wonderful director and actor."

"He was a big part of my life for twelve years and Quinton's loving father for thirty years," Anderson said in a statement. "We will miss him and his great laugh."

In his later years, Reynolds was content to live a small-town life in Jupiter, where he would drink at a local bar with his best friend since seventh grade.

"He’s lost his wife and I’ve lost my girl (Field). We’re just two old farts at the bar drinking and telling lies," Reynolds said. "It’s pathetic and it’s also very funny when you look at it like that. And that’s how we choose to look at it."

He was readying to shoot a part in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in America,” but died before his time came in front of the camera. But he never lost that smile, despite heartache.

"I would do some things different. But you can’t," Reynolds said with a laugh at the end of his talk with USA TODAY. "You can only lie and say I wouldn’t do things differently."

Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff, Patrick Ryan and Maria Puente

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