Burt Reynolds Burton Leon " Burt " Reynolds , Jr . ( born February 11 , 1936 ) is an American actor , director and voice artist . Some of his notable roles include Bo ' Bandit ' Darville in " Smokey and the Bandit " , Lewis Medlock in " Deliverance " , Bobby " Gator " McCluskey in " White Lightning " and sequel " Gator " , Charlie B . Barkin in " All Dogs Go To Heaven " , Paul Crewe in " The Longest Yard " and Jack Horner in " Boogie Nights " . Early life . Reynolds ' parents were Burton Milo Reynolds , Sr . ( 1906 – 2002 ) , who had Cherokee and Irish ancestry , and his wife , Fern H . Reynolds ( née Miller ) . He was born in the city of Lansing , Michigan . He states in his autobiography that his family was living in Lansing when his father was drafted into the United States Army . Reynolds , his mother , and his sister joined his father at Fort Leonard Wood , where they lived for two years . When Reynolds ' s father was sent to Europe , the family returned to Lansing . In 1946 , the Reynolds moved to Riviera Beach , Florida . His father , Burt Sr . , eventually became Chief of Police of Riviera Beach , which is adjacent to West Palm Beach to the north . In his sophomore year at Palm Beach High School , Reynolds was named First Team All State and All Southern as a fullback , and received multiple scholarship offers . After graduating from Palm Beach in West Palm Beach , Reynolds attended Florida State University on a college football scholarship , and played halfback . While at Florida State , Reynolds became roommates with now notable college football broadcaster and analyst Lee Corso . Reynolds hoped to be named to All - American teams and to have a career in professional football ; however , in the first game of the season , Reynolds was injured and a car accident later that year worsened the injury . With his college football career ended , Reynolds considered becoming a police officer , but his father suggested that he finish college and become a parole officer . In order to keep up with his studies , he began taking classes at Palm Beach Junior College ( PBJC ) in neighboring Lake Worth . In his first term at PBJC Reynolds was in a class taught by Watson B . Duncan III . Duncan pushed Reynolds into trying out for a play he was producing , " Outward Bound " . He cast Reynolds in the lead , based on his impressions from listening to Reynolds read Shakespeare in class . Reynolds won the 1956 Florida State Drama Award for his performance in " Outward Bound " . Reynolds calls Duncan his mentor and the most influential person in his life . While at Florida State , Reynolds became a brother of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity . Acting career . 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 career . While working at Hyde Park , Reynolds met Joanne Woodward , who helped Reynolds find an agent , and was cast in " Tea and Sympathy " at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City . He received favorable reviews for his performance and went on tour with " Tea and Sympathy " , driving the bus as well as appearing on stage . After the tour Reynolds returned to New York and enrolled in acting classes . His classmates included Frank Gifford , Carol Lawrence , Red Buttons and Jan Murray . After a botched improvisation in acting class , Reynolds briefly considered returning to Florida , but he soon got a part in a revival of " Mister Roberts " , with Charlton Heston as the star . After the play closed , the director , John Forsythe , arranged a movie audition with Joshua Logan for Reynolds . The movie was " Sayonara " , and Reynolds was told he couldn ' t be in the movie because he looked too much like Marlon Brando . Logan advised Reynolds to go to Hollywood , but Reynolds did not feel confident enough to do so . Reynolds began working odd jobs while waiting for acting opportunities . He waited tables , washed dishes , drove a delivery truck and worked as a bouncer at the Roseland Ballroom . It was while working as a dockworker that Reynolds was offered $ 150 to jump through a glass window on a live television show . He made his Broadway debut in " Look , We ' ve Come Through " . Reynolds first starred on television with Darren McGavin in the 1959 - 1961 NBC series , " Riverboat " . On June 11 , 1959 , Reynolds portrayed Tony Sapio with Ruta Lee as Gloria Fallon in the episode entitled " The Payoff " of NBC ' s 1920s crime drama , " The Lawless Years " . In 1960 - 1961 , he appeared in two episodes of the syndicated series " The Blue Angels " , about elite fliers of the United States Navy . On November 11 , 1959 , Reynolds was cast with Whitney Blake and Howard McNear in the episode " The Good Samaritan " of the syndicated western series , " Pony Express " , starring Grant Sullivan , which aired in 1960 on the centennial of the primitive mail exchange service . About this time , Reynolds guest starred in the syndicated crime drama , " The Brothers Brannagan " in the episode " Bordertown " . He went on to appear in a number of other shows , including three segments of the Ron Hayes syndicated adventure series , " The Everglades " . He is remembered too for the role of Quint Asper , the blacksmith / de facto deputy , and half - Native American on CBS ' s " Gunsmoke " from 1962 – 1965 . In 1962 , Reynolds secured a guest appearance on " Perry Mason " in " The Case of the Counterfeit Crank " . In 1963 , he played a character named Rocky in " The Twilight Zone " episode 155 " The Bard , " in which he amusingly lampooned his then - lookalike Marlon Brando . In 1965 , he guest - starred as Technical Sergeant Chapman , a Flight Engineer in the second season episode 7 , " Show Me A Hero " of ABC ' s " 12 O - Clock High " . Reynolds ' s film debut came in 1961 in " Angel Baby " . At the urging of friend Clint Eastwood , Reynolds used his TV fame to secure leading roles in overseas low - budget films , commonly called " Spaghetti Westerns " . ( Eastwood advised Reynolds from experience , as he had done the same ) . Reynolds ' first Spaghetti Western , " Navajo Joe " , came out in 1966 . These low - budget starring roles established Reynolds as a bankable leading man in movies and earned him starring roles in American big - budget motion pictures . During this period , he starred in two short - lived cop shows : " Hawk " and " Dan August " . He disparaged these shows , telling Johnny Carson that Dan August had " two forms of expression : " mean and meaner . " His breakout performance in " Deliverance " in 1972 made him a star . The same year , Reynolds gained notoriety when he posed naked in the April ( Vol . 172 , No . 4 ) issue of " Cosmopolitan Magazine " . Reynolds claims the centerfold in Cosmopolitan hurt the chances for " Deliverance " and the film ' s stars , including himself , from receiving Academy Award s . Reynolds was offered the role of James Bond by producer Albert R . Broccoli , after Sean Connery left the franchise . Reynolds turned the role down , saying " An American can ' t play James Bond . It just can ' t be done . " Broccoli offered the role to another non - Brit , Australian George Lazenby . In 1973 , he released the album " Ask Me What I Am " . He would also sing with Dolly Parton in " The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas " . Reynolds appeared on ABC ' s " The American Sportsman " hosted by outdoors journalist Grits Gresham , who took celebrities on hunting , fishing , and shooting trips around the world . In 1977 , director and producer George Lucas offered Reynolds the part of Han Solo in the first film of the Star Wars franchise . Reynolds declined – at which point Lucas offered the part to Tom Selleck , who also declined , so Lucas asked Harrison Ford . In 1977 Burt also starred in the well - known movie " Smokey and the Bandit " alongside Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason as the sheriff , Sally Field as well . On March 15 , 1978 , Reynolds earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , and in the same year built a dinner theatre in Jupiter , Florida . His celebrity was such that he drew not only big - name stars to appear in productions but sell - out audiences as well . He sold the venue in the early 1990s , but a museum highlighting his career still operates nearby . In the 1980s , after the hugely successful " Smokey and the Bandit " and its sequels , he became typecast in similar , less well - done and less successful movies . One of his more acclaimed roles during this period was in Michael Crichton ' s " Physical Evidence " ( 1989 ) . He had his hand at producing two television shows with friend Bert Convy . One in 1987 was called " Win , Lose or Draw " . He appeared as a celebrity gameplayer in the inaugural week of the show along with Justine Bateman , Debbie Reynolds and Loretta Swit . The set of " Win , Lose or Draw " was modeled after Reynolds ' living room . Another show Burt and Bert produced was titled " 3rd Degree " , and like on " Win , Lose , or Draw " , Burt appeared on a few episodes as a panelist . That show aired from 1989 - 90 . In 1989 he starred in a short - lived detective drama " B . L . Stryker " , one of the rotating elements of the " ABC Mystery Movie " . During the first half of the 1990s , he was the star of the CBS television series " Evening Shade " , for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series ( 1991 ) . Despite much success , Reynolds ' s finances were bad , due in part to an extravagant lifestyle , a messy divorce from Loni Anderson ( see below ) , and failed investments in some Florida restaurant chains ; consequently , in 1996 , Reynolds filed for bankruptcy . The filing was under Chapter 11 , from which Reynolds emerged two years later . In 1996 , Reynolds sought a comeback in the movie " Striptease " with an over - the - top performance as a sex - obsessed congressman . The film was a box office success , though generally panned by critics . According to Reynolds , his performance was inspired by politicians he met through his father , who had been a police chief . The following year he appeared in the critically acclaimed " Boogie Nights " , and his career was back on track . He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance and took home a Golden Globe Award . In 1997 Reynolds co - authored the children ' s book " Barkley Unleashed A Pirate " a " whimsical tale [ that ] illustrates the importance of perseverance , the wonders of friendship , and the power of imagination " . In early 2000 , he created and toured " Burt Reynolds ' s One - Man Show " . In 2002 , he lent his voice to the character Avery Carrington in the controversial video game " " ( " Vice City Tourist Guide " p . 23 ) . In 2005 , he co - starred in a remake of " The Longest Yard " , with Adam Sandler who played the role of Paul Crewe , which had been Reynolds ' role in the 1974 original . This time around , Reynolds took on the role of Nate Scarborough . His role in the remake saw him receive a Razzie Award nomination for " Worst Supporting Actor " . He also appeared in a movie version of the popular 1980s TV series " The Dukes of Hazzard " , as Boss Hogg . He starred in the audio book version of " The Worst - Case Scenario Survival Handbook " . In May 2006 , Reynolds began appearing in Miller Lite beer commercials . In 2007 at the World Stuntman Awards he was awarded the Taurus Lifetime Achievement Award . While presenting him with the award Arnold Schwarzenegger referred to him as the greatest of the great . In July 2010 , he guest starred as an ex - CIA agent being hunted down by a team of Russian assassins who wanted to kidnap , interrogate , then kill him , on USA ' s " Burn Notice " . Part of this role depicted absent - mindedness which was noted in the closing scene as " not only being when he drank " implying his character suffered from some form of memory disability or disease . In January 2012 Reynolds had a guest starring role as himself in an episode of the animated FX TV show " Archer " . The episode titled " The Man from Jupiter " features Reynolds helping Archer ( who idolizes him ) take on a team of Cuban hitmen . He also appears as himself in " " as the mayor of Steelport . Personal life . Relationships . At various points in his life , Reynolds was romantically involved with Tammy Wynette , Lucie Arnaz , Adrienne Barbeau , Susan Clark , Sally Field , Lorna Luft , Tawny Little , Pam Seals , Dinah Shore and Chris Evert . His relationship with Shore garnered particular attention given the fact she was 20 years his senior . Reynolds was married to actress / comedienne Judy Carne from 1963 to 1965 , and actress Loni Anderson from 1988 to 1993 , with whom he adopted a son , Quinton Anderson Reynolds ( born August 31 , 1988 ) . " E ! Online " reported that he dated Kate Edelman Johnson from 2003 to 2005 . Atlanta nightclub . In the late 1970s Reynolds opened " Burt ' s Place " a restaurant / nightclub in the Omni International Hotel in the Hotel District of downtown Atlanta , Georgia . Sports team owner . In 1982 , Reynolds became a co - owner of the Tampa Bay Bandits , a professional American football team in the USFL whose nickname was inspired by his then - recent " Smokey and the Bandit " movies . Reynolds also co - owned a NASCAR Winston Cup team with Hal Needham , which ran the # 33 Skoal Bandit car , with driver Harry Gant . Foreclosure . As of August 16 , 2011 , Merrill Lynch Credit Corporation filed foreclosure papers in Martin County claiming Reynolds owes $ 1 . 2 million on his Hobe Sound , Florida home .