Burt Reynolds

One of the most popular stars in the world for decades, Burt Reynolds was the boyishly charming but undeniably rugged star of such action and drama films as "Deliverance" (1972), "The Longest Yard" (1975), "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977), "The Cannonball Run" (1981) and "Boogie Nights" (1997). He discovered acting in the late 1950s after injuries put an end to his dreams of football stardom, but he struggled to find his niche for over a decade until his turn in the gripping thriller "Deliverance" thrust him into the spotlight. His easygoing nature and ladies' man reputation made him enormously popular with audiences, which he parlayed into a string of popular comedies and action films through the 1970s and '80s. But a string of flops and personal setbacks knocked him off his perch at the top of the box office, and by the early '90s, he was not only out of step with the movie industry, but financially bankrupt. Redemption came in the unlikely form of "Boogie Nights," an indie drama about the lives of adult film stars; Reynolds' graying presence meshed perfectly with his character, an ambitious but flawed director, and he earned an Oscar nod as well as a career revival. He was remarkably active, though if not at the level of his '70s heyday, for much of the next decade, and retained the roguish, self-deprecating persona that made him such a superstar decades before. Burt Reynolds died in his adopted hometown of Jupiter, Florida on September 6, 2018. He was 82.