Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966) and Dan August (1970–1971). He had leading roles in films such as Navajo Joe (1966), and 100 Rifles (1969), and his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972).
In the 1970s, Reynolds was the undisputed king of Hollywood, blending rugged masculinity with a self-deprecating wit that made him a global icon. He dominated the box office for a record five consecutive years (1978–1982), a feat matched only by Bing Crosby. While he spent the 1960s in TV Westerns, his role as Lewis Medlock in the 1972 survival thriller Deliverance established him as a serious actor capable of intense, physical performances.
In 1972, Reynolds famously posed nearly naked on a bearskin rug for Cosmopolitan magazine, a move that solidified his status as a cultural heartthrob and “ultimate stud.” He became the face of Southern-fried action-comedies. His portrayal of Bo “Bandit” Darville in Smokey and the Bandit (1977) made him a folk hero and turned the Pontiac Trans Am into an overnight sensation. Drawing on his background as a college halfback, he starred in iconic sports films like The Longest Yard (1974) and Semi-Tough (1977).
Unlike other stoic leading men, Reynolds was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, where his sharp humor and willingness to mock his own films endeared him to audiences. Along with the mustache, his 1970s look—aviator sunglasses, unbuttoned shirts, and cowboy boots—became the decade’s blueprint for rugged cool.
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