Burt Reynolds: Don’t Ask Him To Behave!

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This is the epic story of one of the most legendary stars to ever strut onto Hollywood.

Burt Reynolds was probably one of the most influential figures in American history, in Hollywood and the automotive enthusiast community. Originally called "Buddy," to differentiate himself from his father, Burt Milo Reynolds Sr. Burt Leon Reynolds had a distinctly American upbringing. Although initially born in Lansing, Michigan, on February 11, 1936. Burt would eventually tell people he was born in Waycross, Georgia, because "he didn't want people to think he was a Yankee." But, of course, having been born in Michigan certainly didn't mean he grew up in the North. Instead, his father was drafted into the military when Burt was just six years old, placing him in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. After his father was deployed to the beach of Normandy, the family moved back to Michigan and would later settle in Riviera Beach, Florida.

Early Life And Football

This is where Burt Thrived as a star football player; he lived the American dream as the hotshot whose dad was the police chief. Soon after starting junior high school, Bury met Jimmy Hooks, who was living in an abusive situation. The two were best friends, and eventually, the Reynolds family took Jimmy into their home to get him away from the abuse he had suffered. Burt ultimately attended college via a football scholarship but sustained a knee injury that prevented him from continuing. He gave up the scholarship because he said it would have made him feel like a leach otherwise but later went back to playing football after surgery. Unfortunately, things were not all rainbows and sunshine for the aspiring athlete as he soon suffered a tragic car crash which again put him in the hospital. Eventually, he returned but was quickly blamed for a few lost games because of his various injuries.

The Beginning Of A Star

While still playing football in college, Burt began acting and eventually was given the scholarship to play in "Summer Stock" in New York. This proved to be a great opportunity as he met Joanne Woodward, an actress, who helped him find an agent. Although Reynolds still wanted to play football, he was fed up with the sport after being blamed for a lost North Carolina game. He was finally on the path he was born to walk, but he still needed some money, so he ended up waiting tables and driving a delivery truck to support his acting career. While things seemed dim in the financial aspect for Burt, his luck was about to turn around totally.

Burt's Big Break

Eventually, things started going pretty well for Burt as he received a contract with Universal Studios for seven years and began working with Darren Mgavin on the show "Riverboat." However, after 20 episodes, Burt Reynolds was fired for what he described in many stories as "bad acting." Still, he was later revealed to have been in a conflict with Darren Mgavin over some alleged harsh words Mgavin had said to a female extra. This resulted in a physical confrontation, and Burt was right back to square one as it became hard to find work because of his reputation for being difficult to work with.

Gunsmoke!

Once again, Burt found just the opportunity he needed to scrape his way back into the spotlight with the hit TV show Gunsmoke. This made life a hell of a lot easier and more fun for Reynolds, who described it as the best time of his life because of the great chemistry he had with his fellow cast members. However, despite Gunsmoke's success and Burt's happiness, it was evident that Burt was more of a leading man than a supporting role. In 1965, Burt decided to leave the show after receiving some advice from the actor who played Doc.

And They Called It Puppy Love

About a year after joining the cast of Gunsmoke, Burt met his first wife, who he married six months later in 1963. While many people stay with their first marriage for many years or even decades, the relationship between Burt Reynolds and Judy Carne lasted for just two years. The two had different claims as to why they split, with Juby claiming that Burt was an abuser and Burt bringing up her continued drug abuse. Eventually, the pair made amends when Burt gave her a job later in life.

Gaining Traction

After leaving Gunsmoke, Reynolds starred in "Hawk," where he played a Native American investigator. The show was canceled after just three months, and Burt soon began working in movies such as "100 Rifles" with Jim Brown and Raquel Welch in 1969, "Sam Whiskey" also in 1969, and "Run Simon Run!" The final film started a bustling relationship with his co-star Inger Stevens. Unfortunately, after an argument with Reynolds in 1970, Inger Stevens ingested 50 barbiturate pills, resulting in overdose and death.

Yet another role that resulted in a relationship was Burt's appearance on Dinah's Place with Dinah Shore, who he was nearly 20 years younger than at the time. This relationship lasted for four years, making it the longest relationship he had until that point. Ladies troubles just kept coming after Burt with the film "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing," in which he co-starred with Sarah Miles. This one didn't have much to do with romance, but it did implicate Reynolds in the death of David Whiting. David was Miles's financial adviser and was quite jealous of Burt and Sarah as they had spent some time together earlier that night celebrating Burt's birthday. He allegedly struck her, but she could escape the situation and seek refuge with Reynolds. The next day, David Whiting was found dead in Sarah's hotel room after hitting his head while on drugs.