Movie star Burt Reynolds (1936–2018) was born Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. on this day in Waycross, Georgia. A grin, a wink, and a fearless ease on camera carried Reynolds into international success.

At the height of fame, Reynolds shrugged at the hype with a line that still makes audiences smile: “Nobody is worth what they pay me.”

A football scholarship at Florida State University pointed toward a different future, until a knee injury closed that door. Acting opened another. Early television roles included Gunsmoke and Dan August.

In 1972, an unforgettable bear-rug centerfold in Cosmopolitan turned Reynolds into a cultural moment. The spotlight sometimes blurred the dramatic work, including Deliverance, a film that demanded grit and quiet intensity.

Then came the run that defined an era. Action and comedy met in crowd-pleasers such as Smokey and the Bandit, The Cannonball Run, and Stroker Ace. Reynolds made room for swagger and self-mockery, a combination that kept audiences close.

Later years brought rough patches and comebacks. Reynolds earned major acclaim again with an award-winning performance in Boogie Nights (1997). “You feel like a bobbing cork,” Reynolds said, describing a career of up and down, up and down.

Reynolds also spoke with disarming honesty about image and dignity. “I do have the heart of a lion,” Reynolds said, claiming the inner truth beneath the legend.

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