30 Burt Reynolds Roles That Made Him Not Just an Icon, but a Legend

One of Reynolds's first big roles was playing Quint Asper in this Western series. He stuck around for three seasons as the character, a half-Comanche blacksmith and sidekick to leading man Matt Dillon.

This short-lived crime drama only lasted one season, and saw Reynolds playing Native American detective John Hawk, who worked in New York City and battled racism and discrimination on the job.

This 1969 Western stars Reynolds in the titular role. He plays cowboy Sam Whiskey, who reluctantly takes a job from a wealthy widow to salvage gold that her late husband stole, and return it to the mint without anyone noticing.

This ABC procedural drama ran for 26 episodes, and featured Reynolds as Detective August. The law man worked the crime beat in his home town, Santa Luisa CA, which sometimes pitted him against people he'd grown up with.

This is the movie that led to Reynolds' legendary (and hairy) centerfold in a 1972 issue of Cosmopolitan. What more do you need to know?

This adventure thriller earned three Oscar nods, and Reynolds credits it as being the most important film in his career. "If I had to put only one of my movies in a time capsule, it would be Deliverance," he once wrote. "I don't know if it's the best acting I've done, but it's the best movie I've ever been in. It proved I could act, not only to the public but me."

Although Reynolds appeared in Adam Sandler's version of The Longest Yard in 2005 as Coach Nate Scarborough, that wasn't his first time on the prison's football field — he actually starred as Paul Crewe in the 1974 original, too.

LA cop Lt. Phil Gaines begins to look into a young woman's suicide in this Robert Aldrich-directed mystery, and soon he discovers that all is not what it seems.

Reynolds shared the screen with Ryan and Tatum O'Neal in Nickelodeon, a comedy about the early days of the movie-making business.

Smokey and the Bandit is easily Reynolds' most popular role, and went on to inspire two sequels. The actor starred alongside Sally Field as Bo "Bandit" Darville, a legendary driver who is hired to transport a truck of beer across state lines while also trying to evade capture by a pesky sheriff.

In Hooper, Reynolds brought us the life of Sonny Hooper, an aging stuntman who wants to prove his worth to Hollywood.

Although divorced man Phil Potter (Reynolds) is in love, there's something that's still holding him back — his ex-wife. Try as he might, he can't get over her in this 1979 rom-com, which is based on Dan Wakefield's novel.

Reynolds and Field reprise their roles in Smokey and the Bandit II, only this time they need to get an elephant from Florida to Texas.

In Paternity, Reynolds plays a man who desperately wants a baby. Unfortunately there's just one problem: he doesn't have a wife or girlfriend, and therefore needs to find someone to have his child with no strings attached. Easier said than done, right?

Reynolds was off to the races in this 1981 action flick, which follows driver JJ McClure as he tries to win a dangerous competition on the road.

Reynolds and Goldie Hawn star as either half of a professional couple who decide to get hitched after years of living and working together. Despite being best friends, they soon discover — to comedic effect — just how difficult marriage can be.

Reynolds plays Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd in this musical comedy, which also features the vocal talents of Dolly Parton. After news of his death reached her, the country star said he'll always be her "favorite sheriff."

Reynolds continued his rom-com streak with The Man Who Loved Women in 1983, which follows a successful sculptor's romantic misadventures in LA.

The foul attitude of Stroker Ace (Reynolds), a popular NASCAR driver, ends up losing him his prime sponsorship, so he ends up signing on with a fried chicken mogul instead. While he clashes with his new "boss," he makes a connection with the chicken company's director of marketing and public relations, Pembrook Feeny (Loni Anderson).

Reynolds returned the silver screen world of crime to play slick private eye Mike Murphy, who reluctantly teams up with a tough police lieutenant (Clint Eastwood) to investigate a murder.

This 1985 action drama sees Reynolds as ex-con Ernest "Stick" Stickley, who is released from prison only to get wrapped up in a drug-running deal that goes sour.

Reynolds stars in Heat as Mex, a kindhearted bodyguard living in Las Vegas.

How far does one man have to run to escape his past? Ex-CIA hitman Malone (Reynolds) realizes just how difficult it can be to leave bad habits behind when he ends up in a small town being terrorized by a corrupt sheriff. He stays to help a local farmer and his daughter fight the bad guys, finding redemption along the way.

Reynolds pops up in Alexander Payne's Citizen Ruth, which tells the story of an irresponsible drug addict (a young Laura Dern) whose unexpected pregnancy drags her into an abortion debate.

Who would trust the bumbling Mr. Bean to travel to America and be responsible for a highly valuable painting? Reynolds's General Newton, apparently.

Reynolds's role in Boogie Nights was so good that he earned an Oscar nomination. The star plays Jack Horner, a porn filmmaker living in the 1970s who crosses paths with Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) as he makes his way in the business.

When their hockey team gets chosen to host a nationally televised event, the residents of a small town — including Judge Walter Burns (Reynolds) — go a little crazy with excitement. Russell Crowe and Hank Azaria co-star.

Is this remake of the classic sitcom worth your time? Not exactly, but we can't deny that Reynolds makes an impression as Hazzard County's Boss Hogg.

In Deal, Reynolds plays a once-legendary gambler who begins mentoring a hot-shot college hopeful about how to play cards. That all backfires, of course, when he ends up in the world series of poker facing off against none other than his former protégé.

The Last Movie Star was one of the actor's last roles, and the character was about as meta as it gets. He plays former big shot Vic Edwards, who struggles to admit that his glory days are officially behind him.