From dramas like Deliverance to comedies like Smokey and the Bandit and The Longest Yard, Burt Reynolds was a defining movie star for folks of a certain age. Reynolds died at the age of 82. In today’s world of distributed content and attention, it’s hard to explain what a star (and stud) Burt Reynolds was in his prime. As a kid, I probably watched each of his movies at least five times. The decent ones even more than that.

+ One of his last interviews in the NYT: Burt Reynolds Has Made Mistakes. But He Regrets Nothing.