Burt Reynolds RIP

It was sad to hear of Burt Reynolds passing yesterday. An actor out of the spotlight lately but he was the man back in the day. One of those effortlessly cool actors who could do it all. Ladies man. Bingo. Action hero. Done. Comedian. Definitely. Serious stuff. Sure, when he wanted to. The type of person who should be annoying because they are good at everything but there was just something so very likable about him. His self deprecation maybe? It's hard not to take to people who are willing to take the piss out of themselves. It's a fine virtue to have. Plus he rocked a wicked moustache.

People older than 30 will remember him the best. Making Buford T Justice look like a fool during his bootleg beer runs to Georgia. Inspiring children all over the world to become aspiring CB radio enthuasiasts and shout "10-4 good buddy" as they ran around. Tearing up Kansas with Clint in City Heat. Pulling off one of the all time best car stunts in Hooper when his red Pontiac just misses being crushed by a falling chimney tower ( a stunt that would never be done today). Saving Jon Voight from a horrific fate in Deliverance by racing to the rescue and skewering sadistic hillbilly's with arrows. The venal and corrupt Avery Carrington from Grand Theft Auto : Vice City, one of the more entertaining characters of the series. The lead of the terrible but very entertaining Cannonball run and Earl the shifty sheriff in love with Mona in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Films that were a staple of TV in the 80's and 90's but sadly never seem to appear any more.

His comeback in the late 90's went awry. He was fantastic in Boogie Nights and even snagged an Oscar nomination but behind the scenes strife and egotism made sure he never took full advantage of his reinvigorated career and so was on a downhill slope from there. He worked right up until his death but never managed to take flight again. It was a pity. He was far more likable and charismatic than most of Hollywood's power players today. More willing to take risks and to take the piss out of his self image. His last job was in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Once Upon A Time In Hollywood but sadly his heart gave out before he could film his scenes. What could have been eh?

So long Bandit. You'll be missed. You always made everything that little more interesting. Keep on truckin'.