Burt Reynolds, star of film, TV and tabloids, dead at 82

FILE - In this Aug. 22, 2015 file photo, Burt Reynolds appears at the Wizard World Chicago Comic-Con in Chicago. Reynolds, who starred in films including “Deliverance,” “Boogie Nights,” and the “Smokey and the Bandit” films, died at age 82, according to his agent. (Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this Nov. 5, 1971 file photo, actress Dinah Shore and Burt Reynolds appear together in Los Angeles. Reynolds, who starred in films including “Deliverance,” “Boogie Nights,” and the “Smokey and the Bandit” films, died at age 82, according to his agent. (AP Photo/Harold Filan, File)

FILE - In this May 27, 1966 file photo, actor Burt Reynolds, left, discusses a scene with director Paul Bogart during location shooting of a new ABC-TV series “Hawk”, in New York. Reynolds, who starred in films including “Deliverance,” “Boogie Nights,” and the “Smokey and the Bandit” films, died at age 82, according to his agent. (AP Photo/Joe Caneva, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 2, 1977 file photo, actor Burt Reynolds, right, pinches the cheeks of comedian Dom Deluise during a roast of Reynolds in Atlanta. Reynolds, who starred in films including “Deliverance,” “Boogie Nights,” and the “Smokey and the Bandit” films, died at age 82, according to his agent. DeLuise died on May 4, 2009 at age 75. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

FILE - In this March 15, 1978 file photo, actor Burt Reynolds polishes star that was unveiled in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. Reynolds, who starred in films including “Deliverance,” “Boogie Nights,” and the “Smokey and the Bandit” films, died at age 82, according to his agent. (AP Photo/file)

FILE - In this March 12, 2016 file photo, actor Burt Reynolds appears at the world premiere of “The Bandit” during the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. Reynolds, who starred in films including “Deliverance,” “Boogie Nights,” and the “Smokey and the Bandit” films, died at age 82, according to his agent. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK — Burt Reynolds, the handsome film and television star known for his acclaimed performances in “Deliverance” and “Boogie Nights” and for an active off-screen life which included relationships with Loni Anderson, Sally Field and Dinah Shore, has died at age 82.

His death was confirmed Thursday by his agent Todd Eisner, who did not immediately have further details.

Reynolds inspired a wide range of responses over his long, erratic career: critical acclaim and critical scorn, commercial success and box office bombs. Reynolds made scores of movies, ranging from lightweight fare such as the hits “The Cannonball Run” and “Smokey and the Bandit” to more serious films like “The Longest Yard” and “The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing.”

He was nominated for an Oscar for “Boogie Nights,” the Paul Thomas Anderson film about the pornography industry; won an Emmy for the TV series “Evening Shade,” and received high praise for his starring role in “Deliverance.”

But he also was a frequent nominee for the Razzie, the tongue-in-cheek award for Hollywood’s worst performance, and his personal life provided ongoing drama, particularly after an acrimonious divorce from Anderson in 1995. He had a troubled marriage to Judy Carne, a romance with Shore and a relationship with Field damaged by his acknowledged jealousy of her success.

Through it all he presented a genial persona, often the first to make fun of his own conflicted image.

“My career is not like a regular chart, mine looks like a heart attack,” he told The Associated Press in 2001. “I’ve done over 100 films, and I’m the only actor who has been canned by all three networks. I epitomize longevity.”

Reynolds was candid about his flops, his regrets and about his many famous friends. He would call posing nude for Cosmopolitan one of his biggest mistakes because it undermined the respect he had gained for “Deliverance.” He revered Spencer Tracy as an early mentor and came to know Johnny Carson, Clint Eastwood, Frank Sinatra and many others.

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