Stalwart handsome man Burt Reynolds started out with small roles in television shows like "Gunsmoke" before moving on to his own detective show, "Dan August."

He became a staple of 70s cinema, as women swooned for his blend of rugged good looks and effortless charm, with a dash of swaggering machismo offset by secret sensitivity. The rare leading man who could do both drama and comedy equally well, he appeared in films as varied as Woody Allen's "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (But Were Afraid To Ask)" and John Boorman's memorable thriller "Deliverance." He appeared in the hits "Semi-Tough," "The End," and "The Longest Yard," although the "70s Burt Reynolds" will probably be best remembered as the iconic car chase hero The Bandit from the blockbuster, "Smokey and the Bandit."

Along the way, Reynolds turned down more roles than most actors get offered: Garrett Breedlove in "Terms of Endearment" (Jack Nicholson won an Oscar for it); John McClane in "Die Hard" ('yipeekayayed' Bruce Willis' film career); the blowhard Dr. Rod Randall in "Soapdish" (played perfectly by Kevin Kline); and most regrettably (for him, at least), the role of James Bond in the early 70s, recently vacated by Sean Connery.

The '80s were a bumpy rollercoaster of movie offerings: ups ("The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," "Sharkey's Machine," "Cannonball Run") and downs ("Stroker Ace," "Paternity," "Heat," "Stick," "Malone"). He returned to television with detective series "B.L. Stryker" and won an Emmy for the long-running sitcom "Evening Shade."

In the late-90s, he had a career renaissance of sorts with a role in the critically acclaimed film "Boogie Nights." He followed this with roles in the films "Mystery, Alaska" and "Driven."

In 2005, he had a role in the remake of his own classic 70s prison-football film, "The Longest Yard." At the "Longest Yard" premiere, he slapped an interviewer. That same summer, he also revitalized the character of Boss Hogg in the movie version of "The Dukes of Hazzard."

Viva la Burt! *slap*