Hollywood film star and wisecracking gum chewer, Burt Reynolds has died. He was 82. Reynolds, best known for his wisecrackery and gum chewing, had starred in scores of films including Smokey and the Bandit, Smokey and the Bandit II, Cannonball Run and Cannonball Run II. The somewhat formulaic movies all had the same basic theme: Fast cars, semi-trucks, white lightin’, stupid cops, chase scenes, wisecracking and of course, lots of gum chewing. It was said that Reynolds would chew over 300 packs of gum during the filming of his movies. He preferred Wrigley's Double Mint but would sometimes chew Spearmint and, on occasion, Juicy Fruit. "No one could chew gum like Burt", said co-star and friend Sally Field. When he wasn't chewing gum, he would often be seen wisecracking and wooing beautiful women. It was reported that he had affairs with some 28,500 women. Many of whom would chew gum with him. He was married to Judy Carne, who didn't chew gum, a major reason why he divorced her, and married Loni Anderson who enjoyed chewing Beechnut gum. Both marriages ended in divorce. Reynolds got his start in Hollywood in the 1950's playing bit parts in chewing gum commercials. He was discovered by a movie producer who cast him to play part of a blacksmith in the Gumsmoke series. He went on to make more than 100 motion pictures, most notably, that one movie and that other one.
Born in Lansing, MI in 1941, his family moved to Florida where Reynolds became a High School athlete of some notoriety. He played football for Miami State University when during a preseason practice session in his freshman year he suffered knee injury ending his football career. He then moved to Hollywood and began taking acting lessons. "He was a natural", said his acting coach, Lee Strasberg. "Good looking, athletic, funny, charming and always had wonderful minty smelling breath. He couldn't act worth a damn but always had plenty of gum to share with people. No one will remember his movies but no one will forget the impact he had on the chewing gum industry", he said.
An autopsy revealed that the actor had a wad of gum in his stomach the size of a basketball. Doctors believe that the cause of death was due to his swallowing the gum and not disposing it in a proper waste receptacle.
Funeral arrangements have not been formalized.