NATIONWIDE -- Movie star Burt Reynolds, known for films such as "Deliverance," "Boogie Nights" and "Smokey and the Bandit," has died at age 82.

  • Iconic Hollywood actor Burt Reynolds has died at age 82
  • He reportedly died of cardiac arrest in Jupiter, Florida
  • Reynolds was nominated for Oscar for his role in 'Boogie Nights'

His death was confirmed to CNN by his agent, Todd Eisner, who told CNN that said Reynolds died of cardiac arrest.

The Academy Award-nominated actor died at a hospital in Jupiter, Florida, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Known for his iconic mustache, Reynolds was an alumnus of Florida State University, where he was a football player on scholarship in the late 1950s, according to a football biography on FSU's website. He turned to acting after injuries derailed his athletic career.

In 1972, he posed nude in Cosmopolitan magazine, reaffirming his growing popularity as a Hollywood sex symbol. He later regretted the image, CNN reported, because he thought it distracted from his acting career and dampened the chance that "Deliverance" would earn Oscar honors.

His acting reached its peak in the late 1970s and early '80s, when he starred in a string of big movies and franchises such as "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run."

Reynolds nabbed his Oscar nomination for his role as a porn film producer in the 1997 movie "Boogie Nights."

Ties to Florida, FSU

Reynolds had a long relationship with Florida State University, and was a lifelong FSU Seminoles fan. 

In an appearance at the Tampa Theatre in 2011 for a screening of the movie "Smokey and the Bandit" for a Turner Classic Movies event called "The Road to Hollywood," Reynolds took part in a Q&A before the movie.

In a one-on-one interview with Spectrum News reporter Virginia Johnson, he talked about his Florida ties to FSU football, his road to mega-stardom and his busy schedule.

"I happen to be the luckiest man on the face of the Earth. I'm doing a job that I love, and I've been working at it," he said then. "... I love the business and... It's also the only business, really, where you're selling dreams. You're trying to make people happy and touch them in some way."

FSU President John Thrasher released a statement Thursday following the news of Reynolds's passing:

“The entire Florida State University family is saddened to learn we have lost our good friend Burt Reynolds. His lifelong passion for FSU began when he came to this university to play football in the 1950s. Although he was sidelined by injuries, he went on to become one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. But he never forgot his alma mater. He returned to campus when he could, bringing his trademark charm and wit, to visit old friends, catch a football game and mentor our film students. He remained an ardent supporter of Seminole Athletics and the entire university. We will miss him dearly.”

Reynolds also founded The Burt Reynolds Institute in Jupiter to provide educational opportunities for those interested in pursuing careers in theater and the performing arts. 

Celebrity tributes

Social media reacted with sadness and with tributes to Reynolds Thursday, pointing out his iconic roles and the example he set for stars on the rise.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Information from CNN was used in this report.