Burt Reynolds statue
Wikimedia Commons

Fans honored Hollywood icon and mustache master Burt Reynolds with a fantastic bust of his likeness near his final resting place in Los Angeles.

Reynolds, buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, passed away three years ago. The bronze bust, sculpted by artist Caroline P.M. Jones, features Reynolds with his POWERFUL ‘stache and donning his signature ten-gallon hat.

The bust was commissioned so visitors to Reynolds’ gravesite would have something to take a picture with and touch. 

At the unveiling Quinton Reynolds, Bert’s son with Loni Anderson, reacted to the statue:

“It’s absolutely beautiful, it’s exactly what we both envisioned.” 

Reynold’s family placed the bust near his ashes in the cemetery. Anderson and Quinton picked a spot near a palm tree and water to honor the Smokey and the Bandit star’s Florida roots.

Loni Anderson and her son unveiled the bust in conjunction with a new documentary titled “I Am Burt Reynolds,” premiering on the cemetery lawn.  

You can watch the trailer for the documentary below.

Watching a movie at a cemetery may sound odd to you, but in Los Angeles it is a regular occurrence.

Hollywood Forever is known for showing films during the summer and in October for Halloween. 

Burt Reynold’s Best Roles 

Burt Reynolds

Wikimedia Commons

Reynolds began his 50+ years of acting starring in Gunsmoke.

However, Reynolds’ breakout role was in the 1971 thriller Deliverance. Following that film, Reynolds became one of the most prominent box office draws of the 70s, with hits such as Cannonball Run and Hooper solidifying Reynolds as an icon of masculinity Hollywood cool. 

Here’s a look at one of the iconic scenes from Smokey and the Bandit.

Reynolds fell out of Hollywood’s good graces after a string of box office bombs.

However, he returned to TV in 1991 with the wholesome small-town hit Evening Shade.

He starred in a few other hits in the 90s but never reached his previous status as a top box office star. 

The most critically acclaimed role came in 1997s’ Boogie Nights. Reynolds played a sophisticated yet complicated pornographer. And the performance earned him an Oscar nomination. 

Related: Flashback: Burt Reynolds Recalls Working On ‘Gunsmoke’ In The 1960s As The ‘Happiest Years Of My Life’

He Was The Personification Of Cool

Reynold’s status declined over the years but he was always a household name.

His relaxed demeanor, iconic facial hair, and rugged good looks laid the archetype for many later Hollywood stars, from Tom Selleck to Robert Redford. He symbolized a Southern, rough-and-tumble anti-hero, like Dirty Harry with cowboy boots.

He broke the mold of how a leading male actor should look, act, and present himself.

What always attracted me to Reynold’s movies was the effortlessness.

You never got the sense he was pretending or acting. His characters came as a natural extension of his life.

It is that authenticity that helped make him one of the biggest movie stars of the 20th century. 

Who Else Is Buried At Hollywood Forever Cemetery? 

As the name would suggest, Hollywood Forever Cemetery is the final resting place for some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

Most of the celebrities buried there are from the “golden era” of the 20s, 30s, and 40s, with a few modern actors, musicians, and politicians here and there.

Here are a few icons resting there:

  • Douglas Fairbanks
  • Judy Garland & Mickey Rooney
  • Tyrone Power (My grandmother’s favorite)
  • and Gone With The Wind star Hattie McDaniel

Share your favorite Burt Reynold’s movie in the comments below.

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