The top five Burt Reynolds movies

Burt Reynolds is one of America's most recognisable film and television personalities with more than 90 feature film and 300 television episode credits. Many of these feature films have been hugely successful and with such an extensive list, picking the five best Burt Reynolds movies is very difficult. This article is an attempt at it.

White Lightening

White Lightning is a 1973 American action film starring Burt Reynolds as Gator McKlusky. The film also starred Jennifer Billingsley, Ned Beatty, Bo Hopkins, R.G. Armstrong, and Diane Ladd. It was also the uncredited film debut of six-year-old Laura Dern. A sequel, Gator also starring Reynolds was released in 1976.

Stroker Ace

Stroker Ace is a 1983 action comedy film, filmed in North Carolina and Georgia about a NASCAR driver, the eponymous Stroker Ace, played by Burt Reynolds. The movie was adapted from the 1971 novel Stand On It, an autobiography of fictional driver "Stroker Ace". Authors Bill Neely and Bob Ottum based the book on actual events from the racing world but with their protagonist as the subject.

Smokey and the Bandit

Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 American film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams, and Mike Henry. It inspired several other trucking films, including two sequels, Smokey and the Bandit II and Smokey and the Bandit Part 3. Smokey and the Bandit was the second highest grossing film of 1977 behind Star Wars which was the highest grossing film of 1977.

The Longest Yard

The Longest Yard is a 1974 American comedy sports-drama film about inmates at a prison who play American football against their guards. Burt Reynolds portrayed Paul "Wrecking" Crewe in the original and the coach Nate Scarborough in the 2005 remake. The 1974 original was also the basis for the 2001 movie Mean Machine.

The Cannonball Run

The Cannonball Run is a 1981 comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise and Farrah Fawcett and was directed by Hal Needham. It was produced by Hong Kong's Golden Harvest films. There was a sequel, 1984's Cannonball Run II which also starred Reynolds again although Cannonball Run II was slated by critics.

Final note

It has not made it onto our top five but Burt Reynolds film, Deliverance, deserves a mention as it is another top movie.