Burt Reynolds, Put the Pedal to the Metal (ePub)

In the 1970s and '80s, Burt Reynolds represented a new breed of movie star: Macho, rebellious, and charming, and with a "loud and proud" footprint in country-western, rural America, he was a good old Southern boy who made hearts throb and audiences laugh. A former football hero, he was a guy you might have shared some jokes with in a redneck bar. For five years, both in terms of earnings and popularity, he was the number one box office star in the world, a hero to millions, a sexual adventurer with an impressive list of romantic involvements with famously beautiful women.



After an impressive but tormented career, rivers of negative publicity, a self-admitted history of bad choices, and a spectacular fall from Hollywood grace, he died in Jupiter, Florida, at the age of 82 in September of 2018.



This biography articulates the ups and downs of Reynold's life and career in ways more comprehensive, realistic, and insightful than anything ever produced so far. Written with respect for the drawbacks of celebrity and fame, it's a rags-to-riches overview of a very human actor who evolved into a modern-day American hero.



A tribute to rural America and to the courageous spirit of a hometown boy who "made good, bigtime," it's a tribute to a courageous spirit who "Put His Metal to the Pedal" with humor, high jinx, and pizzazz.



He predicted his own death: "Soon, I'll be racing a hotrod in Valhalla in my cowboy hat and a pair of aviators." On his tombstone, he wanted it writ: "He was not the best actor in the world, but he was the best Burt Reynolds in the world."