I grew up with "Smokey & the Bandit" and we had a hamster we named, "Hooper" in honor of the stuntman Burt Reynolds portrayed in the movie with the same name. Both classic films that played on HBO repeatedly in the background of my junior high and high school years 🙂
Loved those films and Burt's character in both films.
RIP
-John
Burt Reynolds, the wryly appealing Hollywood heartthrob who carried on a long love affair with moviegoers even though his performances were often more memorable than the films that contained them, died on Thursday in Jupiter, Fla. He was 82.
Source: Burt Reynolds Dies at 82; Made Hearts Throb and Audiences Laugh - The New York Times