Burt Reynolds Lived Almost Rent-Free in Final Years

Burt Reynolds reportedly died at a Florida ranch he sold a few years earlier. The ranch’s owner let Reynold’s stay there to honor his legacy.

Reynolds’s friend and neighbor, Charles Modica, bought the estate from Reynolds in 2015, never intending to have Reynolds move. Reynolds bought the property for $700,000 in 1980, and had it up for sale since 2005. He wanted to charge as much as $15 million for it at one point, TMZ reported.

Modica has no plans to sell the property. He sees the estate as a good investment. He purchased it from Reynolds for $3.3 million, and said he only charged Reynolds an extremely small sum to rent the property. Modica believes the home is now worth between $4 million and $5 million.

It is a 3.4 acre estate with a 12,000-square-foot main house, a two-bed guesthouse, a movie theater, a pool, a dock, and a helicopter landing pad, TMZ reported.

Reynolds died on Sept. 6 from a heart attack. The actor was 82 years old.

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A day before his death, Florida Weekly published an interview where Reynolds spoke about all the projects he was involved in, even at his advanced age. Besides plans for future movie roles he also had an institute for training actors.

According to his IMDB profile, Reynolds acted in “Shadow Fighter,” released earlier this year. His next movie, “Defining Moments,” is scheduled for a December release. He has six acting credits listed for 2017, five of them movies. He was also set to act in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood,” scheduled for a 2019 release. Reynold’s died before he could film his scenes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

How Burt Reynolds got his career start

Reynolds’s career spans 60 years. He said it started when he entered a contract with Universal in 1958.

“It was an incredible time for me. I don’t quite understand my career, but I sure had a great time in my life. And I was very lucky. Very lucky. And I got a little bit better, I think, as an actor as time went by,” said Reynolds in an interview with David A.R. White.

He then went on to say that his happiest years as an actor were his time on the show “Evening Shade,” and his second happiest were during his time making “Gunsmoke,” during the earlier part of his career.

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Reynolds didn’t decide on an acting career until his earlier dreams of playing pro football were diverted due to an injury. After a successful run at fullback in high school, he went to Florida State University on a football scholarship. He was a prospect to start his pro football career with the Baltimore Colts. He thought he could make it in law enforcement, before an English teacher suggested he try theater.

After acting in various smaller roles, Reynolds career took off with the 1972 film “Deliverance.” That movie led to a successful acting streak that continued into the 1980s, according to CNN.

Reynolds is also known for turning down huge roles, like the chance to become the first American actor to play the James Bond role, as well as dismissing the role of Han Solo in “Star Wars.”

David A.R. White got his start as an actor when he auditioned for Reynolds on “Evening Shade.” White shared his biggest impression of Reynolds.

“He was so loyal to his friends and that was the thing that stuck out to me,” White said, via Pure Flix Insider. “That he was still able to be with his friends and give them work.”

White went on to create production company Pure Flix. Where he hired Reynolds as an actor on Pure Flix TV series “Hitting the Breaks.” Episodes featuring Reynolds aired in 2016.

From NTD.tv

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