Actor Burt Reynolds, who died from cardiac arrest Thursday at the age of 82, was known as a consummate professional, a big box-office movie star, a sex symbol, a stuntman, a popular college football star -- and the list literally goes on and on.
Some fans may not realize, though, that Reynolds was also known for his trailblazing spirit, which was never on such public display as when he did a naked photo spread for Cosmopolitan magazine in 1972, becoming the magazine’s first male centerfold. His career exploded after the publication as women went crazy for the hunky movie star.
But Reynolds didn’t see it that way.
“It was a total fiasco,” he wrote in his memoir, calling it one of his biggest mistakes, according to The Washington Post.
His female fans certainly didn’t see it that way, and neither did a large number of his male fans.
In fact, Ryan Reynolds, who is no relation to Burt Reynolds, used a similar pose to the famous early ‘70s Reynolds photo spread for the original “Deadpool” promo, laying on his side in his superhero costume with a blazing fire burning in a fireplace behind him, channeling Burt Reynolds’ spirit.
Ryan Reynolds tweeted the two photos together after Burt Reynolds’ death Thursday, saying, “He did it first. And best. And naked.”
