who played bandit in smokey and the bandit movies

But, apparently, his friends 'got down on their knees with tears in their eyes and begged me not to do it. 'I read it and I said, 'Hal, if you can get somebody to give you the money, I'll star in it and you can direct it,'' the movie star wrote. The idea of smuggling Coors beer across the country sparked Hal's imagination for Smokey and the Bandit, and Burt loved it. īack then, Coors was not available east of the Mississippi River and could only be sold in 11 western states because it didn't have preservatives in it and had to be kept cold, The New York Times reports. When Sally Field was cast in 'Smokey and the Bandit, her career was enjoying a dramatic upward trajectory. Burt Reynolds, a native of Lansing, Michigan, was first a big TV star on shows like 'Riverboat, and. Over time, he realized that the driver was 'bootlegging' the beer and the maid was stealing it. Whatever Happened To The Cast Of Smokey And The Bandit Burt Reynolds. Hal wrote on Fortunethat he was inspired to pen the film after a driver captain on set of Burt's 1976 movie Gator brought some Coors beer with him from California and asked Hal to hold a few cases of it in his hotel room. Mike Henry is also a survived by a daughter, Shannon Noble.The story goes that Hal approached him with the 'script' for the flick, which was handwritten on yellow pads. He was one of the loveliest men ever to grace this earth,” said Cheryl Henry, his wife of 36 years. “You could not find anyone who ever spoke ill of Mike. Henry worked behind the scenes in film and TV for the rest of his professional career until he retired in 1988 as a result of Parkinson’s disease.

His other movie roles included 1974’s “The Longest Yard,” 1973’s “Soylent Green,” 1970’s “Rio Lobo” and 1968’s “The Green Berets.” TV roles included “General Hospital,” “Lou Grant,” “Rhoda,” “Fantasy Island,” “The Six Million Dollar Man” and “77 Sunset Strip.”

He played Junior, the son of Jackie Gleason’s character. Between 19, he starred in three films based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ creation: “Tarzan and the Valley of Gold,” “Tarzan and the Great River” and “Tarzan and the Jungle Boy.”īut he was best known for his role in three “Smokey and the Bandit” action comedies from 1977, 19.

In one of his final games as a Ram linebacker, a producer spotted Henry and asked him to test for the role of Tarzan.

Who played bandit in smokey and the bandit movies