

Despite his many high-profile roles, the ones he is said to have turned down were even bigger: He was offered the roles of James Bond, Han Solo, the Richard Gere role in “Pretty Woman” and the Jack Nicholson role in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” He could be affable with the media but at times downright hostile.

In his colorful career Reynolds secured more than his share of both good and bad press. He returned to television, where he’d gotten his start, mostly in Westerns, and produced his own sitcom, “Evening Shade,” which brought him an Emmy. But after one too many bad movies, his popularity waned. For a period during the ’70s he was the nation’s top box office draw. Reynolds’ appeal lay in his post-modern macho posture undercut by a wry self-awareness, which he used to good effect in comedies as well as action films.
