The Only Major Actors Still Alive From Smokey And The Bandit
"Smokey and the Bandit" was a delightful '70s action-comedy movie; it spawned two sequels, the first of which was pretty damn good. For a modern audience looking back, the series was also remarkably star-studded. It featured beloved late actors like Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Patrick McCormick, and Mike Henry, most of whom are still fondly remembered over forty years after the first movie came out. Although the series itself isn't quite as well-known among today's young viewer as we'd probably prefer, most of its cast certainly is.
But what about the actors in the series who are still alive today? What are they up to? Let's check in on the lives and careers of the remaining "Smokey and the Bandit" cast, and see how they're holding up. We might never get to see that Seth MacFarlane-penned revival series we heard about back in 2020, but it's not time to say goodbye to at least a few of the original cast members just yet.
Sally Field (Carrie)
It's tough competition, but one could easily argue that Field has had the most successful post-"Smokey" career of any of her castmates. After "Smoke and the Bandit II" (her last appearance in the series), she went on to star in beloved classics like "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Forrest Gump." In the 2000s, she returned to TV for a recurring role in "E.R.," followed by an even bigger role in the ABC series "Brothers & Sisters."
Younger viewers probably know her best from her recent role as Aunt May in "The Amazing Spider-Man" movies, or her role as Dr. Greta Mantleray in the 2018 Netflix miniseries "Maniac." Field has also made her mark in theater in recent years: In 2017 she starred in the revival of "The Glass Menagerie," and in 2019 she starred in the revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons."
Off stage, Field has done a lot of work to raise awareness for osteoporosis, after she herself was diagnosed with it in 2005. "I realized that there has, in the past, been this attitude of patting women over the head and saying: 'Aw honey, this is part of the aging process,'" she said in a 2006 interview. "But you know what? It's not part of the aging process. It does not need to happen. And women have to know that there are medications now that really, really work."
Paul Williams (Little Enos)
Although Williams is primarily a musician, the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies were hardly his only acting credit over the years. He's since starred in movies like "The Night They Saved Christmas" in 1984, "The Rules of Attraction" in 2002, and "Baby Driver" in 2017. He also composed the scores for movies like 1978's "The End," 1984's "The Muppet Christmas Carol," and the 2007 theatre production of "Happy Days."
As a musician, some of his later-career hits include his work on Daft Punk's 2013 album "Random Across Memories," in which Williams provided vocals for its hit song "Touch." He also wrote the hit country song "You're Gone" for Diamond Rio in 1998, a song that was partially inspired over his grief over losing his close friend, the singer and guitarist Tom Jans. "It just seemed like what we should write about are the people who are no longer in our lives who had a positive effect on us," Williams told Billboard at the time. "The people that pass through our lives — we remember what they say to us, and we remember how they touch us."
In his personal life, Williams has struggled with and recovered from addiction issues, and has since worked to help other addicts get the support they need. In addition to becoming a certified drug and rehabilitation counselor, he also co-write a book in 2021 titled, "Gratitude and Trust: Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life."
George Reynolds (Sheriff Branford)
After Reynolds played the tough, deadpan sheriff in the first movie, he went on to play a bit part in a 1979 episode of "Starsky & Hutch," a two-time role as a cab driver in "Taxi," and a one-off character in a 1983 episode of "St. Elsewhere." Unfortunately his acting career appeared to peak with "Smokey and the Bandit," rather than being the start of something even bigger. Within the past ten years his only roles have been in an unrated, little-known comedy-horror movie "Dahmer vs. Gacy" in 2010, and the fairly obscure wrestling drama "Heels" in 2016.
Outside of those two movies, precious little of Reynolds has been seen in the past forty years. He hasn't been acting regularly since the early '80s, with that "St. Elsewhere" episode being his final role until "Dahmer vs. Gacy" seventeen years later. We don't know anything about his personal life or if he's working on any other projects at the moment; he hasn't appeared on any talk shows or given any interviews.
That's not to cast his post-"Smokey" life in too negative of a light, of course. Life out of the public eye certainly has its blessings, and he still had a ton of undeniable success as an actor in the '70s and '80s. Whatever Reynolds is up to these days, we're sure he knows his role as Sheriff Branford is still remembered fondly by many.