A handsome, muscular leading man, Burt Reynolds first achieved prominence on TV's "Riverboat" (NBC, 1959-61). Although he made his film debut in 1961, he remained best known for his small-screen work, notably as partly Native American characters on "Gunsmoke" (CBS, 1962-65; a blacksmith), and "Hawk" (ABC, 1966; a detective). He began the 70s inauspiciously as the star of the little-watched police detective drama "Dan August" (ABC, 1970-71), but then his movie breakthrough came in John Boorman's powerful backwoods drama "Deliverance" (1972), pushing him into the front rank of Hollywood stars.