TechnologyLast

Burt Reynolds lived like a king and spent $100K on toupees before bankruptcy

Celebs

Burt Reynolds lived like a king and spent $100K on toupees before bankruptcy in the 90s

Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds was a record-shattering presence in the industry, and his lifestyle reflected his iconic career

Video Loading

Video Unavailable

Click to play

Tap to play

The video will auto-play soon8Cancel

Play now

Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip straight to your inbox with our free email newsletter

Sign up

Thank you for subscribing

We have more newsletters

Show me

privacy notice

See our privacy notice

Invalid Email

Burt Reynolds' death sent shockwaves through the showbiz world, Hollywood mourning the film great who'd wracked up credits from Boogie Nights to Deliverance, from The Longest Yard to Smokey and the Bandit.

The Oscar-nominated mega-star, died in September at the age of 82 after going into cardiac arrest.

And his career was one marked by grand displays of wealth, firm celeb friendships and industry firsts.

In fact, in the late 70s and early 80s, he spent five years on the trot as Tinsel Town's top Box Office draw - a record that still hasn't been beaten.

And true to his acting calibre, Burt lived like a king.

Vanity Fair's 2015 profile of Burt describes his lavish 3.4 acre estate in Tequesta, Florida, which he'd appropriately dubbed "Valhalla."

And his extravagance didn't stop at his home.

Burt owned a private jet, numerous sports cars, and 150 horses.

And perhaps most famously, he splashed $100,000 (£74, 379) on toupees.

But despite his soaring success in the 70s and 80s, Burt fell on hard times, filing for bankruptcy in 1996 with $10 million (£7.4 million) of debt.

It was thought that his costly split from Loni Andersson, which was finalised in 1993, had accelerated his "slide into bankruptcy."

And not one for meekness, Burt was very open about his financial struggles.

He told Vanity Fair: "I've lost more money than is possible because I just haven't watched it.

"I've still done well in terms of owning property and things like that. But I haven't been somebody who's been smart about his money.

"There are a couple of actors who are quite brilliant with the way they've handled their money. But they're not very good actors."

But when his interview with the publication hit shelves, speculation was rife that he'd encountered further money woes after he auctioned of a number of personal items.

These included his 1998 Golden Globe, which he'd won for Boogie Nights.

"That p***es me off," he said of the rumours, "That’s one of the rare things that does p*ss me off.

"I'm not bankrupt, by any means. I'm not even worried about it."