Burt Reynolds, who died earlier this month, left his niece in charge of executing his will instead of his only child. The actor signed the will in 2011, which names niece Nancy Lee Brown Hess as the representative of his estate, according to media reports.
Hess will control Reynolds’ possessions through a trust. The actor’s and his ex-wife Loni Anderson’s son, Quinton Anderson Reynolds, 30, has been provided with a separate trust.
“I intentionally omit him from this, my Last Will and Testament, as I have provided for him during my lifetime in my Declaration of Trust,” Reynolds wrote in his will, reports Fox.
The Smokey and the Bandit star, 82, died of cardiac arrest on Sept. 6. Anderson, who was his second wife, said in a statement: “Burt was a wonderful director and actor. He was a big part of my life for twelve years and Quinton’s father for thirty years. We will miss him and his great laugh.”
The couple, who wed in 1988, split in 1994. They adopted Quinton in 1988 after they were unable to have biological children.
Reynolds was previously married to English actress Judy Carne from 1963-65 and also dated singer/actress Dinah Shore and actress Sally Field.
Reynolds was very proud of his son. “He is my greatest achievement,” he told Closer Weekly over the summer. “He’s a wonderful young man and is now working as a camera assistant in Hollywood. He never asked for any help with his career, he did it all himself, and I’m so proud of him. I love him very much.”
Reynolds starred in several TV shows in the ‘60s and early ‘70s before landing his breakthrough role as Lewis Medlock in the 1972 film Deliverance. His most iconic films include The Longest Yard, The Cannonball Run, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, and Boogie Nights. He starred in almost 200 films over the course of his career.
