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Burt Reynolds loved his son, Quinton. So why did he cut him out of the will?
By Emily Van Devender — Written on Sep 20, 2018
On Sept. 6, 2018, actor Burt Reynolds passed away from cardiac arrest at age 82.
He was the beloved star of classic films including Boogie Nights (1997) and Deliverance (1972), his break-out role. Many considered him a Hollywood sex symbol. After starring in The Longest Yard (1974), Reynolds posed nude for Cosmopolitan, according to CNN.
However, Reynolds was much more than just another handsome Hollywood face. His roles ranged from comedic to sultry and everything in-between.
While few people are unfamiliar with Burt Reynolds’ name (his recent stints as character Turd Ferguson on Saturday Night Live drew a younger crowd to his comedic talents), some fans may not know that he adopted a son in 1988 with his wife at the time, actress Loni Anderson. Anderson is best known for her role in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, which aired from 1978-1982.
This week, TMZ reported that Reynolds would exclude his only son, 30-year-old Quinton Anderson Reynolds, from his will. It may sound like an unfair jab at first, but Burt Reynolds loved his son and excluded him from the will for a very practical reason.
Here are five details about Quinton Reynolds and his father’s will and legacy.
1. He received a trust fund containing all of his father’s assets.
While Quinton was excluded from the will, he will still receive all of his father’s money and assets via a trust that is handled by Burt Reynolds’ niece, Nancy Lee Brown Hess.
According to TMZ, Quinton was not chosen as the trustee because it would create a conflict of interest with him as the beneficiary. In keeping the money in a trust, Quinton will be able to avoid paying estate taxes on his inheritance. The will itself is essentially empty, noting that any assets that are not specifically accounted for in the trust will be included in the trust as well.
2. He was his father’s greatest achievement.
Although Burt Reynolds’ list of accomplishments is way too long for this article, Quinton was his personal favorite achievement. Before his death, he told Closer Weekly:
“He’s my greatest achievement. He’s a wonderful young man and works 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.”
Although the two went through a rough patch after Burt and Loni divorced, sources say that the two became very close in recent years.
3. He lives modestly.
Quinton Reynolds may have had extremely famous parents, but he passed on the glitzy Hollywood lifestyle in adulthood. Although he still lives in the Hollywood area and works in the movie industry, Quinton does not have any public social media accounts and strays away from the front of the camera.
According to Heavy, he enjoys his privacy and keeps away from the public eye whenever possible.
4. The estate is worth 5 million dollars.
According to Hollywood Life, Burt Reynolds’ estate was worth $5 million dollars at the time of his death, which Quinton will inherit via the trust.
Considering Reynolds’ caliber as a celebrity, $5 million seems extremely low. At his peak, he was one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors. However, he was notoriously extravagant and loose with his fortune and encountered serious financial issues toward the end of his life.
5. Quinton’s parents butted heads with him in the middle after the divorce.
After the divorce, Burt Reynolds lived in Florida while Quinton primarily lived in California with his mother.
Loni didn’t feel that Burt would hurt Quinton but wanted a nanny to be present whenever her ex-husband spent time with her son. Rather, she felt that Reynolds was prone to behaving erratically due to drug use.
In 1995, she told SF Gate that she simply wanted to ensure that Quinton was safe and protected. During the process of their divorce, Reynolds publicly stated that Anderson was a bad mother to Quinton.
Emily is a freelance writer based in Colorado, USA. She covers politics, feminism, and psychology and enjoys photography and outdoor activities in her spare time.