Burt Reynolds was in love with Sally Field since she was 7 years old, and although they married other people and had children with them, he still nurtured his love for her and struggled all his life because they did not work out. Reynolds called Field the love of his life despite being “shocked and hurt” after her revelations about him while married to another man.
Actor Burt Reynolds once claimed during his appearance on the “Today” show that he first fell in love with actress Sally Field when she was young.
The famed Michigan native was promoting his new film, “The Last Movie Star,” when television host Hoda Kotb asked him about his love life, particularly who the love of his life was.
“Well, she was 7 when I fell in love with her. She stayed 7 for about 11 years. I would say, Sally,” Reynolds replied. To which Kotb asked, “Sally Field?” and he answered, “Yes. Sally Field.”
The director and the two-time Academy Award winner dated for about five years in the late ’70s and ’80s. In his book, “But Enough about Me,” Reynolds, who was 10 years her senior, detailed his onscreen and off-screen relationship with Field, including her childhood.
He revealed that she grew up in Hollywood with an actress mother and a father who was an army officer. However, Field’s parents divorced when she was only four years old. Following their split, her mom remarried actor-stuntman Jock Mahoney.
Reynolds made his feelings about Mahoney known and expressed that he was conflicted. He had much respect for his craft but, at the same time, despised him for mistreating Field at a young age.
Mahoney had a biological daughter named Princess and treated her as such, but when it came to his stepdaughter Field, it was a different story. He was cruel toward her and ignored her.
Mahoney only took notice of the “Steel Magnolias” star when she got recognized for her work and was awarded, something that angered Reynolds. He also alleged that Mahoney might have been abusing Field physically, adding that although she had not said it, he could tell...CONTINUE READING