Ned Beatty Trippe in "Deliverance" (1972), starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds, and set in northern Georgia. Beatty's character is forced to strip at gunpoint by two mountain men who humiliate and rape him, a scene so unprecedented, horrifying and shocking that it is still referenced as a screen milestone. In 1972, he also appeared in "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean", a western with Paul Newman. In 1973, Beatty made "The Thief Who Came to Dinner", "The Last American Hero" and "White Lightning". The latter film reunited Beatty with his "Deliverance" co-star, Burt Reynolds. He also appeared in an
Ned Beatty was cast by Richard Donner to portray Lex Luthor's inept henchman Otis in "Superman: The Movie" (1978), as he would in the 1980 sequel, where we see his character being left behind in prison. He received a second nomination for Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for the television series "Friendly Fire" (1979). In 1979, he was seen in "Wise Blood", directed by John Huston, and "1941", directed by Steven Spielberg. In 1980, Beatty appeared in Ronald Neame's 1980 American film "Hopscotch" (1980) with Walter Matthau. In 1981, Beatty appeared in the comedy/science fiction