Burt Reynolds after he posed naked in the April 1972 issue of "Cosmopolitan". Reynolds said he did it for "a kick. I have a strange sense of humor" and because he knew he had "Deliverance" coming out. He later expressed regret for posing for Cosmopolitan. "Deliverance" was a huge commercial and critical success and, along with the talk show appearances, helped establish Reynolds as a star. "The night of the Academy Awards, I counted a half-dozen Burt Reynolds jokes," he later said. "I had become a household name, the most talked-about star at the award show." He was then in "Fuzz" (1972),
Ned Beatty Big Easy", directed by Jim McBride and starring Dennis Quaid, and continued with a spy drama, "The Fourth Protocol" (1987), opposite Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan. In 1988, Beatty appeared with the main character Thelonious Pitt in "Shadows in the Storm", reunited with Burt Reynolds and Christopher Reeve for the 1988 comedy film "Switching Channels", his fifth time in a movie with Reynolds. He appeared in "Purple People Eater" (1988), portraying a simple grandfather. In 1989, Beatty made "Chattahoochee", portraying Dr. Harwood. He had a recurring role as the father of John Goodman's character Dan Conner on the TV comedy