Alfie Wise dead aged 82: Burt Reynold's pal who starred in Smokey & the Bandit & The Cannonball Run star dies
STAR GONE Alfie Wise dead aged 82: Burt Reynold's pal who starred in Smokey & the Bandit & The Cannonball Run star dies
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
ALFIE Wise, who acted in Smokey and the Bandit and a host of other movies alongside pal Burt Reynolds, has died at 82.
The veteran screen actor passed away from natural causes at a medical facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, according to long-time fiancée, Stephanie Bliss.
Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter
Sign up
2
Alfie Wise has died at 82
Credit: Disney General Entertainment Con
2
Alfie Wise appearing in the ABC TV series The Fall Guy
Credit: ABC
Alfie played a trooper in the prison-set The Longest Yard (1974) - his first onscreen collaboration with Reynolds, who was a famous star in the 1970s and 80s.
He worked again with Reynolds in The End (1978), Hooper (1978), Starting Over (1979), Paternity (1981), Stroker Ace (1983), City Heat (1984) and Heat (1986).
More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Reality TV royalty rumored for Dancing with the Stars after suffering devastating tragedy
The newest season of Dancing With the Stars is just weeks away, but fans are still wondering who will be slated to appear in America's favorite dancing competition. DWTS, which returns to ABC with its 34th season next month, has been known to catapult C-list celebrities into overnight sensations. Last season, The Bachelor star Joey Graziadei and his partner Jenna Johnson took home the coveted Mirrorball trophy, while Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and Alan Bernstein finished in second place. As for this year, only a handful of celebrities have confirmed their appearance. Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, TikTok influencer Alix Earle, and Robert Irwin – the son of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin – were the first to announce their casting. However, a insider has exclusively revealed to the Daily Mail that reality TV royalty could be taking to the coveted ballroom in a few weeks. Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag have both been asked to join, according to an insider. But the deal isn't set in stone just yet, as it will reportedly take a major paycheck for the couple to sign on. 'Spencer and Heidi have both been asked to join the next season of DWTS, and they could sign on the dotted line if the money is right. It is all about the money,' the source said. 'Negotiations are hot and heavy right now.' The couple, who have been married since 2008, have been in need of a financial boost after losing their $2.5million Pacific Palisades home in the devastating Los Angeles fires earlier this year. Heidi, 38, recently revealed that they can't even afford to rebuild on the lot where their home once stood. Instead, the couple have been living in a rental home in Santa Barbara with their two sons – Gunner, seven, and Ryker, two. In an effort to get back on their feet, Spencer, 41, immediately sprang into action by urging his fans to stream Heidi's 2010 album Superficial. The record – which only sold 1,000 copies in its first week – reached the top of the iTunes chart in the US in January, thanks to Spencer's viral posts, and generated nearly $150,000 from streaming and digital sales, Billboard reported at the time. It also reignited Heidi's music career, as she filmed a new music video for the album's hit single, I'll Do It, more than 10 years after its initial release. The Hills stars have clearly shown they're willing to do whatever it takes to support their family, and joining the upcoming season of DWTS will undoubtedly lead to even more lucrative opportunities for the couple. 'After losing their home in the fires earlier this year, they have tried to figure out how to make money to get back on their feet,' the source continued. 'What better way than being a part of the show which will no doubt spark other opportunities? 'They already have the story that DWTS loves, so if they can incorporate that into making a few extra dollars, there is nothing more that they can ask for – as they want to make any quick buck they can make.' Despite their financial woes, Heidi and Spencer have been picky when it comes to their next move – even shutting down pleas to join the cast of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills due to the couple's longstanding feud with executive producer Andy Cohen. Although Heidi and Spencer have yet to confirm their casting on DWTS, the mother of two recently posted a TikTok video with dancing pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who teased that he might come out of retirement to partner with Heidi. 'Well, are we thinking Dancing With the Stars?' she said in the clip posted in May, as she posed with the 45-year-old DWTS alum. 'You should be on the next season,' he told Heidi, who asked if he would be her partner. 'I'll un-retire,' Maksim replied. Heidi and Spencer are seasoned reality TV veterans. The couple – nicknamed 'Speidi' – famously met at a Los Angeles nightclub in 2006 while Heidi was filming season one of MTV's The Hills. Spencer joined the following season, and they were married just two years after their first encounter. The series ended in 2010 after six seasons. They later joined the cast of I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2009. They repeatedly attempted to quit the survival show three times before finally leaving after Heidi got sick and was rushed to the hospital. They starred in Celebrity Big Brother UK in 2013 before returning for Celebrity Big Brother: All Stars vs New Stars in 2017, but they were evicted from the house after 25 days. They also enjoyed a stint on Celebrity Wife Swap in 2014, which saw Heidi swapping her Los Angeles lifestyle with four-time Olympian Amanda Beard, who lived in a rural area of Washington state. In 2019, several original cast members of MTV's The Hills reunited for The Hills: New Beginnings, but it was cancelled in early 2022 after two seasons. DWTS will premiere on ABC and Disney+ on September 16.
Scottish Sun
15 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Love Island's Harry in disbelief as he finds out about Hulk Hogan's death after eight weeks in the villa
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LOVE Island star Harry was in disbelief as he came out of the villa and discovered the news of Hulk Hogan's death, after eight weeks on the show. Harry and Shakira ended up in second place during Monday night's final, as Cach and Toni beat them to the top spot. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Love Island star Harry was in disbelief as he came out of the villa Credit: tiktok/@dfkmuk 5 He discovered the news of Hulk Hogan's death, after eight weeks on the show Credit: Getty 5 Harry filmed a video finding out the news Credit: tiktok/@dfkmuk 5 He kept repeating 'no' in disbelief Credit: tiktok/@dfkmuk And it looks like the footballer has his phone back and has been catching up on the goings on in the outside world over the last couple of months. But Harry couldn't hide his shock after discovering that Hulk Hogan had died during this time. The 71-year-old WWE star was rushed to the hospital on July 24 after suffering a cardiac arrest in his South Florida home. He died from an acute myocardial infarction, which is commonly known as a heart attack, according to records from the Pinellas County Forensic Science Center obtained by The U.S. Sun. An examination of the wrestling star found he had a history of atrial fibrillation, which is a heart rhythm disorder that can lead to an irregular or rapid heart rate. He also had a history of leukemia CLL, which is a type of cancer that affects white blood cells, the documents state. Finding out the news, Harry could be seen in a video saying: 'What? Hulk Hogan died? No. 'No, no, no, no way did Hulk Hogan die. What?' Harry looked in disbelief as he brought the camera up towards his face. Love Island host takes brutal swipe at Harry and says he 'held Shakira back' from winning show Hogan had been dealing with significant health issues for months when he went into cardiac arrest at his $11.5 million mansion in Clearwater. He had a neck surgery in May, and was rushed to the hospital afterwards over complications with his recovery. In June, he suffered a series of health issues that left him reportedly unable to feel his legs or walk with a cane. However, multiple people, including his wife Sky, downplayed his issues and insisted that he was making great progress.
Edinburgh Reporter
a day ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025 – Alice Fraser: A Passion for Passion
Alice Fraser, despite having appeared on and written for various radio and TV programmes, podcasts and performed throughout the world, is not as well known as she deserves to be. Yet. You would think featuring in the Daily Telegraph's 50 Funniest Comedians of the 21st Century, being a regular on Radio 4's The News Quiz and ABC's Thank God It's Friday, as well as having done documentaries for Audible and hosted various podcasts people would know her. She's also written my favourite description of a certain type of politician; 'I love hearing unrestricted indulgence in grievance politics by men who say being masculine means being stoic while whingeing like a toddler about how things aren't as good as the olden days.' In an alternative dimension, you have heard of and seen Alice Fraser, but I think that's about to change with her first book and accompanying show A Passion for Passion. ''A Passion for Passion: A Delirious Love Letter to Romance' is a loving homage to genre fiction, celebrating the solemn silliness of romance novels. I have a special place in my heart for the silliness of romance novels,' Alice explains. 'Yes, there is a lot of garbage in the genre but also a lot of good; just like every other genre. Also it is book publishing's dirty little secret – these books sell; in the UK sales accounted for £69m in 2024, with over 40m books sold, keeping book publishing alive. They sit in a very weird bottleneck, they are successful but stay under the table, which is part of the reason I have a fascination with them.' I must admit, as a man of a certain age, romance novels to me are Barbara Cartland and Mills & Boons but having worked in book and charity shops I've seen how quickly people read them and how much they consume. Obviously the books and their authors are doing at least something right if they sell that much. Alice continues, explaining to me more about romances and why I should have a more open mind to them. 'Yes, they are wish fulfilment and the journey to reach a Happily Ever After can go via an unbelievable roller-coaster of intensity and feature entertaining twists. So does the Opera and nobody's looking down on Carmen. James Bond books do exactly the same thing, except instead of making a duke fall in love with him, he kills somebody with a robot pencil and wins the woman with a bad pun and a magic car he didn't have to pay for. Nobody is looking down their noses at the espionage genre the same way they do with romance and romantasy.' Romantic fantasy, or romantasy, is a sub-genre of fantasy fiction that combines fantasy and romance. These are books that use many of the elements and conventions of the romance genre but there are elves, dragons and many other creatures in the between the covers. Key features of romantasy is the focus on relationships – social, political and romantic. They are predominately written by women but also known for representing less covered sections of society. People also look down their noses at these books but they also sell incredibly well. You may have heard of a little thing called the Twilight Saga. 'I know these books are denigrated and I like them despite that. They deal with women's desires; they are written for women, by women and for women's pleasure. Since the explosion of self-publishing online proved there was an even vaster appetite for these books than Mills & Boone had assumed. Also, readers, writers and protagonists in Romance are all increasingly diverse. For me there is something creepy if that is seen as wrong. For most people, day to day, the quality of their intimate relationships are the key to whether you find the world bearable and yet some discount books that explain how they work. Also, there's a magical trick in writing 250-300 pages where the reader knows what is going to happen in the end but still wants to read every page to find out how, while still making it joyous and treating your readers as intelligent. Many authors in other genres could learn a thing or two from these books. For me the sexy stuff is the least interesting part, I care more about the emotional component than the sex. Why can't he say, 'I love you'? Why is a firm pat and 'humph' the highest expression of love he can muster? What happened along the way to make these characters who they are and behave this way? That's what I want to know about. These are dramatic and operative stories on a huge stage, life writ large.' To promote the book Alice has an accompanying show, unsurprisingly titled, 'A Passion for Passion,' where she explains how she's fallen in love with romance novels and is living with the consequences. I'm looking forward to seeing, especially as I think I don't like romance novels, but it might make me rethink what's so wrong with happily ever after. The show iss on in London first at the Soho Upstairs from Wednesday the 6th to Saturday the 9th of August, before jumping in a horse drawn carriage, skipping any balls on the way and heading up the Great North Road to Edinburgh. There the show is on from the 11th to the 25th of August at Friesian at Underbelly, Bristo Square. On top of writing and performing, Alice also hosts online writers meetings and workshops, occasional writing retreats and one-to-one writing consultations. To add to the August fun, while she's in Edinburgh she is running two writers workshops at Black Medicine Coffee on Sunday the 17th and Sunday the 24th. You would think with everything else that running these and doing a show is overload but Alice explained that it's selfish altruism in part. 'I like to help others, it's a good thing to do, but also it stops me becoming self-obsessed and helps me see the bigger picture. Plus it's good for the people who come to hear different views about the issues writers face and it makes me feel good. Everybody wins. 'I've suffered quite badly at times with imposter syndrome despite having worked on four or five different radio and podcast shows every week for a run of two to three months at a time. You would think that would give me the confidence in myself and my work. Flyering is soul destroying at times but is definitely embarrassing and fed into the feeling that I wasn't a 'real' or 'proper' comedian and writer. These workshops have helped me realise that's not true, I am able to give advice to people at various stages of their careers, which they find useful and beneficial. If that's not showing me I am a professional and good at my job then what can? Running the workshops is a really enjoyable part of my career and I hope I can always have them on the go.' As we finish up, I can't help but ask about how Alice feels about coming back to Edinburgh and the Fringe. Unsurprisingly, she enjoys the experience. 'I know that people say that it's a bad thing that the expense of coming and putting on a show means there is less good stuff and possibly more vanity works. However, there is still space for bad or silly art and there is something wildly pleasurable about that. The people who perform love their work and want to share it with as many as possible. For that to happen there is definitely something going right in the world. I love the Fringe, I love the silliness of it all and the chance to sit in a dark room and see something that makes me laugh, makes me think and sometimes does both.' You can't say fairer than that. As for my relationship, or lack of one, with romance novels? Well, dear reader, I now have one – Candace Camp's 'A Gentleman Always Remember.' Alice approves: 'Oh Candace knows the business. Enjoy!' I'll just have to see if I am whisked off my feet. Keni O'Neill An everyday middle-aged person who wants to make a better, brighter Scotland. I also want to see Hibernian and Brentford FCs play well. This author does not have any more posts. Like this: Like Related
