This year marks the 75th birthday of iconic American actor Burt Reynolds, the popular star of films as different as Deliverance and Smokey and the Bandit.
While various biographies of Reynolds list different birthplaces, we have the proof that on February 11, 1936, a son was begat to Burton Milo and Fern (Miller) Reynolds. Burton Leon “Burt” Reynolds was born and spent his first years at 1703 Donora Street, Lansing, Michigan.
1703 Donora in April of 1952
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According to City Directories, Burt’s father worked at REO Motor Works, then for the U.S. Government. His mother was a nurse. As a Master Sergeant in the Lansing based 119th Field Artillery National Guard Battalion, the elder Burton entered the army fulltime in 1941. The Reynolds family then moved to Fort Leonard Woods, Missouri.
In 1943 his father transferred overseas. The rest of the family, including young Burt, moved near his mother’s parents in Lake City, Michigan. It was then they sold the house on Donora. After his father’s return in 1945, the family moved to Riviera Beach, Florida in 1946.
Some details remain unclear. In some accounts, Burt’s hometown changes. Earlier celebrity biographies cited his birthplace in Florida. The Internet Movie Database  and other sources list him a native of Waycross, Georgia. The inception of the Georgia theory may stem from a character he portrayed in the film of the same name, Stroker Ace, hailing from Waycross. Reynolds himself has claimed Waycross as his wellspring.
In his 1994 autobiography My Life, to Fort Leonard Woods. He does not overtly profess Lansing to be his ancestral home.
His father was born in Eaton Rapids, Michigan and raised in California; his mother Star City, Michigan. In September 1987, he returned to the Donora address while visiting for a MSU vs. Florida State University football game.  Reynolds played halfback at FSU. “[H]is mother had asked him to stop by the old home and take a picture for her.†(LSJ 9-27-87)
Despite Reynolds’ suggestion of a Lansing provenance, a war ensued on Wikipedia in recent years regarding his mid-Michigan pedigree. There was considerable and sometimes heated discussion regarding his hometown. Hyperbolic claims state Reynolds’ official website acknowledges Lansing. However, the website does not exist. The Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum in Jupiter Florida does not provide a place of birth.
There have been articles since the 1950s claiming Reynolds Lansing origin. A local researcher known on Wikipedia as Lugnut215 would not relent the barrage of edits from a now banned editor, Rogue Gremlin. Lugnut215 wishes to remain anonymous. Gremlin was banished for using sockpuppet accounts “abusively.” He subverted and twisted information in support of the Waycross genesis theory. With the help of allies, Lugnut215 won the right for Lansing to claim Reynolds. On Wikipedia the case is no longer “disputed.â€
Newly discovered evidence in the Capital Area District Library Archives supports the Lansing argument. First published in this article are real estate records from 1938 and 1943 linking each of Reynolds’ parents to the 1703 Donora address.
Sources Consulted
Special research assistance from and a big thank you to Timothy Bowman
Historical and Pictorial National Guard of Michigan, 1940
My Life by Burt Reynolds, 1994
The Talented Mr. Burt Reynolds (Lansing Metropolitan/Winter 1996)
Lansing State Journal (January 5, 1959)
Lansing State Journal (April 7, 1981)
Lansing State Journal (August 21, 1984)
Lansing State Journal (September 25, 1987)
Lansing State Journal (September 27, 1987)
Lansing City Directories (1934-1941)
Stebbins Real Estate Collection Images Courtesy of the Capital Area District Library Special Collections
[…] We Have Proof! . . . Burt Reynolds was born in Lansing […]
Another great article, David. Keep them coming.
I am told that his relations are in Bellevue Nebraska , my mother said as cousins they played.
Her name Tiller , and her mother’s maiden name Davis. I believe he was born in the mid west.
Even though they had requested him to show up to his uncles funeral { Wayne Davis} he did not show. I heard Uncle Wayne was his favorite.
That is all I know.
Maybe check out some thing in this area.
Actually Burt being born Waycross stems alot further back than Stroker Ace. In ALL of Burt’s early interviews on such shows as Dinah Shore, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, and even on is first appearance on the Carol Burnett show, Burt himself is the one that says he was born in Waycross. Also if you check with the Screen Actors Guild, his personally listed his birthplace as Waycross with them. The only person responsible for portraying his birthplace as Waycross is Burt. Also if you ever watch the interviews, he never says he lived in Waycross. He only states that he was born in Waycross as his family was traveling through. Doesn’t seem as though you did your research good enough. I would also like to mention. In his autobiography he only speaks of childhood in Lansing. He never mentions where he was born.
I know for a fact that Burt Reynolds lived in Merrit MI for 2 or 3 years. His 3rd grade teacher was Ms. Jean Davis who just happened to be my aunt (my fathers oldest sister). When Burt somehow learned that she was ill with cancer, he sent her a lovely note and a dozen roses. His kind act made the news in Houghton Lake MI and the article is forever a family keepsake.
Burt also donated a sum of money to a town park project in Merrit in the 90’s.