Burt Reynolds biography written by Kildare man to be unveiled in Naas

Hollywood star Burt Reynolds, who died in September 2018, is the subject of a book by Naas author Wayne Byrne.

The launch of the book Burt Reynolds On Screen will be accompanied by a question and answer session and among the attendance will be Film Ireland journalist, Paul Farren. It takes place at the local Naas library on February 21 (7-9pm).

The title is the first critical overview of the Hollywood legend who was once the number one box office star in the world for five consecutive years.

Wayne, a librarian for Kildare County Council and journalist for Hot Press magazine, wrote The Cinema of Tom DiCillo, which was released in 2017, as his first book. The local author, who began his writing career as a film critic for the Leinster Leader, discovered his passion for film in the long-gone video shops of Naas.

Wayne’s film education came from the likes of Hollywood Nights in Poplar Square and Screen Test on the Dublin Road, where “I satisfied my love of cinema and discovered Burt’s movies like Malone, Heat, and Stick.”

He added: “Those shops were the best film school in the world. Better than any college.”

Booking is necessary for the event and can be done by emailing naaslib@kildarecoco.ie or by phoning 879111.