# “The best in the business”: the actor John Wayne and Burt Reynolds agreed “was touched by the gods”

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/the-best-in-the-business-the-actor-john-wayne-and-burt-reynolds-agreed-was-touched-by-the-gods/
- Published: 2026-10-26T18:45:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-26T20:54:43+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/actor-john-wayne-burt-reynolds-agreed-touched-by-the-gods/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment

## Key points

- Wayne called Grant the best actor in the business.
- Reynolds praised Grant’s rare screen presence and charm.
- Both admired Spencer Tracy’s acting.

## Summary

John Wayne and Burt Reynolds both admired Cary Grant’s screen presence, with Wayne calling him “the best actor in the business” and Reynolds saying he was “touched by the gods”. Their praise highlights Grant’s rare mix of charm and appeal, which impressed even stars who had achieved great fame themselves.

Reynolds said Grant drew everyone’s attention when he entered a room, and that men as well as women liked him. Wayne envied Grant’s ability to remain handsome with age, while both actors reportedly regarded Spencer Tracy as the finest actor they had seen. The article places their comments against the backdrop of Reynolds’s rise after *Deliverance* and Wayne’s final film, *The Shootist*, released in 1976.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.