Actor Alfie Wise, the scene-stealer who teamed up with Burt Reynolds in iconic ’80s action-comedies like “The Cannonball Run” and “Stroker Ace,” has died.
The former actor turned real estate agent passed away on July 22 at Florida’s Thomas H. Corey Veteran Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach … his longtime fiancée, Stephanie Bliss, confirmed to TMZ.
Stephanie said Alfie got sick with a bacterial infection a couple months ago … he’d been in the hospital and had returned home — but then had to go back to the hospital, extremely weak, where he stayed for about a month before he died.
Antibiotics to treat his throat infection were not working, Stephanie said. It was unclear how Alfie got the infection, but his doctor said it was a regular infection people get all the time. Stephanie said Alfie’s age definitely played a part in his death, telling us it was natural causes.
Donohue Real Estate, the company where Alfie worked, also paid tribute to him in a Facebook post on July 30 … highlighting his sense of humor, positive attitude, and charming personality.
Wise made his mark in Hollywood as Burt Reynolds’ go-to sidekick, landing roles in 10 of Burt’s films … including “The Longest Yard,” “Smokey & the Bandit,” “The Cannonball Run,” “Hooper,” and “Stroker Ace.”
He also starred in Burt’s ABC drama “B.L. Stryker” and later made an appearance on “S Club 7 in Miami” before swapping scripts for a career in Florida real estate.
Alfie is survived by Stephanie Bliss.
He was 82.
RIP
