Actor Burt Reynolds is being treated in intensive care in Florida hospital after contracting a severe case of the flu.

Burt Reynolds, 76, has been battling the virus, which has swept across America this year, for the last few days.

However, the actor was hospitalized in Florida after the virus seemed to be getting much worse.

A representative for Burt Reynolds confirmed to TMZ that he was moved to ICU early on Friday morning because doctors realized he was “severely dehydrated”.

Medical experts are optimistic that the actor will make a full recovery from his illness.

A spokesperson told E! News: “He is doing better. They are taking care of him and his moustache.”

Burt Reynolds is being treated in intensive care in Florida hospital after contracting a severe case of the flu

Burt Reynolds had a quintuple heart bypass in 2010, a year after he entered a West Palm Beach, Florida, rehab clinic to help kick a prescription drug habit that stemmed from earlier back surgery.

At the time, his publicist denied Burt Reynolds was forced to have emergency surgery, saying that he “has a great motor with brand new pipes”.

In 2011, Burt Reynolds, who starred 40 years ago in Deliverance and films such as The Cannonball Run, faced having his Florida waterfront mansion repossessed after he reportedly fell $1.1 million behind on his mortgage.

At the time, Burt Reynolds’ friends revealed his finances were in a mess and claimed he owed millions.

But twice-married Burt Reynolds, who was romantically linked over the years with country singer Tammy Wynette, actress Sally Field, singers Dinah Shore and Lorna Luft and tennis champion Chris Evert, insisted his financial travails were all a misunderstanding.