About

Known credits:
78
Birthday:
1926-07-26
Place of birth:
Powderly, Kentucky, USA
Website:
N/A

James Best

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Best (born Jewel Franklin Guy; July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015) was an American television, film, character, voice, and stage actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He appeared as a guest on various country music and talk shows.

One of the busiest actors in Hollywood, who began his contract career with Universal Studios in 1949, where he met unfamiliar actors Julie Adams, Piper Laurie, Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson. Best's long career began in films in 1950. He appeared primarily in Westerns, playing opposite Audie Murphy in Kansas Raiders (1950), The Cimarron Kid (1952) and The Quick Gun (1964), Raymond Massey in Seven Angry Men (1955), George Montgomery in Last of the Badman (1957), Frank Lovejoy in Cole Younger Gunfighter (1958), and Randolph Scott in Ride Lonesome (1959). He also starred in the science fiction cult movie, The Killer Shrews (1959) and its sequel, Return of the Killer Shrews (2012). He is most known for playing bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the action/comedy Dukes of Hazzard, a role that he revised in The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) as his character was now "boss" of Hazzard County as well as sheriff, and again in The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000).

Known for

Acting
2021 Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists! Actor Self 59
Average
2013 The Sweeter Side of Life Actor Paddy Kerrigan 58
Average
2012 Return of the Killer Shrews Actor Thorne Sherman 58
Average
2007 Moondance Alexander Actor McClancy 59
Average
2006 Hot Tamale Actor Hank Larson 58
Average
2004 The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made Actor Thorne Sherman (archive footage) 58
Average
2002 The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller Actor Sgt. David Brent (archive footage) (uncredited) 59
Average
2000 The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood Actor Rosco P. Coltrane 59
Average
1998 Death Mask Actor Wilbur Johnson 59
Average
1997 The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! Actor Boss / Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane 58
Average
1983 The Dukes Actor Rosco Coltrane (voice) 68
Fair
1979 The Dukes of Hazzard Actor Rosco P. Coltrane 72
Good
1978 Hooper Actor Cully 59
Average
1978 The End Actor Pacemaker Patient 58
Average
1977 Rolling Thunder Actor Texan 61
Fair
1976 Nickelodeon Actor Jim 59
Average
1976 The Savage Bees Actor Pellegrino 58
Average
1976 Ode to Billy Joe Actor Dewey Barksdale 59
Average
1975 The Runaway Barge Actor Bingo Washington N/A
N/A
1974 Savages Actor Sheriff Bert Hamilton 59
Average
1972 Sounder Actor Sheriff Charlie Young 60
Fair
1972 The Brain Machine Actor Rev. Emory Neill 57
Average
1970 Run, Simon, Run Actor Henry Burroughs 58
Average
1968 Firecreek Actor Drew 59
Average
1967 First to Fight Actor Sergeant Carnavan 59
Average
1966 Three on a Couch Actor Dr. Ben Mizer 58
Average
1965 Shenandoah Actor Carter, Rebel Soldier 60
Fair
1965 Black Spurs Actor Ralph Elkins 58
Average
1964 The Quick Gun Actor Scotty Wade 59
Average
1963 Shock Corridor Actor Stuart 62
Fair
1962 Black Gold Actor Jericho Larkin 58
Average
1960 The Mountain Road Actor Niergaard 58
Average
1960 Aftermath Actor Hardy Coulter 59
Average
1959 Cast a Long Shadow Actor Sam Mullen 58
Average
1959 The Killer Shrews Actor Thorne Sherman 56
Average
1959 Verboten! Actor Sgt. David Brent 59
Average
1959 Ride Lonesome Actor Billy John 60
Fair
1958 The Naked and the Dead Actor Rhidges 58
Average
1958 The Left Handed Gun Actor Tom Folliard 59
Average
1958 Cole Younger, Gunfighter Actor Kit Caswell 59
Average
1957 Man on the Prowl Actor Doug Gerhardt 58
Average
1957 Last of the Badmen Actor Ted Hamilton 59
Average
1957 Hot Summer Night Actor Kermit 59
Average
1956 The Rack Actor Millard Chilson Cassidy 59
Average
1956 Calling Homicide Actor Det. Arnie Arnhoff 59
Average
1956 Gaby Actor Jim 59
Average
1956 Forbidden Planet Actor Crewman (uncredited) 68
Fair
1956 Come Next Spring Actor Bill Jackson 58
Average
1955 Top of the World Actor Col. French's Orderly (uncredited) 59
Average
1955 Seven Angry Men Actor Jason Brown 58
Average
1954 The Raid Actor Lt. Robinson 59
Average
1954 Return from the Sea Actor Barr 58
Average
1954 The Caine Mutiny Actor Lt. JG Jorgensen 64
Fair
1954 The Yellow Tomahawk Actor Private Bliss 59
Average
1954 Riders to the Stars Actor Dr. Sidney K. Fuller 58
Average
1953 Skip Taylor Actor N/A
N/A
1953 City of Bad Men Actor Deputy Gig (uncredited) 59
Average
1953 Column South Actor Primrose 59
Average
1953 Seminole Actor Corp. Gerad 58
Average
1952 Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair Actor Marvin Johnson 58
Average
1952 Francis Goes to West Point Actor Cpl. Ransom 59
Average
1952 The Battle at Apache Pass Actor Cpl. Hassett 59
Average
1952 Steel Town Actor Joe Rakich 59
Average
1952 The Cimarron Kid Actor Bitter Creek Dalton 59
Average
1951 Apache Drums Actor Bert Keon 59
Average
1951 Air Cadet Actor Jerry Connell 58
Average
1951 Target Unknown Actor Sgt. Ralph Phelps N/A
N/A
1950 Kansas Raiders Actor Cole Younger 58
Average
1950 Winchester '73 Actor Crater 64
Fair
1950 Peggy Actor Frank Addison 59
Average
1950 I Was a Shoplifter Actor 58
Average
1950 Comanche Territory Actor Sam 58
Average
1950 One Way Street Actor Driver (uncredited) 58
Average

Writing
2012 Return of the Killer Shrews Writing Writer 58
Average
1998 Death Mask Writing Writer 59
Average
1978 Hooper Writing Co-Writer 59
Average

Production
1978 The End Production Associate Producer 58
Average
1976 Gator Production Production Assistant 57
Average