James Best
Date of Birth
James Best was an actor best known for his role as the bumbling but endearing Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard. For the full series run, from 1979 to 1985, Best played the sheriff as he attempted to enforce the law and outwit the “Duke boys.”
The actor got his start during World War II in the military theatrical company, moving to New York City to pursue acting on Broadway after the war ended. Eventually Best moved to Hollywood and appeared in nearly 200 films and television series, including the classic shows Wagon Train, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Rawhide, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Mod Squad, Gunsmoke, Twilight Zone and The Andy Griffith Show.
Best went on to teach film technique and drama at the University of Mississippi as an artist-in-residence; he also taught classes at the University of Central Florida. In addition, he taught an acting class in which he worked with Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Teri Garr and Farrah Fawcett, among others. In 2009, he published an autobiography chronicling his long career, titled Best In Hollywood: The Good, The Bad and The Beautiful.
James Best was an actor best known for his role as the bumbling but endearing Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard. For the full series run, from 1979 to 1985, Best played the sheriff as he attempted to enforce the law and outwit the “Duke boys.”
The actor got his start during World War II in the military theatrical company, moving to New York City to pursue acting on Broadway after the war ended. Eventually Best moved to Hollywood and appeared in nearly 200 films and television series, including the classic shows Wagon Train, The Gene Autry Show, The Lone Ranger, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Rawhide, Perry Mason, Bonanza, Mod Squad, Gunsmoke, Twilight Zone and The Andy Griffith Show.
Best went on to teach film technique and drama at the University of Mississippi as an artist-in-residence; he also taught classes at the University of Central Florida. In addition, he taught an acting class in which he worked with Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Teri Garr and Farrah Fawcett, among others. In 2009, he published an autobiography chronicling his long career, titled Best In Hollywood: The Good, The Bad and The Beautiful.
Best died April 6, 2015, in Hickory, North Carolina. He was 88.
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