Biography
This page uses content from the James Best biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.
James Best (born July 26, 1926, in Powderly, Kentucky) is an American character actor best known for his role as bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard.
He has two daughters, Janeen and Jojami, as well as a son named Gary.
Best was born Jules Guy in Powderly, Kentucky in 1926. After his mother died in 1929, he was sent to live in an orphanage. He was later adopted by Armen and Essa Best and went to live with them in Corydon, Indiana, a suburb of Louisville.
He began his acting career with an uncredited role in the 1950 western One Way Street. Best would portray a wide variety of characters in a wide spectrum of film genres. Some of his more notable roles include Jason Brown in the 1955 historical drama Seven Angry Men, Kit Caswell in the 1958 western Cole Younger, Gunfighter, the vicious outlaw Bily John in 1959's Ride Lonesome, Dr. Ben Mizer in the 1966 comedy Three on a Couch, and the cross dressing Dewey Barksdale in the 1976 drama Ode to Billy Joe. . For a great performance as a totally evil gunman, his character of Drew in 1968's Firecreek, with James Stewart and Henry Fonda is one of his very best! {He also had a part in 1950 Jimmy Stewart movie Winchester '73}.
He has also appeared over 600 times in numerous televisions shows including Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Have Gun, Will Travel, The Twilight Zone, The Mod Squad, The Andy Griffith Show, Perry Mason, The Incredible Hulk, The Fugitive, and in a episode of In the Heat of the Night, in a character switch from the comic relief of Sherriff Coltrane, he played a repentant killer who has to confront his old crime. Fans of the Andy Griffith Show will remember Best for his portrayal of the young guitar player Jim Lindsey.
The Dukes of Hazzard role was Best's most visible. He later revealed that the caricature-like persona of Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane was developed from a voice he used when he would play with his young children.
After Dukes, Best continued to act. He later moved to Florida and taught at the University of Central Florida. Now semi-retired, Best runs a production company and takes occasional acting roles. He has also been reunited with several of his blood relatives including cousins Phil and Don Everly of the Everly Brothers. He has earned a name for himself as a talented artist and painter.
A highly respected acting coach, he taught drama and acting techniques for over 25 years in Los Angeles. His acting school listed some of the top names in Hollywood as pupils (although this list also includes Quentin Tarantino). He also served as artist-in-residence and taught drama at the University of Mississippi for two years prior to his stint on The Dukes of Hazzard.
Brief filmography
- Winchester '73 (1950) as Crator
- The Caine Mutiny (1954) as Lt. Jorgensen (uncredited)
- The Killer Shrews (1959)
- The Mountain Road (1961) as Niergaard
- Shock Corridor (1963) as Stuart Couter
- Shenandoah (1963) as Carter
- Three On A Couch (1966) as Dr. Ben Mizer
- Firecreek (1968) as Drew
- Sounder (1972) as Sheriff Young
- Ode to Billy Joe (1976) as Dewey Barksdale
- Nickelodeon (1976) as Jim
- Rolling Thunder (1977) as Texan
- Hooper (1978) as Cully
- Centennial (TV miniseries, 1978) as Hank Garvey
- The Dukes of Hazzard (TV series, 1979-1985) as Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane
- The Dukes (TV series, 1983) as Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane
External links
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