James Best

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. ImageMetadata File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... ImageMetadata File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... July 26 is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Powderly is a city located in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Frankfort Largest city Louisville Area  Ranked 37th  - Total 40,444 sq mi (104,749 km²)  - Width 140 miles (225 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... A character actor is an actor, especially in motion pictures, who predominantly performs in similar roles throughout the course of a career. ... James Best, portraying the character that made him famous, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, along with his sidekick, Flash. Spoiler warning: On the American TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, Rosco Purvis Coltrane is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man of its corrupt county commissioner, Jefferson Davis... For the 2005 film, see: The Dukes of Hazzard (film). ...

He has two daughters, Janeen and Jojami, as well as a son named Gary.

Best was born Jewel 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. Powderly is a city located in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. ... Corydon is a town in Harrison County, Indiana, United States. ... “Louisville” redirects here. ...

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 Billy John in 1959's Ride Lonesome, Dr. Ben Mizer in the 1966 comedy Three on a Couch, the cross dressing Dewey Barksdale in the 1976 drama Ode to Billy Joe, and the gunman Drew in 1968's Firecreek, with James Stewart and Henry Fonda. Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Broncho Billy Anderson, from The Great Train Robbery The Western movie is one of the classic American film genres. ... One Way Street is a 1950 film directed by Hugo Fregonese. ... Ride Lonesome(1959) is one of Budd Boettichers series of westerns with Randolph Scott that began with Seven Men from Now. ... This article is about cross-dressing in general. ... Ode to Billy Joe is a 1976 film. ... Firecreek is a 1968 western directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda in his second role as an antagonist that year. ... James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an iconic, Academy Award-winning American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing screen persona. ... Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ...

He has also appeared over 280 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 the Heat of the Night. Fans of The Andy Griffith Show will remember Best for his portrayal of the young guitar player Jim Lindsey in two episodes. The Bonanza logo was superimposed upon a map of a wild west frontier area. ... The cast of radios Gunsmoke: Howard McNear (Doc), William Conrad (Matt), Georgia Ellis (Kitty) and Parley Baer (Chester) Gunsmoke is the longest-running American radio and television Western drama created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. ... Have Gun, Will Travel was a popular American television Western that aired from on CBS 1957 through 1963. ... The Twilight Zone title. ... The Mod Squad was a television police drama from executive producers Aaron Spelling and Danny Thomas in the United States, that ran on ABC from 1968-1973. ... The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired from 1960 to 1968. ... Perry Mason is a fictional defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner. ... The Incredible Hulk is an American television series loosely based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name. ... The Fugitive was an American television series that aired on ABC from 1963-1967. ... In the Heat of the Night is a television series based on the motion picture, In the Heat of the Night that ran from 1988 to 1995. ... The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired from 1960 to 1968. ...

The Dukes of Hazzard role was Best's most visible success. 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. For the 2005 film, see: The Dukes of Hazzard (film). ... James Best, portraying the character that made him famous, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, along with his sidekick, Flash. Spoiler warning: On the American TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, Rosco Purvis Coltrane is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man of its corrupt county commissioner, Jefferson Davis...

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 earned a name for himself as an artist and painter. The University of Central Florida (commonly referred to as UCF) is a university located in Orlando, Florida, and is a member institution of the State University System of Florida. ...

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. 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. The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. ... For the 2005 film, see: The Dukes of Hazzard (film). ...

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 (1965) 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 Rosco P. Coltrane
• The Dukes (TV series, 1983) as Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane

Winchester 73 is an American western movie from 1950. ... This is about the 1954 film. ... The Killer Shrews is a 1959 science-fiction movie directed by Ray Kellog. ... The Mountain Road is a 1961 war film starring James Stewart and directed by Daniel Mann. ... Shock Corridor is a 1962 film which tells the story of a journalist who gets himself committed to a mental hospital in order to track the story of an unsolved murder. ... Shenandoah is a 1965 Western war drama starring Jimmy Stewart. ... Three on a Couch was filmed from September 13-December 1, 1965. ... Firecreek is a 1968 western directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda in his second role as an antagonist that year. ... Sounder is a young adult novel by William H. Armstrong. ... Ode to Billy Joe is a 1976 film. ... Nickelodeon is a 1976 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich, starring Ryan ONeal, Burt Reynolds, Tatum ONeal, Brian Keith, Stella Stevens, and John Ritter. ... Film poster for Rolling Thunder Rolling Thunder is a 1977 film directed by John Flynn. ... Hooper is a 1978 comedy film about stuntmen, directed by Hal Needham, produced by Hank Moonjean. ... Centennial was a 12-episode American television miniseries that aired on NBC from October 1978 to February 1979. ... For the 2005 film, see: The Dukes of Hazzard (film). ... James Best, portraying the character that made him famous, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane, along with his sidekick, Flash. Spoiler warning: On the American TV series The Dukes of Hazzard, Rosco Purvis Coltrane is the bumbling sheriff of Hazzard County and right-hand man of its corrupt county commissioner, Jefferson Davis... For the British Army regiment nicknamed The Dukes, see the Duke of Wellingtons Regiment. ...

External links

• James Best's website
• James Best's Art Website
• James Best Bio at HazzardNet.com
• James Best at the Internet Movie Database