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).
Movie | The Sweeter Side of Life | Paddy Kerrigan | 2013-07-11 |
Movie | Return of the Killer Shrews | Thorne Sherman | 2012-11-15 |
Movie | Moondance Alexander | McClancy | 2007-04-22 |
Movie | Hot Tamale | Hank Larson | 2006-04-23 |
Series | CMT: Inside Fame | Unknown | 2005-05-13 |
Movie | The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller | Sgt. David Brent (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2002-07-02 |
Movie | The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood | Rosco P. Coltrane | 2000-06-05 |
Movie | Death Mask | Wilbur Johnson | 1998-01-01 |
Movie | The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! | Boss / Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane | 1997-04-25 |
Series | E! True Hollywood Story | Unknown | 1996-08-21 |
Series | B.L. Stryker | Unknown | 1989-02-13 |
Series | In the Heat of the Night | Unknown | 1988-03-06 |
Series | The Dukes | Rosco Coltrane (voice) | 1983-02-05 |
Series | Enos | Unknown | 1980-11-12 |
Series | The Dukes of Hazzard | Rosco P. Coltrane | 1979-01-26 |
Movie | The End | Pacemaker Patient | 1978-05-10 |
Movie | Hooper | Cully | 1978-07-28 |
Series | Centennial | Unknown | 1978-10-01 |
Series | How the West Was Won | Unknown | 1977-02-06 |
Movie | Rolling Thunder | Texan | 1977-11-02 |
Movie | Ode to Billy Joe | Dewey Barksdale | 1976-06-04 |
Movie | The Savage Bees | Pellegrino | 1976-11-22 |
Movie | Nickelodeon | Jim | 1976-12-21 |
Movie | The Runaway Barge | Bingo Washington | 1975-03-24 |
Series | The Manhunter | Unknown | 1974-09-11 |
Movie | Savages | Sheriff Bert Hamilton | 1974-09-11 |
Series | Hawkins | Unknown | 1973-03-13 |
Movie | The Brain Machine | Rev. Emory Neill | 1972-01-01 |
Movie | Sounder | Sheriff Charlie Young | 1972-09-24 |
Movie | Run, Simon, Run | Henry Burroughs | 1970-12-01 |
Series | Lancer | Unknown | 1968-09-24 |
Movie | Firecreek | Drew | 1968-01-24 |
Series | The Mod Squad | Unknown | 1968-09-24 |
Movie | First to Fight | Sergeant Carnavan | 1967-01-25 |
Series | The Guns of Will Sonnett | Unknown | 1967-09-08 |
Movie | Three on a Couch | Dr. Ben Mizer | 1966-03-01 |
Series | Hawk | Unknown | 1966-09-08 |
Series | Felony Squad | Unknown | 1966-09-12 |
Series | The Green Hornet | Unknown | 1966-09-09 |
Movie | Black Spurs | Ralph Elkins | 1965-05-28 |
Movie | Shenandoah | Carter, Rebel Soldier | 1965-06-03 |
Series | Honey West | Unknown | 1965-09-17 |
Movie | The Quick Gun | Scotty Wade | 1964-04-01 |
Series | Daniel Boone | Unknown | 1964-09-24 |
Series | Flipper | Unknown | 1964-09-19 |
Series | The Fugitive | Unknown | 1963-09-17 |
Series | Burke's Law | Unknown | 1963-09-20 |
Series | Redigo | Unknown | 1963-09-24 |
Movie | Shock Corridor | Stuart | 1963-09-25 |
Movie | Black Gold | Jericho Larkin | 1962-07-21 |
Series | The Virginian | Unknown | 1962-09-19 |
Series | General Electric True | Unknown | 1962-09-30 |
Series | The Gallant Men | Unknown | 1962-10-05 |
Series | Combat! | Unknown | 1962-10-02 |
Series | Whispering Smith | Unknown | 1961-05-08 |
Series | Ben Casey | Unknown | 1961-10-02 |
Movie | The Mountain Road | Niergaard | 1960-06-15 |
Series | Pony Express | Unknown | 1960-03-09 |
Series | Surfside 6 | Unknown | 1960-10-06 |
Series | The Barbara Stanwyck Show | Unknown | 1960-09-19 |
Series | Overland Trail | Unknown | 1960-02-07 |
Series | Michael Shayne | Unknown | 1960-09-30 |
Series | Stagecoach West | Unknown | 1960-10-04 |
Series | The Andy Griffith Show | Unknown | 1960-10-03 |
Movie | The Killer Shrews | Thorne Sherman | 1959-06-25 |
Series | The Man and the Challenge | Unknown | 1959-09-12 |
Series | The David Niven Show | Unknown | 1959-04-07 |
Series | Black Saddle | Unknown | 1959-01-10 |
Series | Rawhide | Unknown | 1959-01-09 |
Movie | Ride Lonesome | Billy John | 1959-02-01 |
Movie | Verboten! | Sgt. David Brent | 1959-03-25 |
Movie | Cast a Long Shadow | Sam Mullen | 1959-08-24 |
Series | Startime | Unknown | 1959-10-06 |
Series | Hawaiian Eye | Unknown | 1959-10-07 |
Series | Laramie | Unknown | 1959-09-15 |
Series | The Twilight Zone | Unknown | 1959-10-02 |
Series | The Rebel | Unknown | 1959-10-04 |
Series | Lock-Up | Unknown | 1959-09-28 |
Series | The DuPont Show with June Allyson | Unknown | 1959-09-21 |
Series | Men into Space | Unknown | 1959-09-30 |
Series | Wanted: Dead or Alive | Unknown | 1958-09-06 |
Movie | The Naked and the Dead | Rhidges | 1958-08-06 |
Movie | The Left Handed Gun | Tom Folliard | 1958-05-07 |
Series | Bronco | Unknown | 1958-09-23 |
Movie | Cole Younger, Gunfighter | Kit Caswell | 1958-03-30 |
Series | The Texan | Unknown | 1958-09-29 |
Series | 77 Sunset Strip | Unknown | 1958-10-10 |
Series | Bat Masterson | Unknown | 1958-10-08 |
Series | The Rifleman | Unknown | 1958-09-30 |
Series | Behind Closed Doors | Unknown | 1958-10-02 |
Movie | Last of the Badmen | Ted Hamilton | 1957-02-17 |
Movie | Hot Summer Night | Kermit | 1957-02-15 |
Series | Have Gun, Will Travel | Unknown | 1957-09-14 |
Series | Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Unknown | 1957-07-01 |
Series | Perry Mason | Allan Winford | 1957-09-21 |
Series | Tombstone Territory | Unknown | 1957-10-16 |
Movie | Man on the Prowl | Doug Gerhardt | 1957-12-01 |
Series | Trackdown | Unknown | 1957-10-04 |
Movie | Forbidden Planet | Crewman (uncredited) | 1956-03-23 |
Movie | Come Next Spring | Bill Jackson | 1956-03-09 |
Movie | Gaby | Jim | 1956-05-09 |
Movie | Calling Homicide | Det. Arnie Arnhoff | 1956-09-30 |
Series | West Point | Unknown | 1956-10-05 |
Movie | The Rack | Millard Chilson Cassidy | 1956-11-02 |
Movie | Top Of The World | Col. French's Orderly (uncredited) | 1955-05-01 |
Series | The Millionaire | Unknown | 1955-01-19 |
Series | Buffalo Bill Jr. | Unknown | 1955-03-01 |
Movie | Seven Angry Men | Jason Brown | 1955-03-27 |
Series | Gunsmoke | Unknown | 1955-09-10 |
Series | Frontier | Unknown | 1955-09-25 |
Series | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Unknown | 1955-10-02 |
Series | Cheyenne | Unknown | 1955-09-20 |
Movie | The Caine Mutiny | Lt. JG Jorgensen | 1954-06-24 |
Series | Stories of the Century | Unknown | 1954-01-23 |
Movie | Riders to the Stars | Dr. Sidney K. Fuller | 1954-01-14 |
Movie | Return from the Sea | Barr | 1954-07-28 |
Movie | The Yellow Tomahawk | Private Bliss | 1954-05-01 |
Movie | The Raid | Lt. Robinson | 1954-08-04 |
Series | Climax! | Unknown | 1954-10-07 |
Series | The Lineup | Unknown | 1954-10-01 |
Movie | They Rode West | 1954-12-04 | |
Series | General Electric Theater | Unknown | 1953-02-01 |
Movie | Seminole | Corp. Gerad | 1953-03-20 |
Movie | The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms | Charlie - Radar Man | 1953-06-13 |
Movie | Column South | Primrose | 1953-05-20 |
Movie | City of Bad Men | Deputy Gig (uncredited) | 1953-09-11 |
Movie | The Battle at Apache Pass | Cpl. Hassett | 1952-05-09 |
Movie | The Cimarron Kid | Bitter Creek Dalton | 1952-01-13 |
Movie | Steel Town | Joe Rakich | 1952-05-09 |
Series | Hopalong Cassidy | Unknown | 1952-09-19 |
Movie | Francis Goes to West Point | Cpl. Ransom | 1952-07-01 |
Series | Cavalcade of America | Unknown | 1952-10-01 |
Movie | Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair | Marvin Johnson | 1952-07-11 |
Movie | Air Cadet | Jerry Connell | 1951-03-14 |
Movie | Apache Drums | Bert Keon | 1951-04-01 |
Movie | Target Unknown | Sgt. Ralph Phelps | 1951-02-08 |
Series | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Unknown | 1951-12-24 |
Series | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Unknown | 1951-10-05 |
Series | The Adventures of Kit Carson | Unknown | 1951-08-11 |
Movie | I Was a Shoplifter | 1950-05-13 | |
Movie | One Way Street | Driver | 1950-04-01 |
Movie | Peggy | Frank Addison | 1950-07-01 |
Movie | Comanche Territory | Sam | 1950-05-01 |
Series | The Gene Autry Show | Unknown | 1950-07-23 |
Movie | Kansas Raiders | Cole Younger | 1950-11-15 |
Series | Lux Video Theatre | Unknown | 1950-10-02 |
Movie | Winchester '73 | Crater | 1950-07-12 |