James Best

James Best

James Best (born Jewel Franklin Guy; July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015) what is 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 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 the 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).

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Movies starring James Best (72)

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller (2002)

Sgt. David Brent (Archive Footage) (Uncredited)

Death Mask (1998)

Wilbur Johnson

The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997)

Boss / Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane

The End (1978)

Pacemaker Patient

The Runaway Barge (1975)

Bingo Washington

Savages (1974)

Sheriff Bert Hamilton

Sounder (1972)

Sheriff Charlie Young

The Brain Machine (1972)

Rev. Emory Neill

Run, Simon, Run (1970)

Henry Burroughs

First to Fight (1967)

Sergeant Carnavan

Shenandoah (1965)

Carter, Rebel Soldier

Black Spurs (1965)

Ralph Elkins

Black Gold (1962)

Jericho Larkin

Aftermath (1960)

Hardy Coulter

Verboten! (1959)

Sgt. David Brent

The Rack (1956)

Millard Chilson Cassidy

Calling Homicide (1956)

Det. Arnie Arnhoff

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Crewman (Uncredited)

Top of the World (1955)

Col. French's Orderly (Uncredited)

They Rode West (1954)

Lt. Finlay (Uncredited)

The Raid (1954)

Lt. Robinson

The Caine Mutiny (1954)

Lt. Jg Jorgensen

Riders to the Stars (1954)

Dr. Sidney K. Fuller

City of Bad Men (1953)

Deputy Gig (Uncredited)

Seminole (1953)

Corp. Gerad

Flat Top (1952)

Radio Operator

The Cimarron Kid (1952)

Bitter Creek Dalton

Air Cadet (1951)

Jerry Connell

Target Unknown (1951)

Sgt. Ralph Phelps

Peggy (1950)

Frank Addison

One Way Street (1950)

Driver (Uncredited)

Movies Made by James Best (5)

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Same first name: James

Same surname: Best