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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).
James Best Biography / Wiki
| Name | James Best |
| Also Know | Jewel Franklin Guy, James K. Best, Jimmy Best, Jim Best |
| Gender | Male |
| Known For | Acting |
| Place of Birth | Powderly, Kentucky, USA |
| Date of Birth | 1926-07-26 |
| Age(as in 2022) | 88 |
| Deathday | 2015-04-06 |
James Best Acting Movies
| Movie Name | Character | Release Date | Overview |
| Death Mask | Wilbur Johnson | 1998-01-01 | Wilbur works in an old carnival and shows some gruesome things to the public. He covers his face because he had a sadistic father who burned his face … |
| The Killer Shrews | Thorne Sherman | 1959-06-25 | Trapped on a remote island by a hurricane, a group discover a doctor has been experimenting on creating half sized humans. Unfortunately, his experime… |
| Verboten! | Sgt. David Brent | 1959-03-25 | A young American serviceman stationed in Germany after the fall of the Third Reich, jeopardises his future after falling in love with a German woman…. |
| The Brain Machine | Rev. Emory Neill | 1977-01-01 | Several people volunteer for a scientific experiment about mind-reading and memory, but the experiment goes horribly wrong…. |
| Man on the Prowl | Doug Gerhardt | 1957-12-01 | A neglected wife (Mala Powers) unknowingly places her family in danger when she becomes friends with a psychologically disturbed deliveryman (James Be… |
| Cole Younger, Gunfighter | Kit Caswell | 1958-03-30 | An outlaw must decide whether to stick his neck out for an innocent man…. |
| The Sweeter Side of Life | Paddy Kerrigan | 2013-07-11 | Pampered Manhattan housewife Desiree Harper has it all. That is until her husband unexpectedly dumps her for his acupuncturist. Faced with an airtight… |
| The Cimarron Kid | Bitter Creek Dalton | 1952-01-13 | Audie Murphy comes into his own as a Western star in this story. Wrongly accused by crooked railroad officials of aiding a train heist by his old frie… |
| The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood | Rosco P. Coltrane | 2000-06-05 | The Duke Boys and company travel to Hollywood to sell some musical recordings in order to raise money to build a new hospital in Hazzard County. Howev… |
| Return of the Killer Shrews | Thorne Sherman | 2012-01-01 | A reality TV crew charter a boat to an island for filming, one which the boat’s captain had been to before and attacked by giant shrews, more than fif… |
| Black Gold | Jericho Larkin | 1962-07-21 | Two friends join together to strike oil during the Oklahoma oil boom of the 1920s, and wind up fighting over the same oil wells and the same girl…. |
| Last of the Badmen | Ted Hamilton | 1957-02-17 | Chicago detectives in the 1880s head west to find the killers of their colleague…. |
| The Quick Gun | Scotty Wade | 1964-04-01 | Gunslinger Murphy helps an ungrateful town fight off a raid by his former gang…. |
| Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair | Marvin Johnson | 1952-01-01 | Ma and Pa are trying to raise enough money at the county fair to send their daughter Rosie to college. Ma competes in baking and Pa enters a trotter i… |
| Run, Simon, Run | Henry Burroughs | 1970-12-01 | A Papago Indian returns to his reservation after a prison term and searches for his brother’s killer…. |
| Rolling Thunder | Texan | 1977-10-14 | A Vietnam veteran, Charles Rane, returns home after years in a POW camp and is treated as a hero. When thugs invade his home to steal the silver coins… |
| Shock Corridor | Stuart | 1963-09-25 | With the help of his girlfriend Cathy and Dr. Fong, a psychiatrist, ambitious journalist Johnny Barrett poses as a madman in order to be admitted to a… |
| Ride Lonesome | Billy John | 1959-02-15 | A wanted murderer, Billy John, is captured by Ben Brigade, a bounty hunter, who intends to take him to Santa Cruz to be hanged. Brigade stops at a sta… |
| Moondance Alexander | McClancy | 2007-04-22 | The curiously named, Moondance Alexander is a spirited teen living with her eccentric mother. She is faced with another uneventful summer until she di… |
| Savages | Sheriff Bert Hamilton | 1974-09-11 | Ben Campbell, a 22 year old gas station attendant in a small desert town, is looking to make some extra money. He is surprised when Madec, a wealthy l… |
| Hot Summer Night | Kermit | 1957-02-15 | An out-of-work reporter (Leslie Nielsen) seeks out a bank robber, and his bride (Colleen Miller) has to rescue him…. |
| The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! | Boss / Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane | 1997-04-25 | Mama Josephine Max wants to build a theme park in Hazzard, right on the Duke family farm! To stop her, Bo and Luke have to win a cross-country moonshi… |
| Cast a Long Shadow | Sam Mullen | 1959-08-24 | A young man without surname inherits a big indebted ranch and has to prove his worthiness managing a cattle drive…. |
| The Runaway Barge | Bingo Washington | 1975-03-24 | Two bargemen on the Mississippi River find themselves mixed up in a kidnapping and hijacking plot…. |
| Hot Tamale | Hank Larson | 2006-04-23 | A road trip to Los Angeles inadvertently leads a young man from Wyoming into a wild maze of psychotic hit-men, racy women, jewel thieves and a salsa b… |
| The Left Handed Gun | Tom Folliard | 1958-05-07 | When a crooked sheriff murders his employer, William “Billy the Kid” Bonney decides to avenge the death by killing the man responsible, throwing the l… |
| The Mountain Road | Niergaard | 1960-06-15 | In 1944, in eastern part of China, U.S.Army Major Baldwin and his volunteer team of demolition engineers are left behind the retreating Chinese forces… |
| Ode to Billy Joe | Dewey Barksdale | 1976-06-04 | Billy Joe confesses his love to the lovely Bobbi Lee only to cover his growing fear that he may, in fact, be homosexual. One night, at a barn dance, h… |
| Three on a Couch | Dr. Ben Mizer | 1966-03-01 | An artist has an opportunity to go to Paris and wants to bring his fiancee along. However, she’s a psychiatrist who currently has three female patient… |
| Sounder | Sheriff Charlie Young | 1972-09-24 | The Morgans, a loving and strong family of Black sharecroppers in Louisiana in 1933, face a serious family crisis when the husband and father, Nathan … |
| Seven Angry Men | Jason Brown | 1955-03-27 | Rise, fall and execution of John Brown, fanatic abolitionist…. |
| Hooper | Cully | 1978-07-28 | Legendary stunt man, Sonny Hooper remains one of the top men in his field, but due to too many stressful impacts to the spine and the need to pop pain… |
| Calling Homicide | Det. Arnie Arnhoff | 1956-09-30 | Cop Andy Doyle investigates a car-bombing murder and the killing of a sleazy modeling agency owner. Are they connected?… |
| First to Fight | Sergeant Carnavan | 1967-01-25 | Jack is the sole survivor of a Japanese attack on his squad at Guadalcanal. Because of his heroism and the fact that he is still alive, he becomes a M… |
| Black Spurs | Ralph Elkins | 1965-05-28 | A dissatisfied ranch hand becomes a bounty hunter. He conspires with a crooked town boss to dirty up a neighboring village where a valuable railroad f… |
| The Savage Bees | Pellegrino | 1976-11-22 | In this horror-drama the festive fun of the annual Mardi Gras celebration is brought to a halt when a swarm of African killer bees escape from a forei… |
| The Naked and the Dead | Rhidges | 1958-08-06 | Fighting men in World War II learn the value of courage and quickness at the risk of losing their lives…. |
| Kansas Raiders | Cole Younger | 1950-11-15 | Outraged by Redleg atrocities, the James and Younger Brothers along with Kit Dalton join Quantrill’s Raiders and find themselves participating in even… |
| Target Unknown | Sgt. Ralph Phelps | 1951-02-08 | World War II drama about members of an American bomber squadron who are captured and held prisoners by the German army…. |
| Steel Town | Joe Rakich | 1952-05-09 | Steve Kostain (Lund), nephew of the owner, begins working at a steel mill to learn the business from the bottom up. He rooms with a steel working fami… |
| Firecreek | Drew | 1968-01-24 | A peace-loving, part-time sheriff in the small town of Firecreek must take a stand when a gang of vicious outlaws takes over his town…. |
| Comanche Territory | Sam | 1950-05-01 | Silver has been found on comanche territory and the government accomplished a peaceful agreement with the indians. When James ‘Jim’ Bowie comes into t… |
| Francis Goes to West Point | Cpl. Ransom | 1952-07-01 | Francis the talking mule gets his owner in and out of trouble while he is taking basic training at West Point…. |
| Air Cadet | Jerry Connell | 1951-03-14 | A group of cadets have assorted problems at the U.S. Air Force Pilot Training Academy…. |
| Seminole | Corp. Gerad | 1953-03-20 | 19th-century army officer Lance Caldwell is assigned to Fort King in the Everglades. Immediately clashing with his commanding officer Major Dade, Cald… |
| Apache Drums | Bert Keon | 1951-04-01 | A gambler is thrown out of a western town, but returns when the town is suddenly threatened by a band of marauding Apaches…. |
| Gaby | Jim | 1956-05-09 | A ballerina resorts to prostitution when her fiance is reported killed in World War II…. |
| City of Bad Men | Deputy Gig | 1953-09-11 | Outlaws plan a robbery to take place during a championship prizefight in Carson City, Nevada…. |
| The Raid | Lt. Robinson | 1954-08-04 | A group of confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans in Vermont. To get the lie … |
| Return from the Sea | Barr | 1954-07-28 | A hardened career navel officer must come to terms with adapting to civilian life with the help of a waitress that can see through his tough veneer…. |
| The Battle at Apache Pass | Cpl. Hassett | 1952-04-01 | Major Jim Colton is a sympathetic leader who has a working relationship with Apache leader Cochise. Colton is undermined by corrupt and politically am… |
| Column South | Primrose | 1953-05-20 | In the weeks prior to the start of the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers hope to help their cause by inciting a Navajo war in the New Mexico Territo… |
| The Rack | Millard Chilson Cassidy | 1956-11-02 | Captain Edward Hall returns to the USA after two years in a prison camp in the korean war. In the camp he was brainwashed and helped the Chinese convi… |
| Riders to the Stars | Dr. Sidney K. Fuller | 1954-01-14 | Three men gamble their lives in space to change the history of the world… |
| Come Next Spring | Bill Jackson | 1956-03-09 | Matt Ballot has returned home after 12 years of hard-drinking in all 48 states. His wife has managed to raise their 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-o… |
| The Yellow Tomahawk | Private Bliss | 1954-05-01 | When the army insists on building a fort on Indian land, in defiance of a treaty, the warnings of a scout go unheeded…. |
| Shenandoah | Carter, Rebel Soldier | 1965-06-03 | Charlie Anderson, a farmer in Shenandoah, Virginia, finds himself and his family in the middle of the Civil War he wants nothing to do with. When his … |
| Top Of The World | Col. French’s Orderly (uncredited) | 1955-05-01 | A team of Air Force servicemen become stranded after setting up a weather station on an island of ice in Alaska…. |
| Peggy | Frank Addison | 1950-07-01 | Professor Brookfield along with daughters Peggy and Susan move to small town Pasadena, California. Their new neighbor Mrs. Fielding helps them move in… |
| Winchester ’73 | Crater | 1950-07-12 | Lin McAdam rides into town on the trail of Dutch Henry Brown, only to find himself in a shooting competition against him. McAdam wins the prize, a one… |
| The End | Pacemaker Patient | 1978-05-10 | Wendell Lawson has only six months to live. Not wanting to endure his last few months of life waiting for the end, he decides to take matters into his… |
| They Rode West | 1954-12-04 | Dr. Allen Seward is assigned to a western cavalry post where his predecessors had been drunks and slackers. The post doesn’t take kindly to him either… | |
| Forbidden Planet | Crewman (uncredited) | 1956-03-23 | Starship C57D travels to planet Altair 4 in search of the crew of spaceship “Bellerophon,” a scientific expedition that has been missing for 20 years,… |
| The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller | Sgt. David Brent (archive footage) (uncredited) | 2002-07-02 | Samuel Fuller discusses his career as a filmmaker, illustrated by plenty of clips…. |
| The Caine Mutiny | Lt. JG Jorgensen | 1954-06-23 | When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardize his ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial … |
| Nickelodeon | Jim | 1976-12-21 | In the silent film era, attorney Leo Harrigan and gunslinger Buck Greenway are hired to stop an illegal film production. However, they soon team up wi… |
James Best Directing Movies
| Movie Name | Job | Release Date | Overview |
| Director | Cousins Bo and Luke Duke and their car “General Lee”, assisted by Cousin Daisy and Uncle Jesse, have a running battle with the authorities of Hazzard … | ||
James Best Production Movies
| Movie Name | Job | Release Date | Overview |
| The End | Associate Producer | 1978-05-10 | Wendell Lawson has only six months to live. Not wanting to endure his last few months of life waiting for the end, he decides to take matters into his… |
| Gator | Production Assistant | 1976-08-25 | After his release from prison, notorious ex-con and moonshine distiller Gator McKlusky moves in with his father in a cabin in the Okefenokee Swamp. Hi… |
Writing
| Movie Name | Job | Release Date | Overview |
| Death Mask | Writer | 1998-01-01 | Wilbur works in an old carnival and shows some gruesome things to the public. He covers his face because he had a sadistic father who burned his face … |
| Return of the Killer Shrews | Writer | 2012-01-01 | A reality TV crew charter a boat to an island for filming, one which the boat’s captain had been to before and attacked by giant shrews, more than fif… |
| Hooper | Co-Writer | 1978-07-28 | Legendary stunt man, Sonny Hooper remains one of the top men in his field, but due to too many stressful impacts to the spine and the need to pop pain… |
Credit: TMDB
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