Acting
James Best
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).
Filmography
Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!
Film · 2021
The Sweeter Side of Life
Film · 2013
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
Film · 2013
Return of the Killer Shrews
Film · 2012
Moondance Alexander
Film · 2007
Hot Tamale
Film · 2006
CMT: Inside Fame
Series · 2005
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
Film · 2002
The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood
Film · 2000
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
Film · 1997
E! True Hollywood Story
Series · 1996
Death Mask
Film · 1995
B.L. Stryker
Series · 1989
In the Heat of the Night
Series · 1988
The Dukes
Series · 1983
Enos
Series · 1980
The Dukes of Hazzard
Series · 1979
Hooper
Film · 1978
The End
Film · 1978
Centennial
Series · 1978
Rolling Thunder
Film · 1977
The Savage Bees
Film · 1977
Nickelodeon
Film · 1976
Ode to Billy Joe
Film · 1976
The Runaway Barge
Film · 1975
Savages
Film · 1974
The Manhunter
Series · 1974
Hawkins
Series · 1973
The Brain Machine
Film · 1972
Sounder
Film · 1972
Run, Simon, Run
Film · 1970
Firecreek
Film · 1968
Lancer
Series · 1968
The Mod Squad
Series · 1968
First to Fight
Film · 1967
The Guns of Will Sonnett
Series · 1967
Three on a Couch
Film · 1966
Felony Squad
Series · 1966
Hawk
Series · 1966
The Green Hornet
Series · 1966
Shenandoah
Film · 1965
Black Spurs
Film · 1965
Honey West
Series · 1965
The Quick Gun
Film · 1964
Flipper
Series · 1964
Daniel Boone
Series · 1964
Shock Corridor
Film · 1963
Burke's Law
Series · 1963
Redigo
Series · 1963
The Fugitive
Series · 1963
Temple Houston
Series · 1963
Black Gold
Film · 1962
The Gallant Men
Series · 1962
Combat!
Series · 1962
The Virginian
Series · 1962
General Electric True
Series · 1962
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Series · 1962
Ben Casey
Series · 1961
Whispering Smith
Series · 1961
The Mountain Road
Film · 1960
Aftermath
Film · 1960
The Andy Griffith Show
Series · 1960
Surfside 6
Series · 1960
Stagecoach West
Series · 1960
Overland Trail
Series · 1960
Pony Express
Series · 1960
Michael Shayne
Series · 1960
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
Series · 1960
Ride Lonesome
Film · 1959
The Killer Shrews
Film · 1959
Verboten!
Film · 1959
Cast a Long Shadow
Film · 1959
The Twilight Zone
Series · 1959
Hawaiian Eye
Series · 1959
The Twilight Zone
Series · 1959
The Man and the Challenge
Series · 1959
Rawhide
Series · 1959
Men Into Space
Series · 1959
Black Saddle
Series · 1959
Lock-Up
Series · 1959
The Rebel
Series · 1959
Laramie
Series · 1959
The David Niven Show
Series · 1959
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Series · 1959
Rawhide
Series · 1959
The Rebel
Series · 1959
Bonanza
Series · 1959
Startime
Series · 1959
The Left Handed Gun
Film · 1958
The Naked and the Dead
Film · 1958
Cole Younger, Gunfighter
Film · 1958
77 Sunset Strip
Series · 1958
Bronco
Series · 1958
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Series · 1958
The Rifleman
Series · 1958
Bat Masterson
Series · 1958
The Texan
Series · 1958
Behind Closed Doors
Series · 1958
Wanted: Dead or Alive
Series · 1958
Bat Masterson
Series · 1958
Hot Summer Night
Film · 1957
Man on the Prowl
Film · 1957
Last of the Badmen
Film · 1957
Trackdown
Series · 1957
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
Have Gun, Will Travel
Series · 1957
Richard Diamond, Private Detective
Series · 1957
Tombstone Territory
Series · 1957
Perry Mason
Series · 1957
Calling Homicide
Film · 1956
The Rack
Film · 1956
Gaby
Film · 1956
Come Next Spring
Film · 1956
Forbidden Planet
Film · 1956
West Point
Series · 1956
Top of the World
Film · 1955
Seven Angry Men
Film · 1955
Cheyenne
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Series · 1955
The Millionaire
Series · 1955
Buffalo Bill Jr.
Series · 1955
Frontier
Series · 1955
Gunsmoke
Series · 1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Series · 1955
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Series · 1955
The Raid
Film · 1954
The Yellow Tomahawk
Film · 1954
The Caine Mutiny
Film · 1954
Return from the Sea
Film · 1954
Riders to the Stars
Film · 1954
They Rode West
Film · 1954
Climax!
Series · 1954
The Lineup
Series · 1954
Stories of the Century
Series · 1954
Seminole
Film · 1953
City of Bad Men
Film · 1953
Column South
Film · 1953
Skip Taylor
Film · 1953
General Electric Theater
Series · 1953
The Cimarron Kid
Film · 1952
The Battle at Apache Pass
Film · 1952
Francis Goes to West Point
Film · 1952
Steel Town
Film · 1952
Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
Film · 1952
Flat Top
Film · 1952
Cavalcade of America
Series · 1952
Hopalong Cassidy
Series · 1952
Cavalcade of America
Series · 1952
Cavalcade of America
Series · 1952
Apache Drums
Film · 1951
Target Unknown
Film · 1951
Air Cadet
Film · 1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Series · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Series · 1951
The Adventures of Kit Carson
Series · 1951
Winchester '73
Film · 1950
Comanche Territory
Film · 1950
Kansas Raiders
Film · 1950
I Was a Shoplifter
Film · 1950
One Way Street
Film · 1950
Peggy
Film · 1950
Lux Video Theatre
Series · 1950
The Gene Autry Show
Series · 1950