American character actor and teacher. Born Jules Guy in Powderly, Kentucky, on July 26, 1926, he was orphaned at three and adopted by Armen and Essa Best, who re-named him James K. Best and raised him in Corydon, Indiana. Following high school he worked briefly as a metalworker before joining the Army shortly after World War II, in December, 1945. According to Best, he first acted in a European tour of "My Sister Eileen" directed by Arthur Penn. Upon his return to the U.S., he toured in road and stock companies in plays and musicals, and was finally spotted by a scout from Universal Pictures, who put him under contract. A handsome young man, his rural inflections perhaps kept him from frequent leading man roles. During the 1950s and '60s, he was a familiar face in movies and television in a wide range of roles, from Western bad guys to craven cowards and country bumpkins. Physical ailments curtailed his work for a long period late in his career, and he established a well-respected acting workshop in Los Angeles. He also served as artist-in-residence at the University of Mississippi, teaching and directing. He worked in both acting and producing capacities for Burt Reynolds on several of the latter's films in the late 1970s, before taking on his greatest commercial success. Although the The Dukes of Hazzard (1979) TV series was far beneath his talents, his role as Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane was the part that gave him his greatest fame. He continued teaching, both in Hollywood and later in Florida (at the University of Central Florida). Semi-retired, he makes personal appearances and exhibits his paintings.
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 | The Mod Squad | Unknown | 1968-09-24 |
Movie | Firecreek | Drew | 1968-01-24 |
Series | Lancer | 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 |
Movie | Cast a Long Shadow | Sam Mullen | 1959-08-24 |
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 |
Series | The Man and the Challenge | Unknown | 1959-09-12 |
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 | Unknown | 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 | Seven Angry Men | Jason Brown | 1955-03-27 |
Series | The Millionaire | Unknown | 1955-01-19 |
Series | Buffalo Bill Jr. | Unknown | 1955-03-01 |
Movie | Top Of The World | Col. French's Orderly (uncredited) | 1955-05-01 |
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 |
Series | Stories of the Century | Unknown | 1954-01-23 |
Movie | Riders to the Stars | Dr. Sidney K. Fuller | 1954-01-14 |
Movie | The Caine Mutiny | Lt. JG Jorgensen | 1954-06-24 |
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 | Steel Town | Joe Rakich | 1952-05-09 |
Movie | The Cimarron Kid | Bitter Creek Dalton | 1952-01-13 |
Movie | The Battle at Apache Pass | Cpl. Hassett | 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 |