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James Best

James Best

Highest Rated: 100% Shenandoah (1965)

Lowest Rated: 7% Nickelodeon (1976)

Birthday: Jul 26, 1926

Birthplace: Powderly, Kentucky, USA

Despite having played some of the orneriest bad guys in films and on television for over four decades, actor James Best was forever ingrained in the minds of audiences as the bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on "The Dukes of Hazzard" (CBS, 1979-1985). A World War II veteran, he fell in love with acting while serving in Europe, and became a Universal contract player in the early 1950s. Scores of small film roles led to steady work in television and films, frequently as villainous cowpokes in "Ride Lonesome" (1959) and "Shenandoah" (1965). The bumbling Rosco P. Coltrane showcased Best's rarely-seen comic side to its fullest, and if it typecast him for the remainder of his career, he did not seem to mind. A respected acting teacher and occasional producer-director, he settled into independent film production and enjoyed the minor immortality afforded by nostalgia and television reruns. James Best died of complications from pneumonia on April 6, 2015. He was 88.

Highest rated movies

100% 80% Shenandoah
100% 86% Winchester '73
94% 82% Shock Corridor
91% 77% Sounder
90% 71% Ride Lonesome
85% 54% The Left Handed Gun
83% 46% The Naked and the Dead
80% 77% Rolling Thunder

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet 35% The Sweeter Side of Life Paddy Kerrigan (Character) - 2013
No Score Yet 7% Return of the Killer Shrews Thorne Sherman (Character),
Screenwriter
- 2012
No Score Yet 67% Moondance Alexander Mr. McClancy (Character) $37.7K 2007
No Score Yet 36% Hot Tamale Hank Larson (Character) - 2006
No Score Yet 86% The Dukes of Hazzard -- Hazzard in Hollywood Rosco P. Coltrane (Character) - 2000
No Score Yet 17% Death Mask Wilbur Johnson (Character),
Writer
- 1998
No Score Yet 88% The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! Boss/Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (Character) - 1997
No Score Yet No Score Yet B.L. Stryker: Night Train Mr. Parkinson (Character) - 1990
No Score Yet No Score Yet Carnival of Thrills Sheriff Rosco Coltrane (Character) - 1980
57% 61% Hooper Cully (Character) - 1978
80% 77% Rolling Thunder Texan (Character) - 1977
44% 78% Ode to Billy Joe Dewey Barksdale (Character) - 1976
7% 49% Nickelodeon Jim (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet 29% The Savage Bees Pelligrino (Character) - 1976
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Runaway Barge Bingo Washington (Character) - 1975
No Score Yet No Score Yet Savages Sheriff Bert Hamilton (Character) - 1974
No Score Yet 5% The Brain Machine Rev. Emory Neill (Character) - 1972
91% 77% Sounder Sheriff Young (Character) - 1972
No Score Yet 56% Firecreek Drew (Character) - 1968
No Score Yet 0% First to Fight Sgt. Carnavan (Character) - 1967
No Score Yet 62% Three on a Couch Dr. Ben Mizer (Character) - 1966
100% 80% Shenandoah Carter (Character) - 1965
No Score Yet 43% The Quick Gun Sheriff Scotty Wade (Character) - 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Black Gold Jericho Larkin (Character) - 1963
94% 82% Shock Corridor Stuart (Character) - 1963
No Score Yet 56% The Mountain Road Niergaard (Character) - 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cast a Long Shadow Sam Mullen (Character) - 1959
90% 71% Ride Lonesome Billy John (Character) - 1959
40% 24% The Killer Shrews Thorne Sherman (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet 55% Verboten! Sgt. David Brent (Character) - 1959
No Score Yet 33% Cole Younger, Gunfighter Kit Caswell (Character) - 1958
85% 54% The Left Handed Gun Tom Folliard (Character) - 1958
83% 46% The Naked and the Dead Rhidges (Character) - 1958
No Score Yet No Score Yet Man on the Prowl Doug Gerhardt (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet Last of the Badmen Ted Hamilton (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hot Summer Night Kermit (Character) - 1957
No Score Yet 48% The Rack Millard Chilson Cassidy (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gaby Jim (Character) - 1956
No Score Yet No Score Yet Seven Angry Men Jason Brown (Character) - 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet Column South Primrose (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet 40% Seminole Corp. Gerad (Character) - 1953
No Score Yet 11% Francis Goes to West Point Cpl. Ransom (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet No Score Yet Steel Town Joe Rakich (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet 74% Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair Marvin Johnson (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet 33% The Battle at Apache Pass Cpl. Hassett (Character) - 1952
No Score Yet 27% Apache Drums Bert Keon (Character) - 1951
60% 56% The Cimarron Kid Bitter Creek Dalton (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet Air Cadet Jerry Connell (Character) - 1951
No Score Yet No Score Yet Target Unknown Sgt. Ralph Phelps (Character) - 1951
100% 86% Winchester '73 Crater (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet 38% Kansas Raiders Cole Younger (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet 83% Comanche Territory Sam (Character) - 1950
No Score Yet No Score Yet Peggy Frank Addison (Character) - 1950

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Dukes of Hazzard Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (Character),
Director
1979-1985
No Score Yet No Score Yet How the West Was Won Unknown (Guest Star) 1979
No Score Yet No Score Yet Dan August Wiley (Guest Star) 1970
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gunsmoke Beal (Guest Star) 1963-1964 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Guns of Will Sonnett Unknown (Guest Star) 1967 1969
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Felony Squad Arnold Wyatt (Guest Star) 1966 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Mod Squad Clay Lynch (Guest Star) 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet I Spy Unknown (Guest Star) 1966 1968
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bonanza Unknown (Guest Star) 1961 1963 1968
No Score Yet 83% The Green Hornet Unknown (Guest Star) 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet Iron Horse Unknown (Guest Star) 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet Perry Mason Allan Winford (Guest Star) 1963 1966
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Virginian Curt Westley (Guest Star) 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Flipper Unknown (Guest Star) 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Ben Casey Simon Waller (Guest Star) 1963 1965
No Score Yet No Score Yet Rawhide Unknown (Guest Star) 1963-1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Alfred Hitchcock Hour Unknown (Character) 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet Combat! Unknown (Guest Star) 1964
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Fugitive Dan Murray (Guest Star) 1963
92% 96% The Twilight Zone Johnny Rob (Character) 1961-1963
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cheyenne Unknown (Guest Star) 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bronco Unknown (Guest Star) 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Rifleman Unknown (Guest Star) 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet 77 Sunset Strip Babe Mackie (Guest Star) 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet Laramie Johnny Best (Guest Star) 1959-1960 1962
No Score Yet No Score Yet Surfside 6 Unknown (Guest Star) 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Whispering Smith Hemp Reeger (Guest Star) 1961
No Score Yet 87% Alfred Hitchcock Presents Hennessy (Character) 1958 1960-1961
No Score Yet 90% The Andy Griffith Show Jim Lindsey (Guest Star) 1960-1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Stagecoach West Unknown (Guest Star) 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Have Gun -- Will Travel Unknown (Guest Star) 1957 1961
No Score Yet No Score Yet Bat Masterson Joe Best (Guest Star) 1958 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Rebel Unknown (Guest Star) 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Lock Up Unknown (Guest Star) 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Men Into Space Lt. John Leonard (Guest Star) 1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Wagon Train Garth English (Guest Star) 1959-1960
No Score Yet No Score Yet Startime Unknown (Character) 1959
No Score Yet No Score Yet Behind Closed Doors Unknown (Character) 1958
No Score Yet No Score Yet Trackdown Bud Ehlers (Guest Star) 1957-1958
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Restless Gun Jim Kenyon (Guest Star) 1958
No Score Yet No Score Yet Climax! Unknown (Character) 1958
No Score Yet No Score Yet Zane Grey Theatre Unknown (Character) 1957
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Adventures of Champion Paul Kenyon (Guest Star) 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cavalcade of America Unknown (Character) 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Lone Ranger Jim Blake (Guest Star) 1955
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Gene Autry Show Ray Saunders (Guest Star) 1954
No Score Yet No Score Yet Hopalong Cassidy Unknown (Guest Star) 1954