James Best who portrayed Rosco P Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard had many memorable television roles

James Best is all over retro television

James Best was a talened entertainer who had a career that spanned seven decades. Many of his roles were country hick types but don't let that fool you because he was so much more. Best was also an acting coach, director, writer, muscician, artist, and college professor.

If you are a fan of MeTV and other retro networks you have probably seen some of his other work which includes Westerns like Death Valley Days, Bonanza, The Rifelman, The Restless Gun, and Have Gun Will Travel. He was in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and also in three episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and two episodes of Perry Mason.

Memorable performances

Two of my favorites are two appearances on The Andy Griffith Show as Jim Lindsay in The Guitar Player and The Guitar Player Returns. The talented actor appeared to make his guitar sound like it was talking but he could not play. It was stuedio musicians who were picking the strings.

I also love Best in The Twilight Zone episodes Jess Belle, and The last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank where Best displayed his dramatic and comediuc skills. The versatile entertainer had more than 280 television appearances and he made every role memorable.

The Dukes of Hazzard

Best is most well known for his role as the bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard, which originally aired from 1979 to 1985. He reprised the role in two made-for-television films. The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! in 1997 and in 2000 for The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood.

After his death his good friend and Dukes of Hazard costar John Schnider (Bo Duke) said the following about him.

He was amazing in everything he did; he was not just a funny guy. In fact, I think the comedic timing came to him later on in life because before that he was a very serious actor. I was very fortunate to have grown up working with people like Jimmie Best and Denver Pyle and Sorrell Booke. Incredibly talented men, incredibly talented actors.

Additional career facts

The versatile entrtainer was born Jewel Franklin Guy on July 26, 1926 in Greenville, Kentucky. he was the youngest of eleven children. His mother died in 1929 and he was placed in an orphanage but later adopted by Arman and Essa Best.

He was well-known for his high-pitched, exasperated voice and appeared in numerous televisionm series and feature films, talk shows and musical programs.

His son-in-law is Michael Damian who portrays Danny Romalati on The CBS soap The Young and the Restless. His first cousins are Don and Phil Everly-The Everly Brothers. His film roles include Ode to Billie Jo, Shennendoah, The Naked and the dead, and Hooper.

Beyond Hollywood

He was married three times: First to Matilda Engleberg in1949, JoBee Croskery from 1959until they divorced in 1977 and Dorothy Collier in 1986. He and Collier left Hollywood for Florida after The Dukes of Hazzard stopped filming stating he was burned out. He once described Roscoe P Coletrane as "a character."

Best taught acting and film technique, and over the years his students included Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, Gary Busey and Quentin Tarantino. He once taught at the University of Central Florida and said the following: “I know what the hell I’m doing, and they respect me down there,” “whether Hollywood does or not.”

James Best was indeed the best

Some entertaners are well rounded and have the ability to make you laugh, cry, and experience a range of emtions as you become engaged in their characters and performances. James Best was one of them. He died on April 6, 2015 in Hickory, North Carolina at age 88 from pneumonia complications.