James Best, ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ actor, Roscoe, dies at age 88
James Best, a veteran character actor best known as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on CBS’ action-comedy series The Dukes Of Hazzard, died Monday of pneumonia in Hickory, North Carolina. He was 88.
The Charlotte Observer noted that his “career included roles in such movies as “The Caine Mutiny” with Humphrey Bogart and “Shenandoah” with Jimmy Stewart. As a character actor in television, he was cast on popular shows like “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Bonanza” and “The Andy Griffith Show.”’
Deadline chronicled the success of Roscoe and those Dukes’: “The Dukes Of Hazzard was a throwback of sorts to CBS’ signature rural comedies of 1960s, this time packed with car chases, banjo music and Waylon Jennings’ narration. Best played the dimwitted but enduring Sheriff Coltrane opposite Sorrell Booke’s Boss Hogg for the series’ entire six-season run and more than 140 episodes. Every week he was on the trail of those wild Duke boys — Luke (Tom Wopat) and Bo (John Schneider). It premiered in January 1979 as the lead-in to CBS’ Dallas, and both shows became massive hits. Dukes was among the top 10 primetime programs for three consecutive years and was the No. 2 show behind Dallas for the 1980-81 season. The series wrapped in 1985 but not before launching a subgenre of imitations including Harper Valley P.T.A., Lobo and the spinoff Enos.
