Deceased

How Did James Best Die?

Life & Death

Died aged 88

Also known asJewel Franklin Guy, James K. Best, Jimmy Best, Jim BestGenderMaleNationalityUnited StatesBorn26/07/1926Born inPowderly, Kentucky, USADied06/04/2015Died inHickoryCausepneumoniaWikidataQ268084 ↗Buried atCedar Hill CemeteryTMDb#40185 ↗

Jewel Franklin Guy, known professionally as James Best, was an American television, film, stage, and voice actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician. During a career that spanned more than 60 years, Best, who was known for his high-pitched, exasperated voice, performed not only in feature films, but also in scores of television series.

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Filmography116 titles

Importing filmography…

Year	Title	Character	Age at release
2021	Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!Movie	Self	95
2013	Gore Vidal: The United States of AmnesiaMovie	Self (archive footage)	87
2012	Return of the Killer ShrewsMovie	Thorne Sherman	86
2007	Moondance AlexanderMovie	McClancy	81
2006	Hot TamaleMovie	Hank Larson	80
2005	CMT: Inside FameSeries	—	79
2002	The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel FullerMovie	Sgt. David Brent (archive footage) (uncredited)	76
2000	The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in HollywoodMovie	Rosco P. Coltrane	74
1997	The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!Movie	Boss / Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane	71
1996	E! True Hollywood StorySeries	—	70
1988	In the Heat of the NightSeries	—	62
1983	The DukesSeries	Rosco Coltrane (voice)	57
1980	EnosSeries	—	54
1979	The Dukes of HazzardSeries	Rosco P. Coltrane	53
1978	CentennialSeries	—	52
1978	The EndMovie	Pacemaker Patient	52
1978	HooperMovie	Cully	52
1977	Rolling ThunderMovie	Texan	51
1976	NickelodeonMovie	Jim	50
1976	The Savage BeesMovie	Pellegrino	50
1974	The ManhunterSeries	—	48
1973	HawkinsSeries	Sheriff John Early	47
1972	SounderMovie	Sheriff Charlie Young	46
1970	Run, Simon, RunMovie	Henry Burroughs	44
1968	The Mod SquadSeries	Clay Lynch	42
1968	FirecreekMovie	Drew	42
1968	LancerSeries	—	42
1967	The Guns of Will SonnettSeries	—	41
1966	The Green HornetSeries	Yale Barton	40
1966	Felony SquadSeries	—	40
1965	ShenandoahMovie	Carter, Rebel Soldier	39
1965	Honey WestSeries	Vince Zale	39
1965	Black SpursMovie	Ralph Elkins	39
1964	Daniel BooneSeries	Jethro Wyatt	38
1964	FlipperSeries	—	38
1964	The Quick GunMovie	Scotty Wade	38
1963	The FugitiveSeries	Dan Murray	37
1963	Burke's LawSeries	Tucson, 'The Cowboy'	37
1963	Temple HoustonSeries	Gotch	37
1962	The VirginianSeries	Curt Westley	36
1962	The Alfred Hitchcock HourSeries	Tom Carmody	36
1962	Combat!Series	Trenton	36
1962	The Gallant MenSeries	—	36
1962	General Electric TrueSeries	—	36
1961	Ben CaseySeries	—	35
1960	The Andy Griffith ShowSeries	Jim Lindsey	34
1960	The Barbara Stanwyck ShowSeries	Joe	34
1960	Surfside 6Series	—	34
1960	The Mountain RoadMovie	Niergaard	34
1960	Overland TrailSeries	—	34
1960	Stagecoach WestSeries	—	34
1959	The Twilight ZoneSeries	Billy-Ben Turner	33
1959	BonanzaSeries	Sheriff Vern Schaler	33
1959	RawhideSeries	Brock Quade	33
1959	Lock-UpSeries	—	33
1959	Hawaiian EyeSeries	—	33
1959	LaramieSeries	—	33
1959	StartimeSeries	Duke	33
1959	The RebelSeries	Ted Evans	33
1959	Cast a Long ShadowMovie	Sam Mullen	33
1959	Black SaddleSeries	Ben Travers	33
1959	The DuPont Show with June AllysonSeries	Jovan Wilanskov	33
1959	Men Into SpaceSeries	—	33
1959	The Man and the ChallengeSeries	—	33
1959	Ride LonesomeMovie	Billy John	33
1959	Verboten!Movie	Sgt. David Brent	33
1958	The RiflemanSeries	—	32
1958	BroncoSeries	—	32
1958	Wanted: Dead or AliveSeries	Luke Perry	32
1958	Bat MastersonSeries	Joe Best	32
1958	77 Sunset StripSeries	—	32
1958	Bat MastersonSeries	Danny Dakota	32
1958	The TexanSeries	—	32
1958	The Left Handed GunMovie	Tom Folliard	32
1958	Behind Closed DoorsSeries	Webb	32
1958	The Naked and the DeadMovie	Rhidges	32
1957	Perry MasonSeries	Allan Winford	31
1957	Have Gun, Will TravelSeries	—	31
1957	TrackdownSeries	—	31
1957	Tombstone TerritorySeries	—	31
1957	Richard Diamond, Private DetectiveSeries	Jack Milhoan	31
1956	Forbidden PlanetMovie	Crewman (uncredited)	30
1956	The RackMovie	Millard Chilson Cassidy	30
1956	West PointSeries	—	30
1956	Come Next SpringMovie	Bill Jackson	30
1956	GabyMovie	Jim	30
1955	Alfred Hitchcock PresentsSeries	Hennessy	29
1955	GunsmokeSeries	Beal	29
1955	CheyenneSeries	—	29
1955	The MillionaireSeries	Fred Morgan	29
1955	Buffalo Bill Jr.Series	—	29
1955	Seven Angry MenMovie	Jason Brown	29
1954	The Caine MutinyMovie	Lt. JG Jorgensen	28
1954	Climax!Series	Shag	28
1954	They Rode WestMovie	Lt. Finlay (uncredited)	28
1954	Return from the SeaMovie	Barr	28
1954	Riders to the StarsMovie	Dr. Sidney K. Fuller	28
1954	The RaidMovie	Lt. Robinson	28
1953	General Electric TheaterSeries	Hardy Coulter	27
1953	SeminoleMovie	Corp. Gerad	27
1953	Skip TaylorMovie	—	27
1952	Cavalcade of AmericaSeries	Slate Morley	26
1952	Hopalong CassidySeries	—	26
1952	The Battle at Apache PassMovie	Cpl. Hassett	26
1952	Francis Goes to West PointMovie	Corporal Ransom	26
1951	Hallmark Hall of FameSeries	—	25
1951	Schlitz Playhouse of StarsSeries	—	25
1951	Air CadetMovie	Jerry Connell	25
1951	The Adventures of Kit CarsonSeries	—	25
1951	Apache DrumsMovie	Bert Keon	25
1950	Winchester '73Movie	Crater	24
1950	Lux Video TheatreSeries	Clem Wallace	24
1950	One Way StreetMovie	Driver (uncredited)	24
1950	I Was a ShoplifterMovie	—	24
1950	The Gene Autry ShowSeries	—	24
1950	Comanche TerritoryMovie	Sam	24