Hickory, NC (WLTX) - James Best, who played Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on the popular CBS TV series "The Dukes of Hazzard," has died.
A statement on his official website announced the actor passed Monday night in Hickory, North Carolina at the age of 88. The statement says he had a brief illness and complications from pneumonia.
Best was a character actor for decades in Hollywood, but most know him for his role as the sidekick to the villainous Boss Hogg on the "Dukes of Hazzard." In the series Best played a blundering Southern sheriff who was always chasing the Duke brothers, forever being outwitted by the pair.
Best appeared on the series for all seven seasons (1979-1985) and was in both reunion specials.
In the years since the program went off the air, Best made many public appearances throughout the country at festivals and fan gatherings based on the fame he gained for the role.
His website says Best was born in Powderly, Kentucky in 1926. After his mother's death, he stayed in an orphanage for a brief time before being adopted and moving to Indiana.
Best joined the Army in 1944, where he served as a gunner, radio operator, and military police officer. While in the service, he joined the military theatrical company, which led him to seek roles in acting once he left the Army.
Once in Hollywood, Best found himself cast in many film westerns, including "Winchester 73" with Jimmy Stewart. He also made tv appearances in episodes of "The Twilight Zone," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Bonanza," "Gunsmoke," and "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."
Best also taught acting and film technique at the University of Central Florida during the 1970s.
His last completed film was a Hallmark movie called "The Sweeter Side of Life" in 2013. In 2014, he starred in a stage production of "On Golden Pond."
