James Best Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family

June 2024 · 6 minute read

Age, Biography and Wiki

James Best is an American actor, director, and writer. He is best known for his role as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He has appeared in over 200 films and television shows. Best was born in Powderly, Kentucky, on July 26, 1926. He served in the United States Army during World War II. After the war, he attended the University of Cincinnati and the Pasadena Playhouse. Best began his acting career in the 1950s, appearing in television shows such as The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, and The Andy Griffith Show. He also appeared in films such as The Caine Mutiny (1954), The Killer Is Loose (1956), and The Great Locomotive Chase (1956). In 1979, Best was cast as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He remained with the show until its cancellation in 1985. In addition to acting, Best has also directed and written several films. He wrote and directed the film The Killer Inside Me (1976), and wrote and directed the film The Long Riders (1980). As of 2021, James Best's net worth is estimated to be $2 million.

Popular AsJewel Franklin Guy
Occupationactor,director,writer
Age89 years old
Zodiac SignLeo
Born26 July, 1926
Birthday26 July
BirthplacePowderly, Kentucky, USA
Date of death6 April, 2015
Died PlaceHickory, North Carolina, USA
NationalityUSA

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 26 July. He is a member of famous Actor with the age 89 years old group.

James Best Height, Weight & Measurements

At 89 years old, James Best height is 6' 1" (1.85 m) .

Physical Status
Height6' 1" (1.85 m)
WeightNot Available
Body MeasurementsNot Available
Eye ColorNot Available
Hair ColorNot Available

Who Is James Best's Wife?

His wife is Dorothy Best (15 August 1986 - 6 April 2015) ( his death), Jobee Ayers (1959 - 1977) ( divorced) ( 2 children), Matilda Engleberg (1949 - ?) ( divorced) ( 1 child)

Family
ParentsNot Available
WifeDorothy Best (15 August 1986 - 6 April 2015) ( his death), Jobee Ayers (1959 - 1977) ( divorced) ( 2 children), Matilda Engleberg (1949 - ?) ( divorced) ( 1 child)
SiblingNot Available
ChildrenNot Available

James Best Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2022-2023. So, how much is James Best worth at the age of 89 years old? James Best’s income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. He is from USA. We have estimated James Best's net worth , money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2023$1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2023Under Review
Net Worth in 2022Pending
Salary in 2022Under Review
HouseNot Available
CarsNot Available
Source of IncomeActor

James Best Social Network

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Timeline

Had won the Best Lead Actor Award for his performance in "On Golden Pond." [2012].

Had relocated from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Hickory, North Carolina. [April 2010].

Director Quentin Tarantino has said that the work of Best "taught me how to act". Ironically, when Tarantino appeared in a 1990s Broadway revival of the play "Wait Until Dark", he received some of his worst acting reviews ever.

His adoptive mother, Essa Knowland Best, died on March 30, 1988, at age 92.

Moved to Florida in 1987 and taught on campus at the University of Central Florida. He was also appointed to the Advisory Council for the Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Industry of Florida. In 1992 he was the recipient of Florida's "Crystal Reel Award" for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series, for an episode of In the Heat of the Night (1988) with Carroll O'Connor.

In The Dukes of Hazzard: The Dukes in Hollywood (1984), Roscoe (Best) and Boss Hogg (Sorrell Booke) are discussing who should play them in a fictional movie about Hazzard County. Roscoe picks Burt Reynolds. Reynolds was a former acting student of Best, and the two had been friends for many years. Reynolds later played "Boss Hogg" in The Dukes of Hazzard (2005).

His brother, Jesse L. Guy, died on January 27, 1983, at age 63.

Although the The Dukes of Hazzard (1979) TV series was far beneath his talents, his role as Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane was the part that gave him his greatest fame. He continued teaching, both in Hollywood and later in Florida (at the University of Central Florida). Semi-retired, he makes personal appearances and exhibits his paintings.

He worked in both acting and producing capacities for Burt Reynolds on several of the latter's films in the late 1970s, before taking on his greatest commercial success.

His billing for Three on a Couch (1966) read: "Introducing James Best", despite the fact that he had been in movies for 16 years and had appeared in over 30 films.

Met comedian/singer Andy Griffith on the 3rd episode of The Andy Griffith Show (1960), where Best's character was portrayed that of a guitar player. They were friends for 52 years, until Griffith's death in 2012.

When he guest-starred on one of the three episodes of Laramie (1959), the writers jokingly created the name of Johnny Best, whose character was named after him.

Met Denver Pyle when both worked in The Left Handed Gun (1958). Some 21 years later he would co-star opposite Pyle on The Dukes of Hazzard (1979), in which Pyle played the patriarch of the Duke family. The friendship would last for almost 40 years, until Pyle's death in late 1997.

During the 1950s and '60s, he was a familiar face in movies and television in a wide range of roles, from Western bad guys to craven cowards and country bumpkins. Physical ailments curtailed his work for a long period late in his career, and he established a well-respected acting workshop in Los Angeles. He also served as artist-in-residence at the University of Mississippi, teaching and directing.

Began his career as a contract player for Universal in 1949.

Following high school he worked briefly as a metalworker before joining the Army during World War II in July 1944. The majority of his service was as an MP in Wiesbaden, Germany just after the end of the war. While still in Germany, Best was transferred to Special Services and began his acting career. According to Best, he first acted in a European tour of "My Sister Eileen" directed by Arthur Penn. Upon his return to the U. S. , he toured in road and stock companies in plays and musicals, and was finally spotted by a scout from Universal Pictures, who put him under contract. A handsome young man, his rural inflections perhaps kept him from frequent leading man roles.

American character actor and teacher. Born Jewel Guy in Powderly, Kentucky, on July 26, 1926, he was orphaned at three and adopted by Armen and Essa Best, who re-named him James K. Best and raised him in Corydon, Indiana.

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