James Best .
His billing for Three on a Couch read: "Introducing James Best", despite the fact that he had been in movies for 16 years and had appeared in over 30 films.
Cousin of singers Don Everly and Phil Everly.
Father of Janeen Damian.
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.
Father-in-law of Michael Damian.
Brother-in-law of John Collier.
Had a black belt in karate.
Served in the US Army as a Military Policeman in Germany after World War II.
The son of a coal miner.
He was the youngest of eight boys and one girl. His mother died when he was three and he was taken to an orphanage when his Kentucky-born coal-mining father could no longer keep the family together. He was adopted at age 4 by Armen and Essa Best of Indiana.
In the mid 1970s he decided to take a semi-retirement, and became an artist-in-residence at the University of Mississippi. During his two years there, he taught Motion Picture technique and Drama; directed four plays, established the Mississippi Film Commission and was elected to the Universitys Hall of Fame.
He and wife Dorothy Best , along with Kevin Lang, formed their own production company, Best Friend Films. The company specializes in high-definition production, featuring the Panasonic Varicam, with a Pro 35 lens adapter, which enables them to use Panavision 35mm film lenses on a digital camera. They also feature an HD online edit suite, making them a "one-stop shop in HD production" for the independent producer.
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 Floridas "Crystal Reel Award" for Best Actor in a Dramatic Series, for an episode of "In the Heat of the Night" with Carroll OConnor.
He formed the first school to teach actors motion picture technique in the 1970s. He taught in Hollywood for 25 years and worked with such stars as Burt Reynolds , Clint Eastwood , Gary Busey , Teri Garr , Lindsay Wagner , Farrah Fawcett and Quentin Tarantino.
Before she took up acting, Lindsay Wagner babysat for Bests children. It was Best who encouraged Wagner to take acting lessons and, in effect, kick-started her career.
In "The Dukes of Hazzard" {The Dukes in Hollywood (#7.6)} , 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 The Dukes of Hazzard .
Best known by the public for his starring role as Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane on "The Dukes of Hazzard" .
Acting mentor and friends of Tom Wopat , John Schneider and Catherine Bach.
Friends with: Robert Fuller , John Smith , James Drury , Doug McClure , Adam West , Clu Gulager , Denver Pyle , Denny Miller , Brian Keith , Ann Doran , Gy Waldron , Sorrell Booke , Sonny Shroyer , James Arness , Ken Curtis , Buck Taylor , Alex Cord , Lorne Greene , Michael Landon , Pernell Roberts , Robert Horton , Don Collier , Claude Akins , Eric Fleming , Lee Marvin , Burt Reynolds , Clint Eastwood , Alfred Hitchcock , Norman Lloyd , James Garner , Andy Griffith , Don Knotts , Nancy Stafford , Dan Haggerty , Peggy Rea , Robert Hastings , Robert Conrad and Dabbs Greer.
His adoptive mother, Essa Knowland Best, died on March 30, 1988. She lived to be age 92.
Met Denver Pyle when both worked in The Left Handed Gun . Some 21 years later he would co-star opposite Pyle on "The Dukes of Hazzard" , in which Pyle played the patriarch of the Duke family.
Close friend of Sorrell Booke.
Best friends with Denver Pyle from 1958, until his passing on Christmas Day, 1997.
His adoptive father, Armen Neely Best, died on June 1, 1984. He lived to be age 87.
Was a lifelong friend with Andy Griffith until Griffiths death on July 3, 2012. Best first met him on an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" , and would later attend Mayberry Days with him.
Met James Drury on an episode of "The Virginian" , where they became best friends.
When he guest-starred on one of the three episodes of "Laramie" , the writers jokingly created the name of Johnny Best, whose character was named after him.
One of the jobs he had prior to becoming an actor was as a bagger at a Krogers supermarket.
Began his career as a contract player for Universal in 1949.
Is a fan of the following shows: "Sanford and Son" , "The Golden Girls" , "Two and a Half Men" , "Boston Legal" , "Diagnosis Murder" , "Matlock" (which featured his best friend Andy Griffith ), "Barnaby Jones" , "Quincy M.E." , "The Untouchables" , "Murder, She Wrote" , "Kojak" and "The Rockford Files" .
Is also a fan of Ron Howard s movies.
Graduated from Corydon Central High School in Corydon, Indiana, in 1944.
He had several hobbies including fishing, boating, painting, writing (scripts, plays and poetry), riding horses, traveling and karate.
It was Bests idea to bring his real-life dog on "The Dukes of Hazzard" , with him. He named her Flash.
As of April 2010, his Facebok page said that he had moved from Charlotte to Hickory, NC.
The James Best Theatre Center was located in Toluca Lake, CA, on Riverside Drive (at the southwest corner of Mariota) in the upstairs rear portion of the Honey Baked Ham building. The primary purpose of the center was to teach actors how to act for motion pictures and television and to provide an understanding of what the camera "sees".
Ex-boyfriend of Jeanne Cooper - his son-in-law Michael Damian s acting mentor.
Met Robert Fuller on the sixth episode of "Laramie" . The two developed a 55+ year friendship until Bests death in 2015.
Lifelong friend of Robert Fuller , who has a birthday 3 days after him, and is 7 years Bests junior.
Was a liberal conservative.
His former "The Dukes of Hazzard" co-star, John Schneider , had worked with him on two different shows: "CMT Cribs" , in 2010, and Return of the Killer Shrews in 2012, where Best reprised his role, a half-century ago.
James Best passed away on April 6, 2015, at age 88, six days after Cynthia Lennon , and within four months of seven television legends, also born in 1926, either aged 88 or 89: Robert H. Schuller , Roger Mayer , Stan Freberg , Verne Gagne , Betsy Palmer , Bud Yorkin and Elisabeth Elliot Gren.
Just before his death, he along with his longtime friend Robert Fuller attended the 100th Birthday Party of their dear friend, Norman Lloyd , in Los Angeles, California.
Had appeared in every episode of "The Dukes of Hazzard" , except for 5 episodes, temporarily during season two, over a dispute regarding the dressing rooms.
Up until his death, his ex- "The Dukes of Hazzard" co-star, John Schneider referred to him as: Jimmie.
Had a son, Gary, from his first marriage and two daughters, JoJami and Janeen, from his second marriage. He had three grandchildren.
James Best was set to perform in "Old Soldiers" with Mickey Rooney and Hugh OBrien. Unfortunately while the movie was in the planning stage, all three actors passed away.
Was roommates with Adam West.
He was most widely known to be a social butterfly.
After he passed away, he did not want to have a funeral.
[in 2013] I did meet The Everly Brothers once and we talked for awhile.
I started painting when I was in high school.
I just kept painting. I paint every day now and have sold some to,Europe, and I do commission paintings. I paint Southern landscapes and,some still-lives. What I love to paint mostly is old barns and ponds,and creeks that I might conjure up in my mind.
Kentucky holds a special place in my heart.
[About writing his own book : "Best in Hollywood"]: I decided to write,this book to share my own personal journey living the American Dream. I,hope it can inspire, as well as provide an honest, historical depiction,of how Hollywood once was . . . and perhaps could be again some day.
[For gaining popularity on playing the fifty-something Sheriff Rosco P.
