James Best was born in Kentucky on July 26 and raised in Indiana. He is best known for his role as Rosco P. Coltrane on the Dukes of Hazzard. He has built an impressive career on stage and screen. He has acted in countless movies and TV Shows, taught acting, and directed such hit movies as "Bonnie and Clyde" and "Left Handed Gun" as well as some episodes of "The Dukes of Hazzard".
James is a Shakespearean trained actor. His first stage experience was in an European tour of "My Sister Eileen". After returning from this tour he acted in both summer and winter stock productions and later toured in the Broadway touring company musical, "Marinka".
James went on to make 83 feature films and appear in over 600 TV shows. Some of his film roles include "Shenandoah" with Jimmy Stewart, "The Cain Mutiny" with Humphrey Bogart, "Left Handed Gun" with Paul Newman, "Sounder" which was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, and three films with Burt Reynolds "Gator", "The End", and "Hooper".
His many TV credits includes almost every classic western series that would come to mind including "Bonanza", "Gunsmoke", "Paladin Have Gun Will Travel", "The Rebel", "Rawide", and countless others. Other TV appearances include "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Twilight Zone", and "Mod Squad".
James loves to paint in his spare time. He become a well respected artist in the mediums of watercolors and oils. He has sold some of his works to celebrities and also donated some works to charity. His paintings were featured in the "Dukes of Hazzard" episode "Dead And Alive". You may purchase some of James Best's art from his website. A link to his site can be found on my links page.
