James Best
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Best (born Jewel Franklin Guy; July 26, 1926 – April 6, 2015) was an American television, film, character, voice, and stage actor, as well as a writer, director, acting coach, artist, college professor, and musician, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He appeared as a guest on various country music and talk shows.
One of the busiest actors in Hollywood, who began his contract career with Universal Studios in 1949, where he met unfamiliar actors Julie Adams, Piper Laurie, Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson. Best's long career began in films in 1950. He appeared primarily in Westerns, playing opposite Audie Murphy in Kansas Raiders (1950), The Cimarron Kid (1952) and The Quick Gun (1964), Raymond Massey in Seven Angry Men (1955), George Montgomery in Last of the Badman (1957), Frank Lovejoy in Cole Younger Gunfighter (1958), and Randolph Scott in Ride Lonesome (1959). He also starred in the science fiction cult movie, The Killer Shrews (1959) and its sequel, Return of the Killer Shrews (2012). He is most known for playing bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the action/comedy Dukes of Hazzard, a role that he revised in The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! (1997) as his character was now "boss" of Hazzard County as well as sheriff, and again in The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood (2000).
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 0.395 |
| Birthday | 1926-07-26 |
| Place of Birth | Powderly, Kentucky, USA |
| Also Known As | Jewel Franklin Guy, James K. Best, Jimmy Best, Jim Best, |
2006
Hot Tamale
5.31/29
A road trip to Los Angeles inadvertently leads a young man from Wyoming into a wild maze of psychotic hit-men, racy women, jewel thieves and a salsa b...
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Hot Tamale
1968
Firecreek
6.4/69
A peace-loving, part-time sheriff in the small town of Firecreek must take a stand when a gang of vicious outlaws takes over his town.
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Firecreek
1965
Shenandoah
6.9/145
Charlie Anderson, a farmer in Shenandoah, Virginia, finds himself and his family in the middle of the Civil War he wants nothing to do with. When his...
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Shenandoah
1970
Run, Simon, Run
5.2/5
A Papago Indian returns to his reservation after a prison term and searches for his brother's killer.
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Run, Simon, Run
1977
Rolling Thunder
6.817/219
A Vietnam veteran, Charles Rane, returns home after years in a POW camp and is treated as a hero. He has a hard time adjusting, and things go badly. A...
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Rolling Thunder
1963
Shock Corridor
7/260
With the help of his girlfriend Cathy and Dr. Fong, a psychiatrist, ambitious journalist Johnny Barrett poses as a madman in order to be admitted to a...
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Shock Corridor
1998
Death Mask
6.3/6
Wilbur works in an old carnival and shows some gruesome things to the public. He covers his face because he had a sadistic father who burned his face...
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Death Mask
1959
Ride Lonesome
6.6/139
On the way to pick up the bounty on a wanted murderer, a bounty hunter stops at a staging post where he is forced to continue his journey with two out...
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Ride Lonesome
2007
Moondance Alexander
5.9/57
Curiously named teen Moondance Alexander lives with her eccentric mother, and is faced with another uneventful summer until she discovers a lost pinto...
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Moondance Alexander
1950
Winchester '73
7.3/361
Lin McAdam rides into town on the trail of Dutch Henry Brown, only to find himself in a shooting competition against him. McAdam wins the prize, a one...
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Winchester '73
1958
The Left Handed Gun
6/106
When a crooked sheriff murders his employer, William "Billy the Kid" Bonney decides to avenge the death by killing the man responsible, throwing the l...
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The Left Handed Gun
1952
The Cimarron Kid
6.1/19
Audie Murphy comes into his own as a Western star in this story. Wrongly accused by crooked railroad officials of aiding a train heist by his old frie...
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The Cimarron Kid
1959
The Killer Shrews
4.3/84
Trapped on a remote island by a hurricane, a group discover a doctor has been experimenting on creating half sized humans. Unfortunately, his experime...
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The Killer Shrews
1958
The Naked and the Dead
5.9/33
Fighting men in World War II learn the value of courage and quickness at the risk of losing their lives.
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The Naked and the Dead
1978
Hooper
6.3/129
Legendary stunt man Sonny Hooper remains one of the top men in his field, but due to too many stressful impacts to the spine and the need to pop paink...
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Hooper
1953
Seminole
5.4/25
Lance Caldwell, a cavalry lieutenant, recounts his efforts to make peace with the Seminole Indian tribe, under an evil major.
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Seminole
1956
Calling Homicide
5.7/10
Cop Andy Doyle investigates a car-bombing murder and the killing of a sleazy modeling agency owner. Are they connected?
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Calling Homicide
1956
The Rack
6.6/25
Army Captain Edward Hall returns to the U.S. after two years in a prison camp in the Korean War. In the camp, he was brainwashed and helped the Chines...
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The Rack
1951
Apache Drums
6.2/27
A gambler is thrown out of a western town, but returns when the town is suddenly threatened by a band of marauding Apaches.
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Apache Drums
2002
The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
5.8/4
Samuel Fuller discusses his career as a filmmaker, illustrated by plenty of clips.
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The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller
1959
Verboten!
6.4/20
A young American serviceman stationed in Germany after the fall of the Third Reich, jeopardises his future after falling in love with a German woman.
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Verboten!
1972
The Brain Machine
2.8/16
Several people volunteer for a scientific experiment about mind-reading and memory, but the experiment goes horribly wrong.
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The Brain Machine
1950
Comanche Territory
4.8/17
Silver has been found on comanche territory and the government accomplished a peaceful agreement with the indians. When James 'Jim' Bowie comes into t...
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Comanche Territory
1957
Hot Summer Night
5.6/9
An out-of-work reporter (Leslie Nielsen) seeks out a bank robber, and his bride (Colleen Miller) has to rescue him.
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Hot Summer Night
1950
Kansas Raiders
5.8/19
Outraged by Redleg atrocities, the James and Younger Brothers along with Kit Dalton join Quantrill's Raiders and find themselves participating in even...
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Kansas Raiders
1960
The Mountain Road
6.4/8
In 1944, in eastern part of China, U.S.Army Major Baldwin and his volunteer team of demolition engineers are left behind the retreating Chinese forces...
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The Mountain Road
1964
The Quick Gun
6.31/21
Gunslinger Murphy helps an ungrateful town fight off a raid by his former gang.
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The Quick Gun
1956
Gaby
7/1
A ballerina resorts to prostitution when her fiance is reported killed in World War II.
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Gaby
1997
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
5.333/24
Mama Josephine Max wants to build a theme park in Hazzard, right on the Duke family farm! To stop her, Bo and Luke have to win a cross-country moonshi...
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The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
2000
The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood
5.8/28
The Duke Boys and company travel to Hollywood to sell some musical recordings in order to raise money to build a new hospital in Hazzard County. Howev...
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The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood
1957
Man on the Prowl
2.3/3
A neglected wife (Mala Powers) unknowingly places her family in danger when she becomes friends with a psychologically disturbed deliveryman (James Be...
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Man on the Prowl
1958
Cole Younger, Gunfighter
6.2/5
An outlaw must decide whether to stick his neck out for an innocent man.
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Cole Younger, Gunfighter
1950
I Was a Shoplifter
5.3/9
A police detective uses any means possible to trap a gang of shoplifters.
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I Was a Shoplifter
2012
Return of the Killer Shrews
5.4/47
A reality TV crew charter a boat to an island for filming, one which the boat's captain had been to before and attacked by giant shrews, more than fif...
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Return of the Killer Shrews
1950
One Way Street
5.1/25
After stealing a gangster's money and his girlfriend, a doctor heads for a small village in Mexico to hide out.
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One Way Street
1976
Nickelodeon
6.1/41
In the silent film era, attorney Leo Harrigan and gunslinger Buck Greenway are hired to stop an illegal film production. However, they soon team up wi...
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Nickelodeon
1974
Savages
6.4/7
Ben Campbell, a 22 year old gas station attendant in a small desert town, is looking to make some extra money. He is surprised when Madec, a wealthy l...
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Savages
1959
Cast a Long Shadow
6.4/11
A young man without surname inherits a big indebted ranch and has to prove his worthiness managing a cattle drive.
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Cast a Long Shadow
1955
Top of the World
6.3/3
A team of Air Force servicemen become stranded after setting up a weather station on an island of ice in Alaska.
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Top of the World
2013
The Sweeter Side of Life
5.8/41
Pampered Manhattan housewife Desiree Harper has it all. That is until her husband unexpectedly dumps her for his acupuncturist. Faced with an airtight...
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The Sweeter Side of Life
1978
The End
5.5/61
Wendell Lawson has only six months to live. Not wanting to endure his last few months of life waiting for the end, he decides to take matters into his...
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The End
1962
Black Gold
1/1
Two friends join together to strike oil, court women, and battle an unscrupulous oilman politician during the Oklahoma oil boom of the 1920s.
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Black Gold
1951
Target Unknown
0/0
World War II drama about members of an American bomber squadron who are captured and held prisoners by the German army.
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Target Unknown
1953
City of Bad Men
5.8/6
Outlaws plan a robbery to take place during a championship prizefight in Carson City, Nevada.
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City of Bad Men
1976
Ode to Billy Joe
6.3/31
Set in sultry 1950s Mississippi, two teenagers grapple with surging hormones and the enticing promise of love, unknowing of the tragedy that looms ahe...
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Ode to Billy Joe
1956
Come Next Spring
6/6
Matt Ballot has returned home after 12 years of hard-drinking in all 48 states. His wife has managed to raise their 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-o...
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Come Next Spring
1957
Last of the Badmen
5.667/3
Chicago detectives in the 1880s head west to find the killers of their colleague.
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Last of the Badmen
1966
Three on a Couch
5.4/23
An artist has an opportunity to go to Paris and wants to bring his fiancee along. However, she's a psychiatrist who currently has three female patient...
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Three on a Couch
1951
Air Cadet
5/5
A group of cadets have assorted problems at the U.S. Air Force Pilot Training Academy.
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Air Cadet
1972
Sounder
7.4/49
The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for steali...
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Sounder
1952
The Battle at Apache Pass
6.3/16
Major Jim Colton is a sympathetic leader who has a working relationship with Apache leader Cochise. Colton is undermined by corrupt and politically am...
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The Battle at Apache Pass
1960
Aftermath
8/1
Aftermath was the pilot for an unsold TV series called "The Code of Jonathan West"; it aired as part of The General Electric Theater. The film takes p...
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Aftermath
1956
Forbidden Planet
7.244/953
Starship C57D travels to planet Altair 4 in search of the crew of spaceship "Bellerophon," a scientific expedition that has been missing for twenty ye...
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Forbidden Planet
1954
The Raid
6.517/30
A group of confederate prisoners escape to Canada and plan to rob the banks and set fire to the small town of Saint Albans in Vermont. To get the lie...
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The Raid
1967
First to Fight
7.9/4
Jack is the sole survivor of a Japanese attack on his squad at Guadalcanal. Because of his heroism and the fact that he is still alive, he becomes a M...
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First to Fight
1975
The Runaway Barge
0/0
Two bargemen on the Mississippi River find themselves mixed up in a kidnapping and hijacking plot.
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The Runaway Barge
1965
Black Spurs
6.031/16
A dissatisfied ranch hand becomes a bounty hunter. He conspires with a crooked town boss to dirty up a neighboring village where a valuable railroad f...
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Black Spurs
1954
The Yellow Tomahawk
6/6
When the army insists on building a fort on Indian land, in defiance of a treaty, the warnings of a scout go unheeded.
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The Yellow Tomahawk
2021
Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!
4/2
A comprehensive story of Hollywood's horror and science fiction films of the 1950s, told by the people who made them.
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Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!
1954
The Caine Mutiny
7.153/336
When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardize his ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial...
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The Caine Mutiny
1954
Return from the Sea
4.5/2
A hardened career navel officer must come to terms with adapting to civilian life with the help of a waitress that can see through his tough veneer.
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Return from the Sea
2004
The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made
4.6/29
There are some movies that are so bad they're good. And there are some movies that are so bad- that they're just bad...
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The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made
1952
Francis Goes to West Point
5.8/12
Francis the talking mule gets his owner in and out of trouble while he is taking basic training at West Point.
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Francis Goes to West Point
1950
Peggy
4.7/3
Professor Brookfield along with daughters Peggy and Susan move to small town Pasadena, California. Their new neighbor Mrs. Fielding helps them move in...
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Peggy
1955
Seven Angry Men
5.2/5
Rise, fall and execution of John Brown, fanatic abolitionist.
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Seven Angry Men
1953
Column South
6/10
In the weeks prior to the start of the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers hope to help their cause by inciting a Navajo war in the New Mexico Territo...
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Column South
1952
Steel Town
6/2
Steve Kostain, nephew of the owner, begins working at a steel mill to learn the business from the bottom up. He rooms with a steel working family, the...
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Steel Town
1954
Riders to the Stars
5.5/14
Three men gamble their lives in space to change the history of the world
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Riders to the Stars
1952
Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
5.9/7
Ma and Pa are trying to raise enough money at the county fair to send their daughter Rosie to college. Ma competes in baking and Pa enters a trotter i...
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Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair
1976
The Savage Bees
5/17
In this horror-drama the festive fun of the annual Mardi Gras celebration is brought to a halt when a swarm of African killer bees escape from a forei...
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The Savage Bees
1953
Skip Taylor
0/0
This USAF flight training recruitment film follows a trio of aviation cadets as they struggle through the initial "Pre-flight" phase of their training...
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