James Best - best known for his portrayal of the bumbling backwood sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in 'The Dukes of Hazzard' has passed away at the age of 88.

Best was born as Jules Guy in Powderly, Kentucky, on July 26, 1926. Aside from his Dukes role Best appeared on a long list of other television series including Wagon Train (three times), The Adventures of Kit Carson (twice as Henry Jordan), the western anthology series Frontier (twice), Sheriff of Cochise, Pony Express, Rescue 8, Behind Closed Doors, The Texan, The Rebel, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Have Gun – Will Travel,Trackdown, The Barbara Stanwyck Show, Tombstone Territory, Whispering Smith, The Rifleman, Stagecoach West, The Twilight Zone ("The Grave", "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank," and "Jess-Belle"), Wanted: Dead or Alive, Overland Trail, Bat Masterson, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Man and the Challenge, Combat!, The Mod Squad, I Spy, The Fugitive ("Terror At High Point"), and In the Heat of the Night.

Fans of CBS's The Andy Griffith Show will remember Best for his portrayal of the young guitar player Jim Lindsey in two episodes.



Best passed in a hospice facility following a brief illness and complications from pneumonia, a close friend told the Charlotte Observer.

Source: Wikipedia