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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The prolific character actor best known for his role as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on "The Dukes of Hazzard" has died. James Best was 88.
His wife, Dorothy Best, said Tuesday that Best died Monday night in hospice care in Hickory from complications of pneumonia.
Best starred on the television series that ran from 1979 to 1985. He was the lawman futilely chasing the Duke boys, often in the company of his droopy-faced basset hound Flash.
During a wide-ranging career of several decades, he also acted in movies including "The Caine Mutiny" and "Rolling Thunder," and he appeared on television shows including "Gunsmoke" and "The Andy Griffith Show."
Best was an acting teacher who helped several future Hollywood stars learn how to appear more natural on camera.
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