How old was James Best in…

James Best

Bio: 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

Born: Mon, Jul 26 1926

Birthplace: Powderly, Kentucky, USA

Death: Mon, Apr 06 2015

James Best is 88 years old

External Links

Sort by Popularity

Scroll to TV Credits

Acting Roles

Crew Roles

Movies (Acting Roles)

Sorted by Release Date

Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!

James Best would have been no older than

88 in Hollywood in the Atomic Age: Monsters! Martians! Mad Scientists!

as 'Self'.

Sat, Feb 13 2021

The Sweeter Side of Life

James Best was

86 in The Sweeter Side of Life

as 'Paddy Kerrigan'.

Thu, Jul 11 2013

Return of the Killer Shrews

James Best was

86 in Return of the Killer Shrews

as 'Thorne Sherman'.

Thu, Nov 15 2012

Moondance Alexander

James Best was

80 in Moondance Alexander

as 'McClancy'.

Sun, Apr 22 2007

Hot Tamale

James Best was

79 in Hot Tamale

as 'Hank Larson'.

Sun, Apr 23 2006

The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made

James Best was

77 in The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made

as 'Thorne Sherman (archive footage)'.

Tue, Jul 13 2004

The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

James Best was

75 in The Men Who Made the Movies: Samuel Fuller

as 'Sgt. David Brent (archive footage) (uncredited)'.

Tue, Jul 02 2002

The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood

James Best was

73 in The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood

as 'Rosco P. Coltrane'.

Mon, Jun 05 2000

Death Mask

James Best was

71 in Death Mask

as 'Wilbur Johnson'.

Thu, Jan 01 1998

The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!

James Best was

70 in The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!

as 'Boss / Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane'.

Fri, Apr 25 1997

Hooper

James Best was

52 in Hooper

as 'Cully'.

Fri, Jul 28 1978

The End

James Best was

51 in The End

as 'Pacemaker Patient'.

Wed, May 10 1978

Rolling Thunder

James Best was

51 in Rolling Thunder

as 'Texan'.

Wed, Nov 02 1977

Nickelodeon

James Best was

50 in Nickelodeon

as 'Jim'.

Tue, Dec 21 1976

The Savage Bees

James Best was

50 in The Savage Bees

as 'Pellegrino'.

Mon, Nov 22 1976

Ode to Billy Joe

James Best was

49 in Ode to Billy Joe

as 'Dewey Barksdale'.

Fri, Jun 04 1976

The Runaway Barge

James Best was

48 in The Runaway Barge

as 'Bingo Washington'.

Mon, Mar 24 1975

Savages

James Best was

48 in Savages

as 'Sheriff Bert Hamilton'.

Wed, Sep 11 1974

Sounder

James Best was

46 in Sounder

as 'Sheriff Charlie Young'.

Sun, Sep 24 1972

The Brain Machine

James Best was

45 in The Brain Machine

as 'Rev. Emory Neill'.

Sat, Jan 01 1972

Run, Simon, Run

James Best was

44 in Run, Simon, Run

as 'Henry Burroughs'.

Tue, Dec 01 1970

Firecreek

James Best was

41 in Firecreek

as 'Drew'.

Wed, Jan 24 1968

First to Fight

James Best was

40 in First to Fight

as 'Sergeant Carnavan'.

Wed, Jan 25 1967

Three on a Couch

James Best was

39 in Three on a Couch

as 'Dr. Ben Mizer'.

Tue, Mar 01 1966

Shenandoah

James Best was

38 in Shenandoah

as 'Carter, Rebel Soldier'.

Thu, Jun 03 1965

Black Spurs

James Best was

38 in Black Spurs

as 'Ralph Elkins'.

Fri, May 28 1965

The Quick Gun

James Best was

37 in The Quick Gun

as 'Scotty Wade'.

Wed, Apr 01 1964

Shock Corridor

James Best was

37 in Shock Corridor

as 'Stuart'.

Wed, Sep 25 1963

Black Gold

James Best was

35 in Black Gold

as 'Jericho Larkin'.

Sat, Jul 21 1962

The Mountain Road

James Best was

33 in The Mountain Road

as 'Niergaard'.

Wed, Jun 15 1960

Aftermath

James Best was

33 in Aftermath

as 'Hardy Coulter'.

Sun, Apr 17 1960

Cast a Long Shadow

James Best was

33 in Cast a Long Shadow

as 'Sam Mullen'.

Mon, Aug 24 1959

The Killer Shrews

James Best was

32 in The Killer Shrews

as 'Thorne Sherman'.

Thu, Jun 25 1959

Verboten!

James Best was

32 in Verboten!

as 'Sgt. David Brent'.

Wed, Mar 25 1959

Ride Lonesome

James Best was

32 in Ride Lonesome

as 'Billy John'.

Sun, Feb 01 1959

The Naked and the Dead

James Best was

32 in The Naked and the Dead

as 'Rhidges'.

Wed, Aug 06 1958

The Left Handed Gun

James Best was

31 in The Left Handed Gun

as 'Tom Folliard'.

Wed, May 07 1958

Cole Younger, Gunfighter

James Best was

31 in Cole Younger, Gunfighter

as 'Kit Caswell'.

Sun, Mar 30 1958

Man on the Prowl

James Best was

31 in Man on the Prowl

as 'Doug Gerhardt'.

Sun, Dec 01 1957

Last of the Badmen

James Best was

30 in Last of the Badmen

as 'Ted Hamilton'.

Sun, Feb 17 1957

Hot Summer Night

James Best was

30 in Hot Summer Night

as 'Kermit'.

Fri, Feb 15 1957

The Rack

James Best was

30 in The Rack

as 'Millard Chilson Cassidy'.

Fri, Nov 02 1956

Calling Homicide

James Best was

30 in Calling Homicide

as 'Det. Arnie Arnhoff'.

Sun, Sep 30 1956

Gaby

James Best was

29 in Gaby

as 'Jim'.

Wed, May 09 1956

Forbidden Planet

James Best was

29 in Forbidden Planet

as 'Crewman (uncredited)'.

Fri, Mar 23 1956

Come Next Spring

James Best was

29 in Come Next Spring

as 'Bill Jackson'.

Fri, Mar 09 1956

Top of the World

James Best was

28 in Top of the World

as 'Col. French's Orderly (uncredited)'.

Sun, May 01 1955

Seven Angry Men

James Best was

28 in Seven Angry Men

as 'Jason Brown'.

Sun, Mar 27 1955

The Raid

James Best was

28 in The Raid

as 'Lt. Robinson'.

Wed, Aug 04 1954

Return from the Sea

James Best was

28 in Return from the Sea

as 'Barr'.

Wed, Jul 28 1954

The Caine Mutiny

James Best was

27 in The Caine Mutiny

as 'Lt. JG Jorgensen'.

Thu, Jun 24 1954

The Yellow Tomahawk

James Best was

27 in The Yellow Tomahawk

as 'Private Bliss'.

Sat, May 01 1954

Riders to the Stars

James Best was

27 in Riders to the Stars

as 'Dr. Sidney K. Fuller'.

Thu, Jan 14 1954

Skip Taylor

James Best was

27 in Skip Taylor

Wed, Dec 16 1953

City of Bad Men

James Best was

27 in City of Bad Men

as 'Deputy Gig (uncredited)'.

Fri, Sep 11 1953

Column South

James Best was

26 in Column South

as 'Primrose'.

Wed, May 20 1953

Seminole

James Best was

26 in Seminole

as 'Corp. Gerad'.

Fri, Mar 20 1953

Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair

James Best was

25 in Ma and Pa Kettle at the Fair

as 'Marvin Johnson'.

Fri, Jul 11 1952

Francis Goes to West Point

James Best was

25 in Francis Goes to West Point

as 'Cpl. Ransom'.

Tue, Jul 01 1952

Steel Town

James Best was

25 in Steel Town

as 'Joe Rakich'.

Fri, May 09 1952

The Battle at Apache Pass

James Best was

25 in The Battle at Apache Pass

as 'Cpl. Hassett'.

Fri, May 09 1952

The Cimarron Kid

James Best was

25 in The Cimarron Kid

as 'Bitter Creek Dalton'.

Sun, Jan 13 1952

Apache Drums

James Best was

24 in Apache Drums

as 'Bert Keon'.

Sun, Apr 01 1951

Air Cadet

James Best was

24 in Air Cadet

as 'Jerry Connell'.

Wed, Mar 14 1951

Target Unknown

James Best was

24 in Target Unknown

as 'Sgt. Ralph Phelps'.

Thu, Feb 08 1951

Kansas Raiders

James Best was

24 in Kansas Raiders

as 'Cole Younger'.

Wed, Nov 15 1950

Winchester '73

James Best was

23 in Winchester '73

as 'Crater'.

Wed, Jul 12 1950

Peggy

James Best was

23 in Peggy

as 'Frank Addison'.

Sat, Jul 01 1950

I Was a Shoplifter

James Best was

23 in I Was a Shoplifter

Sat, May 13 1950

Comanche Territory

James Best was

23 in Comanche Territory

as 'Sam'.

Mon, May 01 1950

One Way Street

James Best was

23 in One Way Street

as 'Driver (uncredited)'.

Sat, Apr 01 1950

TV Shows (Acting Roles)

Sorted by Release Date
Ages in TV shows are based off the first air date and may not be accurate. View individual episode details for accurate ages

CMT: Inside Fame

James Best was

78+ in CMT: Inside Fame

First Air Date
Fri, May 13 2005

E! True Hollywood Story

James Best was

70+ in E! True Hollywood Story

First Air Date
Wed, Aug 21 1996

B.L. Stryker

James Best was

62+ in B.L. Stryker

First Air Date
Mon, Feb 13 1989

In the Heat of the Night

James Best was

61+ in In the Heat of the Night

First Air Date
Sun, Mar 06 1988

The Dukes

James Best was

56+ in The Dukes

as 'Rosco Coltrane (voice)'.

First Air Date
Sat, Feb 05 1983

Enos

James Best was

54+ in Enos

First Air Date
Wed, Nov 12 1980

The Dukes of Hazzard

James Best was

52+ in The Dukes of Hazzard

as 'Rosco P. Coltrane'.

First Air Date
Fri, Jan 26 1979

Centennial

James Best was

52+ in Centennial

First Air Date
Sun, Oct 01 1978

The Manhunter

James Best was

48+ in The Manhunter

First Air Date
Wed, Sep 11 1974

Hawkins

James Best was

46+ in Hawkins

as 'Sheriff John Early'.

First Air Date
Tue, Mar 13 1973

The Mod Squad

James Best was

42+ in The Mod Squad

First Air Date
Tue, Sep 24 1968

Lancer

James Best was

42+ in Lancer

First Air Date
Tue, Sep 24 1968

The Guns of Will Sonnett

James Best was

41+ in The Guns of Will Sonnett

First Air Date
Fri, Sep 08 1967

Felony Squad

James Best was

40+ in Felony Squad

First Air Date
Mon, Sep 12 1966

The Green Hornet

James Best was

40+ in The Green Hornet

as 'Yale Barton'.

First Air Date
Fri, Sep 09 1966

Hawk

James Best was

40+ in Hawk

First Air Date
Thu, Sep 08 1966

Honey West

James Best was

39+ in Honey West

as 'Vince Zale'.

First Air Date
Fri, Sep 17 1965

Daniel Boone

James Best was

38+ in Daniel Boone

as 'Jethro Wyatt'.

First Air Date
Thu, Sep 24 1964

Flipper

James Best was

38+ in Flipper

First Air Date
Sat, Sep 19 1964

Redigo

James Best was

37+ in Redigo

First Air Date
Tue, Sep 24 1963

Burke's Law

James Best was

37+ in Burke's Law

as 'Tucson, 'The Cowboy''.

First Air Date
Fri, Sep 20 1963

The Fugitive

James Best was

37+ in The Fugitive

as 'Dan Murray'.

First Air Date
Tue, Sep 17 1963

The Gallant Men

James Best was

36+ in The Gallant Men

First Air Date
Fri, Oct 05 1962

Combat!

James Best was

36+ in Combat!

as 'Trenton'.

First Air Date
Tue, Oct 02 1962

General Electric True

James Best was

36+ in General Electric True

First Air Date
Sun, Sep 30 1962

The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

James Best was

36+ in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour

as 'Tom Carmody'.

First Air Date
Thu, Sep 20 1962

The Virginian

James Best was

36+ in The Virginian

as 'Curt Westley'.

First Air Date
Wed, Sep 19 1962

Ben Casey

James Best was

35+ in Ben Casey

First Air Date
Mon, Oct 02 1961

Whispering Smith

James Best was

34+ in Whispering Smith

First Air Date
Mon, May 08 1961

Surfside 6

James Best was

34+ in Surfside 6

First Air Date
Thu, Oct 06 1960

Stagecoach West

James Best was

34+ in Stagecoach West

First Air Date
Tue, Oct 04 1960

The Andy Griffith Show

James Best was

34+ in The Andy Griffith Show

as 'Jim Lindsey'.

First Air Date
Mon, Oct 03 1960

Michael Shayne

James Best was

34+ in Michael Shayne

First Air Date
Fri, Sep 30 1960

The Barbara Stanwyck Show

James Best was

34+ in The Barbara Stanwyck Show

as 'Joe'.

First Air Date
Mon, Sep 19 1960

Pony Express

James Best was

33+ in Pony Express

as 'Bart Gentry'.

First Air Date
Wed, Mar 09 1960

Overland Trail

James Best was

33+ in Overland Trail

First Air Date
Sun, Feb 07 1960

Hawaiian Eye

James Best was

33+ in Hawaiian Eye

First Air Date
Wed, Oct 07 1959

Startime

James Best was

33+ in Startime

First Air Date
Tue, Oct 06 1959

The Rebel

James Best was

33+ in The Rebel

as 'Ted Evans, Abel Waares'.

First Air Date
Sun, Oct 04 1959

The Twilight Zone

James Best was

33+ in The Twilight Zone

as 'Jeff Myrtlebank, Billy-Ben Turner'.

First Air Date
Fri, Oct 02 1959

Men Into Space

James Best was

33+ in Men Into Space

First Air Date
Wed, Sep 30 1959

Lock-Up

James Best was

33+ in Lock-Up

First Air Date
Mon, Sep 28 1959

The DuPont Show with June Allyson

James Best was

33+ in The DuPont Show with June Allyson

as 'Jovan Wilanskov'.

First Air Date
Mon, Sep 21 1959

Laramie

James Best was

33+ in Laramie

First Air Date
Tue, Sep 15 1959

The Man and the Challenge

James Best was

33+ in The Man and the Challenge

First Air Date
Sat, Sep 12 1959

Bonanza

James Best was

33+ in Bonanza

as 'Sheriff Vern Schaler'.

First Air Date
Sat, Sep 12 1959

The David Niven Show

James Best was

32+ in The David Niven Show

as 'Boland'.

First Air Date
Tue, Apr 07 1959

Black Saddle

James Best was

32+ in Black Saddle

as 'Ben Travers'.

First Air Date
Sat, Jan 10 1959

Rawhide

James Best was

32+ in Rawhide

as 'Willie Cain, Brock Quade'.

First Air Date
Fri, Jan 09 1959

77 Sunset Strip

James Best was

32+ in 77 Sunset Strip

First Air Date
Fri, Oct 10 1958

Bat Masterson

James Best was

32+ in Bat Masterson

as 'Joe Best, Danny Dakota'.

First Air Date
Wed, Oct 08 1958

Behind Closed Doors

James Best was

32+ in Behind Closed Doors

as 'Webb'.

First Air Date
Thu, Oct 02 1958

The Rifleman

James Best was

32+ in The Rifleman

First Air Date
Tue, Sep 30 1958

The Texan

James Best was

32+ in The Texan

First Air Date
Mon, Sep 29 1958

Bronco

James Best was

32+ in Bronco

First Air Date
Tue, Sep 23 1958

Wanted: Dead or Alive

James Best was

32+ in Wanted: Dead or Alive

as 'Stoner, Luke Perry'.

First Air Date
Sat, Sep 06 1958

Tombstone Territory

James Best was

31+ in Tombstone Territory

First Air Date
Wed, Oct 16 1957

Trackdown

James Best was

31+ in Trackdown

First Air Date
Fri, Oct 04 1957

Perry Mason

James Best was

31+ in Perry Mason

as 'Allan Winford, Martin Potter'.

First Air Date
Sat, Sep 21 1957

Have Gun, Will Travel

James Best was

31+ in Have Gun, Will Travel

First Air Date
Sat, Sep 14 1957

Richard Diamond, Private Detective

James Best was

30+ in Richard Diamond, Private Detective

as 'Jack Milhoan'.

First Air Date
Mon, Jul 01 1957

West Point

James Best was

30+ in West Point

First Air Date
Fri, Oct 05 1956

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

James Best was

29+ in Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as 'Norman Frayne, Hennessy, Bish Darby'.

First Air Date
Sun, Oct 02 1955

Frontier

James Best was

29+ in Frontier

First Air Date
Sun, Sep 25 1955

Cheyenne

James Best was

29+ in Cheyenne

First Air Date
Tue, Sep 20 1955

Gunsmoke

James Best was

29+ in Gunsmoke

as 'Beal, Charlie Noon'.

First Air Date
Sat, Sep 10 1955

Buffalo Bill Jr.

James Best was

28+ in Buffalo Bill Jr.

First Air Date
Tue, Mar 01 1955

The Millionaire

James Best was

28+ in The Millionaire

as 'Fred Morgan'.

First Air Date
Wed, Jan 19 1955

Climax!

James Best was

28+ in Climax!

as 'Shag'.

First Air Date
Thu, Oct 07 1954

The Lineup

James Best was

28+ in The Lineup

First Air Date
Fri, Oct 01 1954

Stories of the Century

James Best was

27+ in Stories of the Century

First Air Date
Sat, Jan 23 1954

General Electric Theater

James Best was

26+ in General Electric Theater

as 'Hardy Coulter'.

First Air Date
Sun, Feb 01 1953

Cavalcade of America

James Best was

26+ in Cavalcade of America

as ', Harry, Slate Morley'.

First Air Date
Wed, Oct 01 1952

Hopalong Cassidy

James Best was

26+ in Hopalong Cassidy

First Air Date
Fri, Sep 19 1952

Hallmark Hall of Fame

James Best was

25+ in Hallmark Hall of Fame

First Air Date
Mon, Dec 24 1951

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

James Best was

25+ in Schlitz Playhouse of Stars

First Air Date
Fri, Oct 05 1951

The Adventures of Kit Carson

James Best was

25+ in The Adventures of Kit Carson

First Air Date
Sat, Aug 11 1951

Lux Video Theatre

James Best was

24+ in Lux Video Theatre

as 'Clem Wallace'.

First Air Date
Mon, Oct 02 1950

The Gene Autry Show

James Best was

23+ in The Gene Autry Show

First Air Date
Sun, Jul 23 1950