'Dukes of Hazzard' actor Best dies at 88.

• Author: Drew, Jonathan
• Position: Living - Obituary

Byline: Jonathan Drew and Michael Biesecker

RALEIGH, N.C. -- James Best, the prolific character actor best known for his role as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on "The Dukes of Hazzard'' has died. He was 88.

His wife of 29 years, Dorothy Best, said that he 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 brothers, often in the company of his droopy-faced basset hound Flash. Best employed a battery of catch phrases in the role, as well as memorable laugh that was comically villainous.

"I acted the part as good as I could,'' Best told The Charlotte Observer in a 2009 interview. "Rosco, let's face it, was a charmer. It was a fun thing.''

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.''

"I was fortunate enough to call him my friend since the day he walked on the set of 'Gunsmoke' back in the early '60s,'' actor Burt Reynolds said in a statement. "Onset or off, behind the scenes, in front of a class or just as a...