James Best in WWII
James Best appeared in the Combat! episode "Mail Call." When interviewed for the book
Combat! A Viewer's Companion by Jo Davidsmeyer he recalled, "Vic [Morrow] was a very
nice guy, really friendly. It was a pleasure to work with the whole cast. A very congenial
shoot. Some of 'em aren't that congenial. On those shows, you'd really look forward to
going to work. Of course, the Combat! thing was interesting to me, because I was in
WWII. I was a radio gunner in a B-17."
Mini biography by Jim Beaver
American character actor and teacher. Although a native of Indiana, he
grew up in the South. A handsome young man, his rural inflections perhaps kept him from
frequent leading man roles. During the 1950s and '60s, he was a familiar face in movies
and television in a wide range of roles, from Western bad guys to craven cowards and
country bumpkins. Physical ailments curtailed his work for a long period late in his
career, and he established a well-respected acting workshop in Los Angeles. Although the
"The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979) TV series was far beneath his talents, his role as
Sheriff Roscoe Coltrane was the part that gave him his greatest fame.
Book by James Best
Related Links:
www.JamesBest.com, a site
maintained by James Best himself
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