Dukes of Hazzard Star James Best Dies at 88

James Best, who starred as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard, died Monday of complications from pneumonia at a hospice facility in Hickory, N.C., The Charlotte Observer reports. He was 88.

Born Jewel Franklin Guy in Powderly, Ky., Best spent time in an orphanage after his mother's death when he was a child and was later raised by adoptive parents in Indiana. He served as a gunner in the Army Air Force during World War II and began acting after the war ended.

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Though he's best known for his Dukes of Hazzard role, Best appeared in more than 80 movies and hundreds of TV shows, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Perry Mason and The Andy Griffith Show.

He also taught an acting technique class in Hollywood for 25 years, in addition to teaching classes at the University of Mississippi and the University of Central Florida.

Best's last film credit was the 2013 Hallmark movie The Sweeter Side of Life, which was written and produced by his daughter and son-in-law. As recently as 2014, he starred in a community theater production of On Golden Pond in Hickory. He was set to star in a film about World War II veterans that was scheduled to begin filming later this year.

Best is survived by his wife, a son, two daughters and three grandchildren.