Denver Pyle

Denver Pyle

actor, director, camera and electrical department

Denver Pyle was born on May 11, 1920 in USA. Denver Pyle's big-screen debut came with The Guilt of Janet Ames directed by Henry Levin in 1947, strarring Man in Opening Scene (uncredited). Denver Pyle is known for The Dukes of Hazzard directed by Paul Baxley, Catherine Bach stars as Daisy Duke and Denver Pyle as Uncle Jesse. The most recent award Denver Pyle achieved is Walk of Fame. The upcoming new movie Denver Pyle plays is The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! which will be released on Apr 25, 1997.

A rather wanderlust fellow before he latched onto acting, Denver Pyle--who made a career of playing drawling, somewhat slow Southern types--was actually born in Colorado in 1920, to a farming family. He attended a university for a time but dropped out to become a drummer. When that didn't pan out he drifted from job to job, doing everything from working the oil fields in Oklahoma to the shrimp boats in Texas. In 1940 he moseyed off to Los Angeles and briefly found employment as a (somewhat unlikely) NBC page. That particular career was interrupted by World War II, and Pyle enlisted in the navy. Wounded in the battle of Guadalcanal, he received a medical discharge in 1943. Working for an aircraft plant in Los Angeles as a riveter, the rangy actor was introduced to the entertainment field after receiving a role in an amateur theater production and getting spotted by a talent scout. Training with such renowned teachers as Maria Ouspenskaya and Michael Chekhov, he made his film debut in Peter Ibbetson a raison (1947). Pyle went on to roles in hundreds of film and TV parts, bringing a touch of Western authenticity to many of his roles. A minor villain or sidekick in the early 1950s, he often received no billing. Prematurely white-haired (a family trait), he became a familiar face on episodes of Gunsmoke (1955) and Bonanza (1959) and also developed a close association with actor John Wayne, appearing in many of Wayne's later films, including Les cavaliers (1959), Alamo (1960), L'homme qui tua Liberty Valance (1962) and Les cordes de la potence (1973). Pyle's more important movie roles came late in his career. One of his most memorable was in Bonnie et Clyde (1967) as Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, the handcuffed hostage of the duo, who spits in Bonnie's (Faye Dunaway) face after she coyly poses with him for a camera shot. He settled easily into hillbilly/mountain men types in his later years and became a household face for his crotchety presence in La légende d'Adams et de l'ours Benjamin (1977) and, especially, Shérif, fais-moi peur! (1979). He died of lung cancer at age 77.

  • Birthday

    May 11, 1920

  • Place of Birth

    Bethune, Colorado, USA

Known For

The Dukes of Hazzard
TV
The Dukes of Hazzard

19797.1

Once Upon a Starry Night
Movie
Once Upon a Starry Night

19788.0

The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams
TV
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams

19777.5

The Last of Mrs. Lincoln
Movie
The Last of Mrs. Lincoln

19767.7

Karen
TV
Karen

19757.6

Dirty Sally
TV
Dirty Sally

19747.8

Hog Wild
Movie
Hog Wild

19747.6

The Manhunter
TV
The Manhunter

19747.2

The Doris Day Show
TV
The Doris Day Show

19687.2

Bonnie and Clyde
Movie
Bonnie and Clyde

19677.7

Awards

2 wins & 0 nominations

Walk of Fame
1997
Motion Picture
Winner - Star on the Walk of Fame
Golden Boot Awards
1984
Winner - Golden Boot

Movies & TV Shows

All
Movies
TV Shows