Actor. He is best remembered for his role of 'Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg' on the "Dukes of Hazzard" television series. Born in Buffalo, New York, the son of a local physician, his family encouraged him to entertain relatives and friends by doing impressions and telling jokes. While studying in Yale and Columbia University, he mastered five languages, and following his graduation, went into the Army as a Lieutenant, where he worked in counter-intelligence during the Korean War, using his multi-lingual talents to good effect. Once his military service was over with, he began working as an actor in small parts on television, beginning with "Producer's Showcase" (1957). Over the next several years, he played bit roles on such television shows as "Gunsmoke," "All in the Family," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Hawaii Five-O," and numerous other episodes and series, in roles ranging from military generals to next-door-neighbors to spooky villains. His first movie role came as 'Hugo' in "The Iceman Cometh" (1960), and he played minor roles in such movies as "Fail-Safe" (1964), "Matchless" (1966), "Up the Down Staircase" (1967), and "Brenda Starr" (1976). However, it was his role of sleazy Southern politician 'Boss Hogg' in the television series "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979 to 1985) that won him a following and made his name prominent to the television audience. In his final years, he stopped appearing in roles, but continued to be a voice on several television shows and movies, occasionally as narrator, and sometimes as a cartoon character's voice, in such movies as "Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers" (1987 television movie), "Gravedale High" (1990 television series), and "Rock-A-Doodle" (1991).
Actor. He is best remembered for his role of 'Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg' on the "Dukes of Hazzard" television series. Born in Buffalo, New York, the son of a local physician, his family encouraged him to entertain relatives and friends by doing impressions and telling jokes. While studying in Yale and Columbia University, he mastered five languages, and following his graduation, went into the Army as a Lieutenant, where he worked in counter-intelligence during the Korean War, using his multi-lingual talents to good effect. Once his military service was over with, he began working as an actor in small parts on television, beginning with "Producer's Showcase" (1957). Over the next several years, he played bit roles on such television shows as "Gunsmoke," "All in the Family," "The Streets of San Francisco," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Hawaii Five-O," and numerous other episodes and series, in roles ranging from military generals to next-door-neighbors to spooky villains. His first movie role came as 'Hugo' in "The Iceman Cometh" (1960), and he played minor roles in such movies as "Fail-Safe" (1964), "Matchless" (1966), "Up the Down Staircase" (1967), and "Brenda Starr" (1976). However, it was his role of sleazy Southern politician 'Boss Hogg' in the television series "The Dukes of Hazzard" (1979 to 1985) that won him a following and made his name prominent to the television audience. In his final years, he stopped appearing in roles, but continued to be a voice on several television shows and movies, occasionally as narrator, and sometimes as a cartoon character's voice, in such movies as "Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers" (1987 television movie), "Gravedale High" (1990 television series), and "Rock-A-Doodle" (1991).
Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson
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