Denver Pyle

Biography for Denver Pyle

A rather wanderlust fellow before he latched onto acting, slow-drawling Southern character actor Denver Pyle was actually born in Colorado in 1920, the son of farmers. 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, working everywhere from the oil fields in Oklahoma to the shrimp boats in Texas. In 1940 he moseyed on off to Los Angeles and briefly found employment as a highly unlikely NBC page. WWII interrupted things after enlisting in the Navy, and he was given a medical discharge in 1942 after receiving wounds at Guadacanal. Working for an aircraft plant in Los Angeles as a riveter, the rangy actor happened upon the entertainment field after receiving a role in a amateur theatre production and getting spotted by a talent scout. Training with such renown teachers as Maria Ouspenskaya and Michael Chekhov, he made his film debut in The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947). Pyle went on to score in hundreds of film and TV parts providing 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" and "Bonanza" and also developed a close association with actor John Wayne, appearing in many of his later films including The Horse Soldiers (1959), The Alamo (1960), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) and Cahill: U.S. Marshal (1973). Pyle's more important movie roles came late in his career. One of his most memorable was in Bonnie and Clyde (1967) as Sheriff Frank Haimer, the handcuffed hostage of the duo who spits in Faye Dunaway's 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 on "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams" and "The Dukes of Hazzard." He died of lung cancer at age 77.

Born in 1920, Denver Pyle participated in many television westerns like Bonanza, Maverick or Bronco.

His gruff face appeared in more than 75 films, the latest being Maverick with Mel Gibson and James Garner.

This former soldier, who had participated in the Second World War, became an actor by chance and Uncle Jesse will remain his most striking role. He died after cancer in 1997 just after filming a sheriff TV movie, scare me.

Denver Pyle was an American actor born May 11, 1920 in Bethune, South Carolina, and died on December 25, 1997 in Burbank, California. He was known to have played in many television and films series, notably in The Dukes of Hazzard and the investigations of Inspector Harry. Pyle began his acting career in 1949 and continued to play until his death in 1997. He played in dozens of films and television series, and was recognized for his acting talent. Pyle was also a talented musician and played several instruments, including guitar and banjo. Apart from his acting career, he was also an experienced pilot and was a member of the association of experimental aviation pilots. Pyle was married to actress Jeanette Nolan, with whom he had two children, and he was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.

Photos

Filmography

Trivia

• Was originally cast to play Matt Dillon on "Gunsmoke" (1955) when James Arness turned down the first request to audition for the role.
• He received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame just two weeks before his death. Despite his weakened condition by cancer, he managed to attend the ceremony.
• His middle name was "Dell" which was named for his parents' favorite city.
• While working with John Wayne on "The Alamo," Wayne became impressed with Pyle's photography and made special arrangements with his public relations office to designate Pyle as the office set photographer for the picture.
• Best known for his role as Uncle Jessie on the hit sitcom "The Dukes Of Hazzard".

Family

• Spouse : Marilee ? (? - 1966) (divorced) 2 sons.
• Brother of animator Willis Pyle.

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by stals
• Last update: 01/05/2007 by abdest