Personal Info
Known For:
Acting
Birthday:
May 11, 1920
Place of Birth:
Bethune, Colorado, USA
Social Media
Denver Pyle
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Denver Dell Pyle (May 11, 1920 – December 25, 1997) was an American film and television actor. He was known for portraying Briscoe Darling Jr. in several episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, and playing Jesse Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979-85.
Pyle was born in Bethune, Colorado on May 11, 1920 to farmer Ben H. Pyle and his wife Maude; His brother, Willis, was an animator known for his work with Walt Disney Animation Studios and UPA. After graduating from high school, Pyle briefly attended Colorado State University, but dropped out to enter show business, moving to Los Angeles in 1940. He worked as a drummer and band member until the United States entered World War II, when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Pyle was wounded in action in the Battle of Guadalcanal and received a medical discharge in 1942. Near the end of the war, he served in the United States Merchant Marine.
In 1955, Pyle married Marilee Carpenter, a production assistant at 20th Century Fox. They had sons David and Tony. Marilee and Denver divorced in 1970. In 1983, Pyle married Tippie Johnston. That union lasted until his death.
Pyle died of lung cancer on Christmas 1997. Memorial services were held January 6, 1998, at First Baptist Church in Waxahachie, Texas. He is buried in an unmarked grave at the Forreston Cemetery in Forreston, Texas. His remains are interred beside those of his second wife's parents, J.T. Johnston and Erin Birch Johnston. CLR
Known For
Filmography
| Year | Movie | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! | Uncle Jesse Duke |
| 1994 | Maverick | Old Gambler on Riverboat |
| 1994 | Father and Scout | George Rosebrock |
| 1992 | John Wayne's 'The Alamo' | Self |
| 1987 | Delta Fever | Walt |
| 1986 | Return to Mayberry | Briscoe Darling |
| 1983 | Mercur: The Town that Can't Stay Dead | Narrator |
| 1981 | Legend of the Wild | Narrator (Voice) |
| 1979 | When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion | Self |
| 1978 | Once Upon a Starry Night | Mad Jack |
| 1978 | Return from Witch Mountain | Uncle Bene |
| 1978 | How Bugs Bunny Won the West | Narrator |
| 1978 | Legend of the Northwest | |
| 1976 | Hawmps! | Col. Seymour Hawkins |
| 1976 | Welcome to L.A. | Carl Barber |
| 1976 | The Last of Mrs. Lincoln | Senator Austin |
| 1976 | Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson | The Indian Agent (McLaughlin) |
| 1976 | The Adventures of Frontier Fremont | Old mountain man |
| 1976 | Guardian of the Wilderness | Galen Clark |
| 1975 | Winterhawk | Arkansas |
| 1975 | Escape to Witch Mountain | Uncle Bene |
| 1975 | The Boy Who Talked to Badgers | Ben as an Adult |
| 1974 | Hog Wild | Dr. Larson |
| 1974 | The Legend of Hillbilly John | Grandpappy John |
| 1974 | Murder or Mercy | Amos Champion |
| 1973 | Cahill: United States Marshal | Denver |
| 1971 | Hitched | Ben Barnstable |
| 1971 | Something Big | Junior Frisbee |
| 1971 | Mean Justice | Tom Rawling |
| 1968 | 5 Card Stud | Sig Evers |
| 1968 | Bandolero! | Muncie Carter |
| 1967 | Bonnie and Clyde | Frank Hamer |
| 1967 | Welcome to Hard Times | Alfie - Stage Driver |
| 1967 | Tammy and the Millionaire | Grandpa Mordecai Tarleton |
| 1966 | Incident at Phantom Hill | 1st Hunter |
| 1966 | Gunpoint | Cap |
| 1965 | Shenandoah | Pastor Bjoerling |
| 1965 | The Great Race | Sheriff |
| 1965 | The Rounders | Bull |
| 1965 | Mara of the Wilderness | Kelly |
| 1964 | Cheyenne Autumn | Sen. Henry (uncredited) |
| 1964 | Mail Order Bride | Preacher Pope |
| 1964 | Black Like Me | Man in pick-up truck |
| 1963 | Terrified | Sheriff Dixon |
| 1962 | The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | Amos Carruthers |
| 1962 | Geronimo | Senator Conrad |
| 1960 | The Alamo | Thimblerig (the Gambler) |
| 1960 | Home from the Hill | Mr. Bradley |
| 1959 | Good Day for a Hanging | Deputy Ed Moore |
| 1959 | The Horse Soldiers | Jackie Jo |
| 1959 | Cast a Long Shadow | Preacher Harrison |
| 1959 | King of the Wild Stallions | MacGuire's Henchman |
| 1958 | The Left Handed Gun | Ollinger |
| 1958 | Fort Massacre | Collins |
| 1958 | The Party Crashers | Mr. Bickford |
| 1958 | Bitter Heritage | Sam Wheeler |
| 1958 | China Doll | Col. Wiley |
| 1957 | The Lonely Man | Brad, Red Bluff Sheriff |
| 1957 | Gun Duel in Durango | Ranger Captain |
| 1957 | Domino Kid | Bill Dragger |
| 1957 | Destination 60,000 | Mickey Hill |
| 1957 | Jet Pilot | Mr. Simpson |
| 1956 | 7th Cavalry | Dixon |
| 1956 | Please Murder Me | Det. Lt. Bradley |
| 1956 | The Naked Hills | Bert Killian / Narrator |
| 1956 | I Killed Wild Bill Hickok | Jim Bailey |
| 1956 | Yaqui Drums | Lefty Barr |
| 1955 | To Hell and Back | Thompson |
| 1955 | Ten Wanted Men | |
| 1955 | Top Gun | Hank Spencer (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Rage at Dawn | Clint Reno |
| 1955 | Run for Cover | Harvey (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Drum Beat | Fairchild (uncredited) |
| 1954 | The Command | Infantryman (uncredited) |
| 1954 | The Boy from Oklahoma | Bagley |
| 1954 | Johnny Guitar | Posseman (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Ride Clear of Diablo | Reverend Moorehead |
| 1954 | The Yellow Mountain | (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Fort Vengeance | Rider Warning About Wagon Train (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Goldtown Ghost Riders | Bernie Malloy (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Column South | Confederate Spy in Yankee Uniform (uncredited) |
| 1953 | The Lone Hand | Regulator (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Gunsmoke | Greasy (uncredited) |
| 1953 | Texas Bad Man | Tench |
| 1953 | Rebel City | Greeley |
| 1953 | Topeka | Jonas Bailey |
| 1953 | Vigilante Terror | Henchman Sperry |
| 1953 | A Perilous Journey | Bartender |
| 1952 | Mutiny | Gunner / Mutineer (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Oklahoma Annie | Skip |
| 1952 | Desert Passage | Allen |
| 1952 | Canyon Ambush | Tom Carlton-Replaced (credit only) |
| 1952 | Fargo | Carey |
| 1952 | Man from the Black Hills | Glenn Hartley |
| 1952 | The Maverick | Bud Karnes |
| 1951 | Million Dollar Pursuit | Nick Algren |
| 1951 | Drums in the Deep South | Union Soldier Breaking Window (uncredited) |
| 1951 | Hills of Utah | Bowie French |
| 1951 | Rough Riders of Durango | Henchman Lacey |
| 1950 | Federal Agent at Large | 'Jumpy' Jordan |
| 1950 | Customs Agent | Al |
| 1950 | Dynamite Pass | Henchman |
| 1950 | Captain China | Steve |
| 1950 | The Flying Saucer | Turner |
| 1950 | Singing Guns | Richards Henchman |
| 1950 | The Old Frontier | Henchman George |
| 1949 | Flame of Youth | Lytz |
| 1949 | Rim of the Canyon | Cash Collins (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Streets of San Francisco | Ed Quinn |
| 1949 | Red Canyon | Hutch |
| 1949 | Too Late for Tears | Young Man at Union Station (uncredited) |
| 1949 | El Paso | Vigilante (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Big Wheel | Track Intern |
| 1949 | Hellfire | Rex |
| 1948 | The Man from Colorado | Easy Jarrett |
| 1948 | Train to Alcatraz | Hutch Hutchins |
| 1948 | Marshal of Amarillo | The Night Clerk |
| 1948 | The Man from Colorado | Easy Jarrett (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Devil Ship | Carl |
| 1947 | The Guilt of Janet Ames | Man in Opening Scene (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Where the North Begins | Jim Rockwell |
| Year | TV Show | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Cybill | |
| 1995 | What a Cartoon! | Podunk Possum (voice) |
| 1986 | L.A. Law | Harold Nordoff |
| 1984 | Murder, She Wrote | Eben Connors |
| 1983 | The Dukes | Uncle Jesse (voice) |
| 1979 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Jesse Duke |
| 1978 | Dallas | Blackie Callahan |
| 1977 | Grizzly Adams | Mad Jack |
| 1977 | How the West Was Won | Sgt. Tripp |
| 1975 | Karen | |
| 1974 | Petrocelli | |
| 1974 | The Manhunter | |
| 1973 | Barnaby Jones | Stayley Kircher |
| 1972 | Kung Fu | Dr. Joseph Colton |
| 1972 | The Streets of San Francisco | |
| 1972 | The Waltons | |
| 1971 | Cannon | |
| 1968 | The Doris Day Show | Buck Webb |
| 1967 | Cimarron Strip | |
| 1967 | The High Chaparral | General Warren |
| 1967 | Hondo | |
| 1967 | The Guns of Will Sonnett | |
| 1965 | Tammy | Mordecai Tarleton |
| 1964 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. | Titus Purcell |
| 1963 | The Great Adventure | Gen. Mills |
| 1963 | Mr. Novak | Brill |
| 1963 | The Lieutenant | |
| 1963 | Channing | Sam Riddle |
| 1962 | The Virginian | Pico Brown |
| 1962 | Empire | Tom Rawling |
| 1961 | Cain's Hundred | Chief Amos Trask |
| 1961 | The Dick Van Dyke Show | Uncle George |
| 1961 | Ben Casey | |
| 1961 | Dr. Kildare | R. E. Lenger |
| 1960 | The Andy Griffith Show | Briscoe Darling |
| 1960 | Route 66 | |
| 1960 | Thriller | Ortho Wheeler |
| 1960 | The Aquanauts | Captain Leo Stohl |
| 1960 | National Velvet | |
| 1960 | Stagecoach West | |
| 1960 | The Tall Man | Marshal Dave Leggert |
| 1960 | Checkmate | Terry Adams ( |
| 1959 | Bourbon Street Beat | |
| 1959 | The Twilight Zone | Stu Tillman |
| 1959 | Rawhide | John Wesley 'Daddy' Quade |
| 1959 | Men Into Space | |
| 1959 | Law of the Plainsman | Burke Carew |
| 1959 | Riverboat | Jim Bledsoe |
| 1959 | Wichita Town | |
| 1959 | The Detectives | |
| 1959 | The Deputy | Akins |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Price Buchanan |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Claude Roman |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Sheriff Ed |
| 1959 | Bonanza | Marcus Caldwell |
| 1958 | Bronco | |
| 1958 | The Rifleman | |
| 1958 | Lawman | |
| 1958 | Bat Masterson | Dan Morgan |
| 1958 | The Texan | |
| 1958 | Jefferson Drum | Bart Resdake |
| 1958 | Behind Closed Doors | Roger Woodson |
| 1958 | The Texan | Sheriff |
| 1958 | The Texan | Chip Andrews |
| 1958 | Bat Masterson | Walsh (uncredited) |
| 1958 | The Texan | Houston Blackston |
| 1958 | Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer | Braddock |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Robert Crane |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | |
| 1957 | 26 Men | |
| 1957 | Maverick | |
| 1957 | Casey Jones | Frank Reeder |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Jackson Sidemark |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Tom Quincy |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Tilden Stuart |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Emery Fillmore |
| 1957 | Perry Mason | Frank Honer |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | Pete Hollister |
| 1957 | Wagon Train | Bragg |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | Clay Sommers |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | McKay |
| 1957 | Have Gun, Will Travel | Advent |
| 1956 | The Adventures of Jim Bowie | |
| 1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | John Baker |
| 1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Sheriff |
| 1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Marshal Quimby |
| 1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Sheriff Tom |
| 1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Seth Robson |
| 1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Marshal Joe Sully |
| 1956 | Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre | Nat Sledge |
| 1956 | State Trooper | Mark Schmedler |
| 1956 | Broken Arrow | Fred Graf |
| 1955 | Cheyenne | |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Willie Calhoun |
| 1955 | The Millionaire | Arthur Darner |
| 1955 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp | |
| 1955 | Buffalo Bill Jr. | |
| 1955 | Frontier | |
| 1955 | My Friend Flicka | Alec |
| 1955 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp | Ben Thompson |
| 1955 | Fury | Carter |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Hank Shinn |
| 1955 | Cheyenne | Cyrus Burton |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Mike Blocker |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Gus |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Aaron |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Haggen |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Pa |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Claudius |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Caleb |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Clab Chummer |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Caleb Nash |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Dr. Henry S. Rand |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Judge Blent |
| 1955 | Gunsmoke | Cyrus Himes |
| 1955 | Cheyenne | John Hanson |
| 1955 | The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp | Hoss Mackey |
| 1955 | The 20th Century Fox Hour | Lester |
| 1955 | The 20th Century Fox Hour | Charley |
| 1954 | Lassie | |
| 1954 | Public Defender | Tom Gayley |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Mr. Royal (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Annie Oakley | Dr. Barnes |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Dr. Larson |
| 1954 | Public Defender | George Hansen |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Amos Briggs (uncredited) |
| 1954 | Annie Oakley | Tom Malloy |
| 1954 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Ben as an Adult (voice) |
| 1954 | The Lone Wolf | Kargar |
| 1953 | I'm the Law | |
| 1952 | Adventures of Superman | Emile Hatch |
| 1952 | Hopalong Cassidy | |
| 1951 | The Roy Rogers Show | |
| 1951 | The Adventures of Kit Carson | |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show | |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show | Frank Blake |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show | Burr Ramsey |
| 1950 | The Gene Autry Show | Dodge Hartman |
| 1949 | The Lone Ranger | Deputy French |
| 1949 | The Lone Ranger | Colby |
| 1949 | The Lone Ranger | Stack |
| 1949 | The Lone Ranger | Deputy Allen |