James Best

James Best (1926 - 2015)

Film Deaths

• Apache Drums (1951) [Bert Keon]: He rides off at night to fetch help from the cavalry for the besieged mission, but in the morning his body (unseen) is found in the well. (Thanks to Brian)

• The Cimarron Kid (1952) [Bitter Creek Dalton]: Gunned down by a group of railroad security men as he collects payroll money thrown from a robbed train. (Thanks to Brian)

• The Raid (1954) [Confederate]: Shot in the back by a prison guard, he is later further shot more times by guards when his gang leaves him behind. (I'm not 100% Sure this character was him, though).

• Last Of The Badmen (1958) [Ted Hamilton]: Shot dead by crooked Marshall (Willis Bouchey) when he asks him for help to raid the bank robbers' hideout. (Thanks to Brian)
• The Left Haned Gun (1958) [Tom Folliard]: Persumably shot to death during a shoot-out with John Dehner’s men. (I haven’t seen any of this, but I’m familiar with the events).

• Cast A Long Shadow (1959) [Sam Mullen]: He is lining up a rifle shot on Audie Murphy across a herd of stampeding cattle, when Robert Foulk rides up behind him and threatens to shoot him: they end up killing each other. (Thanks to Brian)

• The Quick Gun (1964) [Sheriff Scotty Grant]: Gunned down by Ted de Corsia when he tries to talk him out of sacking the town. (Thanks to Brian)

• Firecreek (1968) [Drew]: Trying to sexually assault BarBara Luna, he is discovered by the unarmed J. Robert Porter, and after a brief scuffle, Porter grabs Best's gun and shoots him in the back. (Thanks to Brian)

• Rolling Thunder (1977) [Texan]: Shot to death by William Devane in revenge for his family's murder early in the film.

TV Deaths

• The Rifleman: The Day a Town Slept (1962) [Bob Barrett]: Shot to death in a shoot-out with Paul Fix.

• The Twilight Zone: The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank (1962) [Jeff Myrtlebank]: Dies of an unspecified illness before the story begins. He comes back to life during his funeral, and stays alive throughout the rest of the episode (though it's left ambiguous whether he actually did come back to life or whether a spirit possessed his body).

• Gunsmoke: Charlie Noon (1969) [Charlie Noon]: Best is James Arness' prisoner, being taken back to Dodge when they rescue runaway Comanche bride Miriam Colon and her son Ron Howard. When the Comanche's catch up with them they believe Best is Parker, the man who stole her away, so he sacrifices himself by charging at a line of braves who shoot him dead, allowing the others to go free. (Thanks to Brian)