The Man Behind Cooter
Ben Jones played Cooter Davenport, the tow-truck-driving mechanic on The Dukes of Hazzard. He was the guy at the garage, the one who always had the General Lee ready, who ran the CB radio, and who helped Bo and Luke stay one step ahead of Rosco and Boss Hogg. If you watched the show as a kid, Cooter was probably your second-favorite character after the car.
Jones wasn't a trained actor. He was a Georgia native who'd done some theater and odd jobs before landing the role. That working-class background is what made Cooter feel real — he looked like a guy who actually knew his way around an engine. He wasn't playing a mechanic. He kind of was one.
Here's the wild part: Ben Jones went on to serve two terms in the US Congress. He was elected as a Democrat from Georgia in 1988 and again in 1990. A guy who played a tow-truck driver on a goofy CBS show actually sat in the House of Representatives. You can't write that career arc.
Jones passed away in August 2026 at 84, which is why everyone's searching for him again. He'd run a Dukes of Hazzard museum called Cooter's Place in Tennessee and Virginia, complete with General Lee replicas, merch, and fan meetups. He never stopped being Cooter. He leaned into it for decades.
The Rest of the Core Cast
John Schneider played Bo Duke, the blond one. He became a country music singer after the show, with several hit singles in the 1980s, and kept acting in everything from Smallville (as Jonathan Kent) to Tyler Perry productions. He's still touring and releasing music today.
Tom Wopat played Luke Duke. He went to Broadway, earning Tony nominations for Annie Get Your Gun and A Catered Affair. He's also released jazz albums. Of the two Duke boys, Wopat took the more serious stage route, and it suited him.
Catherine Bach played Daisy Duke. Yes, the character who gave us the "Daisy Dukes" shorts. She continued acting through the 1990s and 2000s, including a long run on The Young and the Restless.
Sorrell Booke played Boss Hogg, the corrupt county commissioner in the white suit. He died in 1994 at 60. His performance is genuinely funny — Boss Hogg is one of the great comic villains of 1980s television.
Denver Pyle played Uncle Jesse. He died in 1997 at 77. Before Dukes, he had a massive film and TV resume going back to the 1950s, including roles in Bonnie and Clyde and The Andy Griffith Show.
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James Best played Rosco P. Coltrane, the bumbling sheriff. He died in 2015 at 88. His "kew-kew-kew" laugh as Rosco is burned into the memory of anyone who grew up with the show.
What People Actually Ask
Who's still alive from the cast? Schneider, Wopat, and Bach are still around. Sorrell Booke (Boss Hogg) died in 1994, Denver Pyle (Uncle Jesse) in 1997, James Best (Rosco) in 2015, and Ben Jones (Cooter) in August 2026.
Why did Bo and Luke leave in season 5? Schneider and Wopat walked out over merchandising disputes — they wanted a cut of the Dukes merch money and the studio said no. They were replaced by two replacement cousins, Coy and Vance Duke, for a chunk of season 5. The fan reaction was bad enough that the studio eventually caved, and Bo and Luke came back. The whole thing was a mess that could've been avoided.
Is there a reboot coming? The cast has teased a possible reboot or reunion project in interviews. Nothing concrete has been announced. Don't hold your breath, but the interest is there.
What about the 2005 movie? The Johnny Knoxville / Seann William Scott film was trashed by critics — it sits at a low Rotten Tomatoes score and fans mostly hated it. It's a loose, dumb adaptation that doesn't capture the show's charm. Skip it unless you're a completionist.
Where to Watch It Now
The Dukes of Hazzard runs in syndication on CMT and occasionally on Pluto TV's rerun channels. The full series is available to buy on Amazon and Apple TV. The original series ran from 1979 to 1985, 147 episodes. It was a massive hit, the kind of show that defined a whole era of American television. It's dated now — the Confederate flag on the General Lee is a conversation people still argue about — but the cast made it work. Ben Jones as Cooter was a big part of why.
