Denver Pyle

From the Ship's Deck to the Soundstage

Denver Pyle arrived in Hollywood with a war wound in his leg and very little to lose. He had served in the Merchant Marine and was discharged after the attack on Guadalcanal. In 1943 he landed in Los Angeles to make a living as a riveter before the movies crossed his path.

He wasn't the typical square-jawed leading man.

His early roles were modest and almost always tied to B-movie westerns. But his ability to harden his gaze or let out a rough laugh kept him consistently employed. He worked in films such as The Guilt of Janet Ames in 1947, and little by little he became known for playing rural characters who seemed to chew tobacco before they spoke.

During the fifties and sixties he appeared in nearly every cowboy series on American television. He appeared in fourteen episodes of Gunsmoke, playing different characters. That was his greatest professional strength, because casting directors knew Pyle could handle any scene on set without causing trouble.

Oil Money and a White Beard

Many viewers associate him exclusively with his later years as a beloved older character, but his career was far more technical than it seems. In 1977, he took on the role of Mad Jack in The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. That was where his image as a mountain man fully took hold with audiences.

Then came the role that would earn him a golden retirement.

In 1979, he began filming The Dukes of Hazzard to play Uncle Jesse. Not only did he act, he also directed a total of 12 episodes of the series between 1980 and 1985. Pyle ran the shoot with an iron hand and an efficiency that saved Warner Bros. thousands of dollars.

But few people knew that the actor didn't need television money to live well. In the late 1960s he invested his savings in oil wells in Texas and Oklahoma. His oil profits far exceeded his earnings as an actor for decades. That allowed him the luxury of taking roles purely for fun or out of commitment to producers.

A Quiet Ending Out of the Spotlight

His last major role came in the film Maverick from 1994, alongside Mel Gibson. He played a cunning old cardsharp on a steamboat, keeping alive that mischievous Old West spirit. He wasn't chasing big awards or praise from the critics.

In 1997 his health declined sharply due to lung cancer. He passed away on December 25 at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. He was 77 years old and left an estate managed by energy companies that kept pumping crude oil from his land.

Only a metal plaque marks the spot where this World War II veteran rests.