Denver Pyle
Encyclopedia
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film
and television
actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard
(1979-1985).
in Kit Carson County
, Colorado
, to farmer
Ben H. Pyle (1895–1988) and his wife Maude (1899–1985); After graduating from high school
, Pyle attended college but dropped out to enter show business
.
He was a drummer and band member until the United States entered the Second World War, when he enlisted in the Merchant Marine
. Pyle would later claim to be a U.S. Navy veteran who had been wounded at Guadalcanal
. In 1991 the National Personnel Records Center
reported there was no evidence he had served in the Navy.
film To Hell and Back
and guest starred twice on NBC
's 1955-1956 western anthology series Frontier
, in "Mother of the Brave" and in "The Voyage of Captain Castle". He appeared twice on CBS
's The Public Defender
in the role of George Hansen, and three times on the religious anthology series, Crossroads
on ABC
. Pyle appeared twice each on the western series My Friend Flicka
and The Restless Gun
. He guest starred with Grant Withers
in the 1959 episode "Tumbleweed Ranger" of the syndicated
western 26 Men
, true stories of the Arizona Rangers
. He also appeared in the syndicated series Pony Express
in the 1960 episode "Special Delivery". Pyle guest starred in the episode "Trail of the Dead", the story of five missing western prospectors, of Rod Cameron
's syndicated series State Trooper
. He appeared with Sammy Jackson
in the episode "Resurrection" of the syndicated American Civil War
drama Gray Ghost
. He appeared twice as an unidentified bank robber in Duncan Renaldo
's The Cisco Kid
. In 1954, Pyle played a henchman of Sam Bass
in Jim Davis
's syndicated series, Stories of the Century
. In 1958, Pyle starred with Judith Evelyn
in the episode "Man in the Moon" of the NBC docudrama
about the Cold War
, Behind Closed Doors
, hosted and occasionally starring Bruce Gordon
. Pyle made several appearances as "Briscoe Darling", the gruff patriarch
of a clan of musical hillbillies
, on CBS's The Andy Griffith Show
.
He also appeared in a number of Westerns
by John Ford
, including The Horse Soldiers
with William Holden
and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
. He played a Tennessee soldier (called "Thimblerig") in John Wayne
's The Alamo
(1960).
He also appeared in many television westerns, including the 1960 episode "Crime Epidemic" of the syndicated
series Tombstone Territory
, the 1961 episode "Hand of Vengeance" of the syndicated western Two Faces West
, he appeared twice on the CBS series "Route 66
" with Martin Milner
and George Maharis
, first in 1961 in the episode "The Newborn" and again in 1962 in the episode "A Long Piece Of Mischief", and the segment "Lawyer in Petticoats" of the NBC series Overland Trail
(1960).
One of his early roles was a villain
in an Adventures of Superman
television episode called "Beware the Wrecker". He also appeared on an episode of the Twilight Zone
in 1964 called "Black Leather Jackets" where he played the father. He appeared in the 1963-1964 season in ABC
's drama
about college
life, Channing
. He frequently appeared on Gunsmoke
(14) and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
(7), Frontier Justice
(2), all on CBS. He also is known for portraying both the suspect and the murder victim on the final Perry Mason
episode; he was the only actor to play a victim, a suspect and the actual murderer (in a previous episode) on the series out of 6 appearances. He was Grandpa Tarleton in all 26 episodes of Tammy
in the 1965-66 season. He portrayed Sam Houston
in several episodes of The Adventures of Jim Bowie
.
His best-known television role may have been that of Uncle Jesse Duke in the CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard
(1979–1985) (146 episodes). He had a guest starring role in 1973 on The Streets of San Francisco
. In 1975, Walt Disney Productions released a film based on the novel, Escape to Witch Mountain
. In this film Tony and Tia were played by Ike Eisenmann
and Kim Richards
, Lucas Deranian by Donald Pleasence
, and the children's Uncle Bené by Denver Pyle. In addition, Pyle played the role of Mad Jack in the NBC series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1977–1978) (36 episodes), the antagonist Frank Hamer
in Bonnie and Clyde
(1967), Buck Webb (Doris Day
's father) during the first two seasons of CBS's The Doris Day Show
(1968–1970), and Briscoe Darling on The Andy Griffith Show
(1960–1968) (6 episodes). He did some writing and directing for the short-lived half-hour western Dirty Sally
starring Jeanette Nolan
, which ran on CBS in the first half of 1974. He also appeared twice in Cheyenne
Show starring Clint Walker
.
In his later life, Pyle played mostly cameo television roles and retired from full-time acting. His last cinematic movie role was alongside Mel Gibson
, Jodie Foster
and James Garner
in the 1994 film Maverick
, playing a cheating cardplayer who jumps off a riverboat
to keep his dignity. His last known acting role was a reprisal of Jesse Duke in the 1997 made-for-TV movie The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
. He also played a small role on The Waltons
as the Baldwins' relative.
Denver married his second wife Lucille Martino (1916–1986) on December 11, 1957. Denver had two stepsons via this marriage. Denver and Lucille divorced on July 27, 1963.
Denver married his third wife Loretta Weston (1958-) on September 5, 1983. They had one son Triston Jackson Pyle (born June 1986). They were married until Pyle's death.
on Christmas Day 1997. He was buried in Forreston, Texas
.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
(1979-1985).
Early life
Pyle was born in BethuneBethune, Colorado
Bethune is a Statutory Town in Kit Carson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 225 at the 2000 census.It has access with Interstate 70 and U.S...
in Kit Carson County
Kit Carson County, Colorado
Kit Carson County is the 18th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 8,011 at U.S. Census 2000. The county was named for Kit Carson...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, to farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
Ben H. Pyle (1895–1988) and his wife Maude (1899–1985); After graduating from high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, Pyle attended college but dropped out to enter show business
Show business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
.
He was a drummer and band member until the United States entered the Second World War, when he enlisted in the Merchant Marine
United States Merchant Marine
The United States Merchant Marine refers to the fleet of U.S. civilian-owned merchant vessels, operated by either the government or the private sector, that engage in commerce or transportation of goods and services in and out of the navigable waters of the United States. The Merchant Marine is...
. Pyle would later claim to be a U.S. Navy veteran who had been wounded at Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
. In 1991 the National Personnel Records Center
National Personnel Records Center
The National Personnel Records Center is an agency of the National Archives and Records Administration, created in 1956. It is divided into two large Federal Records Centers located in St...
reported there was no evidence he had served in the Navy.
Career
After the war, Pyle embarked on his film career. He starred in several movies and on television during the 1950s and 1960s. He had a part in the 1955 Audie MurphyAudie Murphy
Audie Leon Murphy was a highly decorated and famous soldier. Through LIFE magazine's July 16, 1945 issue , he became one the most famous soldiers of World War II and widely regarded as the most decorated American soldier of the war...
film To Hell and Back
To Hell and Back
To Hell and Back may refer to:*To Hell and Back, an autobiographical book by Audie Murphy*To Hell and Back , a film adaptation of the autobiography starring Audie Murphy as himself*To Hell and Back by power metal band Sinergy...
and guest starred twice on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's 1955-1956 western anthology series Frontier
Frontier (1955 TV series)
This program should not be confused with Frontiers , the British program Frontier , Frontier Justice , Frontier Circus, or Frontier Doctor....
, in "Mother of the Brave" and in "The Voyage of Captain Castle". He appeared twice on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's The Public Defender
The Public Defender (TV series)
The Public Defender is a half-hour 69-episode television dramatic series starring Reed Hadley as Bart Matthews, an attorney for the indigent. The series aired on CBS from March 11, 1954 to June 23, 1955, a season and a half.-Premise:...
in the role of George Hansen, and three times on the religious anthology series, Crossroads
Crossroads (1955 TV series)
Crossroads is the title of a 30-minute American television religion drama series which aired from 1955–1957, the first season on ABC and the second via syndication....
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. Pyle appeared twice each on the western series My Friend Flicka
My Friend Flicka (TV series)
My Friend Flicka is a 39-episode western television series set at the fictitious Goose Bar Ranch in Wyoming at the turn of the 20th century. The program was filmed in color but initially aired in black and white on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Fridays from February 10, 1956, to February 1, 1957. It was a...
and The Restless Gun
The Restless Gun
The Restless Gun is a western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is an idealistic person who prefers peaceful resolutions of conflict...
. He guest starred with Grant Withers
Grant Withers
Grant Withers was an American film actor. With early beginnings in the silent era, Withers moved into talkies establishing himself with a list of headlined features as a young and handsome male lead...
in the 1959 episode "Tumbleweed Ranger" of the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
western 26 Men
26 Men
26 Men is a syndicated American western television series about the Arizona Rangers, an elite group commissioned in 1901 by the legislature of the Arizona Territory and limited, for financial reasons, to twenty-six active members. Russell Hayden was the producer of the series and the co-composer of...
, true stories of the Arizona Rangers
Arizona Rangers
The Arizona Rangers is an Arizona law enforcement agency modeled on the Texas Rangers. The Arizona Rangers were created by the Arizona Territorial Legislature in 1901, disbanded in 1909, and subsequently reformed in 1957. They were created to deal with the infestations of outlaws in the sparsely...
. He also appeared in the syndicated series Pony Express
Pony Express (TV series)
Pony Express is a half-hour syndicated western television series which ended its 39-episode schedule in 1960, the centennial of the launching of the Pony Express, a short-lived venture promoted by William Hepburn Russell of the freight company Russell, Majors and Waddell...
in the 1960 episode "Special Delivery". Pyle guest starred in the episode "Trail of the Dead", the story of five missing western prospectors, of Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron was a Canadian-born movie actor whose career extended from the 1930s to the 1970s. He appeared in horror, war, action and science fiction movies, but is best remembered for his many Westerns....
's syndicated series State Trooper
State Trooper (TV series)
State Trooper is a half-hour television crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as Rod Blake, an officer of the Nevada State Troopers. The series aired 104 episodes in syndication from September 25, 1956, to June 25, 1959...
. He appeared with Sammy Jackson
Sammy Jackson
Sammy Jackson was an American actor known particularly for his roles reflecting rural life and a country music disc jockey, although he also played pop-standards during 1983 at Los Angeles's KMPC.-Biography and persona:...
in the episode "Resurrection" of the syndicated American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
drama Gray Ghost
Gray Ghost (TV series)
The Gray Ghost is an American historical series which aired in syndication from October 10, 1957, to July 3, 1958. It depicts the true story of Major John Singleton Mosby, a Virginia officer in the Confederate Army, whose cunning and stealth earned him the nickname "Gray Ghost".-Synopsis:The Gray...
. He appeared twice as an unidentified bank robber in Duncan Renaldo
Duncan Renaldo
Renault Renaldo Duncan , better known as Duncan Renaldo, was an American actor who portrayed The Cisco Kid in films and on the 1950-1956 American TV series, The Cisco Kid.-Early years:...
's The Cisco Kid
The Cisco Kid (TV series)
The Cisco Kid is a half-hour American Western television series starring Duncan Renaldo in the title role, The Cisco Kid, and Leo Carrillo as the jovial sidekick, Pancho...
. In 1954, Pyle played a henchman of Sam Bass
Sam Bass
Sam Bass was a nineteenth-century American train robber and outlaw.-Early life:Bass was orphaned at the age of 10. For the next five years, he and his siblings lived with an abusive uncle. In 1869, he set out on his own and spent the next year in Mississippi...
in Jim Davis
Jim Davis (actor)
Jim Davis was an American actor, best known for his role as Jock Ewing in the CBS prime-time soap Dallas, a role which he held up until his death in April 1981.-Biography:...
's syndicated series, Stories of the Century
Stories of the Century
Stories of the Century is a Western television series that ran in syndication through Republic Pictures between January 23, 1954, and March 11, 1955.-Synopsis:...
. In 1958, Pyle starred with Judith Evelyn
Judith Evelyn
Judith Evelyn was an American stage and film actress. She was born Evelyn Morris in Seneca, South Dakota.Evelyn appeared on Broadway in the following plays:* The Shrike as "Ann Downs"...
in the episode "Man in the Moon" of the NBC docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
about the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Behind Closed Doors
Behind Closed Doors (1958 TV series)
Behind Closed Doors is an American drama series set during the Cold War hosted by and occasionally starring Bruce Gordon in the role of Commander Matson. The series, which aired on NBC from October 2, 1958, to April 9, 1959, focuses, among other themes, on how the former Soviet Union stole American...
, hosted and occasionally starring Bruce Gordon
Bruce Gordon (actor)
Bruce Gordon was an American actor best known for playing Frank Nitti in the ABC television series The Untouchables....
. Pyle made several appearances as "Briscoe Darling", the gruff patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
of a clan of musical hillbillies
Hillbilly
Hillbilly is a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its strongly stereotypical connotations, the term is frequently considered derogatory, and so is usually offensive to those Americans of...
, on CBS's The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
.
He also appeared in a number of Westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
by John Ford
John Ford
John Ford was an American film director. He was famous for both his westerns such as Stagecoach, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and adaptations of such classic 20th-century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath...
, including The Horse Soldiers
The Horse Soldiers
The Horse Soldiers is a 1959 DeLuxe Color war film, set in the American Civil War, directed by John Ford, starring John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers...
with William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a 1962 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring James Stewart and John Wayne. The black-and-white film was released by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck was adapted from a short story written by Dorothy M...
. He played a Tennessee soldier (called "Thimblerig") in John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
's The Alamo
The Alamo (1960 film)
The Alamo is a 1960 American historical epic released by United Artists. The film was directed by John Wayne, who also starred as Davy Crockett. The cast also includes Richard Widmark as Jim Bowie and Laurence Harvey as William B...
(1960).
He also appeared in many television westerns, including the 1960 episode "Crime Epidemic" of the syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
series Tombstone Territory
Tombstone Territory
Tombstone Territory is an American Western series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959...
, the 1961 episode "Hand of Vengeance" of the syndicated western Two Faces West
Two Faces West
Two Faces West is a 39-episode half-hour syndicated television western series set in Gunnison in southwestern Colorado, which aired from October 17, 1960, to July 31, 1961. It stars Scottish native Charles Bateman in the dual roles of twin brothers, Rick January, M.D., and Marshal Ben January...
, he appeared twice on the CBS series "Route 66
Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
" with Martin Milner
Martin Milner
Martin Sam Milner is an American actor best known for his performances in two popular television series, Adam-12 and Route 66....
and George Maharis
George Maharis
George Maharis is an American actor who portrayed Buz Murdock in the first three seasons of the TV series Route 66...
, first in 1961 in the episode "The Newborn" and again in 1962 in the episode "A Long Piece Of Mischief", and the segment "Lawyer in Petticoats" of the NBC series Overland Trail
Overland Trail (TV series)
Overland Trail is a short-lived American Western series which aired on NBC from February 7 to June 6, 1960. The series starred William Bendix and Doug McClure,-Synopsis:...
(1960).
One of his early roles was a villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
in an Adventures of Superman
Adventures of Superman (TV series)
Adventures of Superman is an American television series based on comic book characters and concepts created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The show is the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California...
television episode called "Beware the Wrecker". He also appeared on an episode of the Twilight Zone
Twilight zone
-Television series and spinoffs:*The Twilight Zone, the anthology television series and its franchise:**The Twilight Zone , the 1959–1964 original television series***Twilight Zone: The Movie, a 1983 film based on the original series...
in 1964 called "Black Leather Jackets" where he played the father. He appeared in the 1963-1964 season in ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
about college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
life, Channing
Channing (TV series)
Channing is an American drama series that aired on American Broadcasting Company from September 18, 1963 to April 8, 1964...
. He frequently appeared on Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
(14) and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, sometimes simply called Zane Grey Theatre, is an American Western anthology series which ran on CBS from 1956 to 1961.-Overview:Zane Grey Theatre was created by Luke Short and Charles A. Wallace...
(7), Frontier Justice
Frontier Justice (TV series)
For the NBC western anthology, see Frontier .Frontier Justice is a CBS television Western anthology series which had thirty-one telecasts over the summers of 1958, 1959, and 1961. It was a repackaging of episodes from CBS's Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater, and was hosted by Lew Ayres, Melvyn...
(2), all on CBS. He also is known for portraying both the suspect and the murder victim on the final Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
episode; he was the only actor to play a victim, a suspect and the actual murderer (in a previous episode) on the series out of 6 appearances. He was Grandpa Tarleton in all 26 episodes of Tammy
Tammy (TV series)
Tammy is an American sitcom, starring Debbie Watson in the title role. Produced by Universal City Studios, 26 color half-hour episodes were aired on ABC from September 17, 1965 to March 11, 1966....
in the 1965-66 season. He portrayed Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
in several episodes of The Adventures of Jim Bowie
The Adventures of Jim Bowie
In September of 1956 a TV series named "The Adventures of Jim Bowie" was aired on ABC. The show was only on the air for two years from 1956 to 1958. The series' music was unique in that is was primarily vocal, provided by Ken Darby and The King's Men .-Synopsis:The series stars Scott Forbes as the...
.
His best-known television role may have been that of Uncle Jesse Duke in the CBS series The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
(1979–1985) (146 episodes). He had a guest starring role in 1973 on The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros...
. In 1975, Walt Disney Productions released a film based on the novel, Escape to Witch Mountain
Escape to Witch Mountain
Escape to Witch Mountain is a science fiction novel written by Alexander Key in 1968. It was adapted into a film of the same name by Walt Disney Productions in 1975, directed by John Hough. A remake directed by Peter Rader was released in 1995...
. In this film Tony and Tia were played by Ike Eisenmann
Ike Eisenmann
Ike Eisenmann is an American actor, voice actor, producer, and sound-effects specialist who has been active in the entertainment industry since he was a preteen.-Career:...
and Kim Richards
Kim Richards
Kimberly "Kim" Richards is an American actress, former child actress, and television personality. She had roles in several Disney movies in the 1970s and later TV shows in the late 1970s and early 80s before returning to the screen with her sister Kyle Richards on Bravo's The Real Housewives of...
, Lucas Deranian by Donald Pleasence
Donald Pleasence
Sir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
, and the children's Uncle Bené by Denver Pyle. In addition, Pyle played the role of Mad Jack in the NBC series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams (1977–1978) (36 episodes), the antagonist Frank Hamer
Frank Hamer
Francis Augustus Hamer was a Texas Ranger, known in popular culture for his involvement in tracking down and killing the criminal duo Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in 1934...
in Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde (film)
The film was originally offered to François Truffaut, the best-known director of the New Wave movement, who made contributions to the script. He passed on the project to make Fahrenheit 451. The producers approached Jean-Luc Godard next...
(1967), Buck Webb (Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
's father) during the first two seasons of CBS's The Doris Day Show
The Doris Day Show
The Doris Day Show is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS network from September 1968 until September 1973. In addition to showcasing Doris Day, the show is remembered for its many abrupt format changes over the course of its five-year run...
(1968–1970), and Briscoe Darling on The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
(1960–1968) (6 episodes). He did some writing and directing for the short-lived half-hour western Dirty Sally
Dirty Sally
Dirty Sally is a short-lived comedy-drama Western series which ran on CBS from January 11 until April 5, 1974. The program was a spin-off of a two-part 1971 episode of Gunsmoke in which Sally nursed a young gunfighter back to health.-Synopsis:...
starring Jeanette Nolan
Jeanette Nolan
Jeanette Nolan was an American radio, film and television actress. Nolan was nominated for four Emmy Awards.-Early life:...
, which ran on CBS in the first half of 1974. He also appeared twice in Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
Show starring Clint Walker
Clint Walker
Norman Eugene Walker, known as Clint Walker , is an American actor best known for his cowboy role as "Cheyenne Bodie" in the TV Western series, Cheyenne.-Life and career:...
.
In his later life, Pyle played mostly cameo television roles and retired from full-time acting. His last cinematic movie role was alongside Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
, Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
and James Garner
James Garner
James Garner is an American film and television actor, one of the first Hollywood actors to excel in both media. He has starred in several television series spanning a career of more than five decades...
in the 1994 film Maverick
Maverick (film)
Maverick is a 1994 Western comedy film based on the 1950s television series of the same name, created by Roy Huggins. The film was directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by William Goldman and features Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, as well as several cameo appearances...
, playing a cheating cardplayer who jumps off a riverboat
Riverboat
A riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
to keep his dignity. His last known acting role was a reprisal of Jesse Duke in the 1997 made-for-TV movie The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! is a made-for-television film from 1997 which aired on CBS and reunites the surviving cast members of the American TV series, The Dukes of Hazzard...
. He also played a small role on The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
as the Baldwins' relative.
Personal life
Denver married his first wife Betty O'Brian (1919–1987) on July 4, 1942. They had a son David Matthew Pyle (born September 16, 1945) and a daughter Margaret Maude Catalano (née Pyle; born March 1949). Denver and Betty divorced on January 9, 1957.Denver married his second wife Lucille Martino (1916–1986) on December 11, 1957. Denver had two stepsons via this marriage. Denver and Lucille divorced on July 27, 1963.
Denver married his third wife Loretta Weston (1958-) on September 5, 1983. They had one son Triston Jackson Pyle (born June 1986). They were married until Pyle's death.
Death
Pyle died of lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
on Christmas Day 1997. He was buried in Forreston, Texas
Forreston, Texas
Forreston is an unincorporated community in Ellis County, Texas, United States. It lies on U.S. Route 77 eight miles south of Waxahachie. The population was estimated to be 238 in 2008.-History:...
.