Sorrell Booke

Sorrell Booke (January 4, 1930 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor who performed on stage, screen, and television. He is best-known for his role as the heavyset, corrupt politician "Boss" Jefferson Davis Hogg in the television show The Dukes of Hazzard.

Life and early acting career

Booke was born in Buffalo, New York, a cousin of Max Yasgur of Woodstock fame. Fluent in five languages (including Japanese), Booke earned degrees from both Columbia and Yale University, and later served in the Korean War as a counterintelligence officer. During his early Hollywood acting career, Booke had started to gain acclaim for notable supporting parts in noteworthy 1960s films such as Black Like Me, A Fine Madness, and Fail-Safe before focusing primarily on television parts in the 1970s and 1980s, and voice acting roles in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Television Works

Booke earned himself an Emmy nomination for his appearance in the TV series Dr. Kildare in the episode entitled, "What's God to Julius?" He can also be seen in an episode of Mission: Impossible from the first season in 1966. Booke also appeared in two early episodes of M*A*S*H, as General Barker in "Requiem For A Lightweight" and "Chief Surgeon Who?", the latter marked the debut of the character Corporal Klinger, with whom Booke's character had previously dealt. Additionally, he had a recurring role in Norman Lear's groundbreaking sitcom All in the Family as Mr. Sanders, personnel manager at Archie Bunker's workplace, Pendergast Tool and Die.

The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985)

His most notable role was in The Dukes of Hazzard as the humorously wicked antagonist to Bo and Luke Duke, J.D. "Boss" Hogg. The series ran on CBS-TV for seven seasons, from 1979–85 and even spawned an animated series, The Dukes (1983), two reunion TV specials, and a big screen feature film (2005). Booke was actually only slightly overweight and wore a fat suit during the entire run of the series, which caused his girth to measure five feet around. Booke also once conducted the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Later Career and Death

In his final years, Booke had stopped appearing physically in acting roles, but continued to in voice work on several television shows and movies, occasionally as narrator, and sometimes as a cartoon character's voice, in such movies as Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (1987 TV movie), Gravedale High (1990 television series), and Rock-A-Doodle (1991).

Booke continued to work professionally until he succumbed to colorectal cancer in Sherman Oaks, California at age 64. His tombstone reads, "Beloved Pa, Grandpa, Brother and Boss." He is interred in the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Family life and Personal

Booke was married to the former Miranda Knickerbocker from 1958 to 1973. His ex-wife is also the daughter of Hubert Renfro (H.R.) Knickerbocker (1898-1949), a Pulitzer prize-winning war correspondent. They had two children, Alexandra and Nicholas. Booke also has a brother, Fred.

Filmography

• Rock-A-Doodle (1991)
• The Cat from Outer Space (1978)
• Record City (1978)
• The Other Side of Midnight (1977)
• Freaky Friday (1976)
• Special Delivery (1976)
• Mastermind (1976)
• The Manchu Eagle Murder Caper Mystery (1975)
• Bank Shot (1974)
• Devil Times Five (1974)
• The Take (1974)
• The Iceman Cometh (1973)
• Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
• What's Up, Doc? (1972)
• Bye Bye Braverman (1968)
• Up the Down Staircase (1967)
• A Fine Madness (1966)
• Matchless (1966)
• Les Félins (1964)
• Fail-Safe (1964)
• Black Like Me (1964)
• Gone are the Days! (1963)

Television work Filmography

• Bonkers (1993)
• The New Adventures of Captain Planet (1993)
• Droopy, Master Detective (1993)
• Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
• Capitol Critters (1992)
• Civil Wars (1991)
• Don Coyote & Sancho Panda (1990)
• Tom and Jerry Kids Show (1990)
• Gravedale High (1990)
• Full House (1989)
• Fantastic Max (1988)
• Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears (1988)
• Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (1987)
• You Again? (1986)
• Crazy Like a Fox (1986)
• The Pound Puppies (1985)
• The Dukes (1983)
• Alice (1983)
• The Smurfs (1981)
• The Love Boat (1980)
• The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-85)
• Bigfoot and Wildboy (1979)
• Greatest Heroes of the Bible (1978)
• Soap (1978)
• Good Times (1978)
• Little House on the Prairie (1978)
• What's Happening!! (1978)
• The Rockford Files (1978)
• The Greatest Thing that Almost Happened (1977)
• Columbo: The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case (1977)
• The Amazing Howard Hughes (1977)
• Baa Baa Black Sheep: Season 1, episode 21 (1977)
• Soap (1977)
• Rich Man, Poor Man Book II (1976)
• Brenda Starr (1976)
• The Streets of San Francisco (1975)
• Adventures of the Queen (1975)
• The Last Angry Man (1974)
• The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1974)
• Dr. Max (1974)
• Columbo: Swan Song (1974)
• Kolchak The Nightstalker (1974)
• M*A*S*H (1972)
• The Manhunter (1972)
• Gunshot (1972)
• Alias Smith and Jones (1972)
• Adventures of Nick Carter (1972)
• All in the Family (1971)
• Owen Marshall, Counsellor at Law (1971)
• The Guiding Light (1952)
• The Borgia Stick (1967)
• The Million Dollar Incident (1961)
• The Iceman Cometh (1960)
• The Streets of San Francisco (1975)
• Hawaii Five-O The Double Wall (1970)
• Mission: Impossible (1967)
• New York Television Theatre (1965)
• The Iceman-Cometh (1960)
• Brenner (1959)

Stage appearances

• Morning, Noon and Night (1968)
• Come Live with Me (1967)
• The White House (1964)
• Purlie Victorious (1961–62)
• Finian's Rainbow (1960)
• Caligula (1960)
• Fiorello! (1959–61) (Replacement)
• Heartbreak House (1959)
• Nature's Way (1957)
• The Sleeping Prince (1956)

External links

• Sorrell Booke at the Internet Movie Database Retrieved on 2008-02-05
• Sorrell Booke at Allmovie
• Sorrell Booke at Find a Grave Retrieved on 2009-5-14
• More about Sorrell and his character, "Boss Hogg".
• A very popular site dedicated to the TV series, "The Dukes of Hazzard" with information about Sorrell Booke and the rest of the cast.