Francis Luke Askew (March 26, 1932 – March 29, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in many westerns, and had a lead role in the

spaghetti Western The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

''Night of the Serpent'' (''La notte dei serpenti''; 1969). He also had a small part in the 1969 classic movie '' Easy Rider''.

Biography

Askew was born on March 26, 1932 in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

, to Milton Dillard Askew (1904–1976) and Dorothy Doolittle (1910–1969). Askew attended the University of Georgia, Mercer University, and

Walter F. George School of Law Mercer University School of Law (historically Walter F. George School of Law) is the professional law school of Mercer University. Founded in 1873, it is one of the oldest law schools in the United States; the first law school accredited by the ...

."'Angel Unchained' At Sunset Tonight"
''

Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle ''The Leaf-Chronicle'' is a newspaper in the state of Tennessee, founded, officially, in 1808. First appearing as a weekly newspaper under various names as early as 1808 and eventually as the ''Clarksville Chronicle'', the current name is the re ...

'', Clarksville, Tennessee, volume 163, number 19, January 24, 1971, page 6-D Askew served in the United States Air Force during his college years. He started his professional career in radio and television, and as a rock and blues singer."Biography: Luke Askew"
''

Bossier Press ''The Bossier Press-Tribune'' is a newspaper specializing in local news in Bossier Parish in northwestern Louisiana, with some regional, state, and national stories too as they impact the readership. ''The Press-Tribune'' is published on Tuesday ...

'', Bossier City, Louisiana, volume 43, number 51, April 20, 1972, page 16. He made his film debut in '' Hurry Sundown'' (1967), but was first noticed as an actor for his role in ''

Cool Hand Luke ''Cool Hand Luke'' is a 1967 American prison drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, starring Paul Newman and featuring George Kennedy in an Oscar-winning performance. Newman stars in the title role as Luke, a prisoner in a Florida prison cam ...

'' (1967). The following year he worked with

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

in ''

The Green Berets The United States Army Special Forces (SF), colloquially known as the "Green Berets" due to their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force of the United States Army. The Green Berets are geared towards nine doctrinal mis ...

'' (with his hair cut short). The following year he worked with

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...

and

Peter Fonda Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor. He was the son of Henry Fonda, younger brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget Fonda. He was a prominent figure in the counterculture of the 1960s. Fond ...

in '' Easy Rider''. Askew continued to work as an actor after that, predominantly appearing in guest roles on television series. This includes work on such series as: ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'', '' The High Chaparral'', '' Mission: Impossible'', '' Cannon'', '' The Rockford Files'', '' Quincy, M.E.,'' '' The Six Million Dollar Man'', ''

T. J. Hooker ''T. J. Hooker'' is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network un ...

'', '' L.A. Law'', '' MacGyver'', '' Walker, Texas Ranger'', '' Murder She Wrote'', and HBO's '' Big Love''. He also took part in ''Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage'' (1999), a documentary about the making of ''Easy Rider'', and the 2003 documentary '' Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood''. Askew sang Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Jimmy Reed songs at

The Gaslight Cafe The Gaslight Cafe was a coffeehouse in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Also known as The Village Gaslight, it opened in 1958 and became notable as a venue for folk music and other musical acts.Al AronowitzThe Gaslight, ...

. According to Bob Dylan, when Luke sang at The Gaslight Cafe it was like a "guy who sounded like

Bobby Blue Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was des ...

". Askew later moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon. He died at Lake Oswego on March 29, 2012, three days after his 80th birthday, due to lung cancer.

Selected filmography

*'' Hurry Sundown'' (1967) .... Dolph Higginson *'' The Happening'' (1967) .... Second Motorcycle Officer *''

'' (1967) .... Boss Paul *'' Will Penny'' (1967) .... Foxy *'' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968) .... Private Hubert Hixon *''

'' (1968) .... Sergeant Provo *'' Easy Rider'' (1969) .... Stranger on Highway *'' Flareup'' (1969) .... Alan Moris *''Night of the Serpent'' (1969) .... Luke *''

Angel Unchained ''Angel Unchained'' (also known as ''Hell's Angels Unchained'') is a 1970 American action thriller film directed by Lee Madden for American International Pictures and starring Don Stroud as the title character Angel. It was released in the United ...

'' (1970) .... Jonathan Tremaine *''

The Culpepper Cattle Company ''The Culpepper Cattle Co.'' or ''Dust, Sweat and Gunpowder'' (Australian title) is a 1972 Revisionist Western film produced by Twentieth Century Fox. It was directed by Dick Richards and starred Billy Green Bush as Frank Culpepper and Gary ...

'' (1972) .... Luke *''

The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid ''The Great Northfield, Minnesota Raid'' is a 1972 American Western film about the James-Younger Gang distributed by Universal Pictures. It was written and directed by Philip Kaufman in a cinéma vérité style and starring Cliff Robertson. The ...

'' (1972) .... Jim Younger *''

The Magnificent Seven Ride! ''The Magnificent Seven Ride!'' (also known as ''The Magnificent Seven 4'') is a 1972 Western film and is the third and last sequel of the 1960 western, ''The Magnificent Seven''. It stars Lee Van Cleef as Chris Adams, succeeding Yul Brynner and ...

'' (1972) .... Mark Skinner *'' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' (1973) .... Eno *'' Slipstream'' (1973) .... Mike Mallard *'' A Matter of Wife... and Death'' (1975) .... Snell *'' Posse'' (1975) .... Krag *'' Walking Tall Part 2'' (1975) .... Pinky Dobson *''

Mackintosh and T.J. ''Mackintosh and T.J.'' is a 1975 American modern day Western film starring Roy Rogers in his last feature film appearance in a film that was specifically written for him. Prior to this film his most recent feature film appearances were in the ...

'' (1975) .... Cal *'' Rolling Thunder'' (1977) .... Automatic Slim *''

Wanda Nevada ''Wanda Nevada'' is a 1979 American Western film starring Peter Fonda and Brooke Shields as the title character. (archive) It was also directed by Peter Fonda. Henry Fonda makes a cameo appearance as an Arizona prospector, making it the only fi ...

'' (1979) .... Ruby Muldoon *'' The Beast Within'' (1982) .... Dexter Ward *'' The Warrior and the Sorceress'' (1984) .... Zeg the Tyrant *'' Bialy smok'' (1987) .... Frank Brown *'' Bulletproof'' (1988) .... Gen. Gallo *''Back to Back'' (1989) .... Wade Duro *'' No Retreat, No Surrender 3: Blood Brothers'' (1990) .... Atteron *''Dune Warriors'' (1991) .... William *''The Friends of Harry'' (1995) .... Harry *'' Frank & Jesse'' (1995) .... Lone Rider *''Savage'' (1996) .... Capt. Rohmer *''

Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to: People Generic terms *One engaged in travel *Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources *Nomad, a member of a community withou ...

'' (1997) .... Boss Jack Costello *'' The Newton Boys'' (1998) .... Chief Schoemaker *'' South of Heaven, West of Hell'' (2000) .... Leland Henry *'' Frailty'' (2001) .... Sheriff Smalls *''

The Greatest Game Ever Played ''The Greatest Game Ever Played'' is a 2005 American biographical sports film based on the early life of amateur golf champion Francis Ouimet and his surprise winning of the 1913 U.S. Open. The film was directed by Bill Paxton, and was his last ...

'' (2005) .... Alec Campbell

Television

*'' Mission: Impossible'' (1968) – The Execution .... Victor Pietro Duchell * '' The High Chaparral'' (1969) – Shadow on the Wind .... Johnny Ringo * ''

'' (1971; part of last season that was not aired*) – Kingdom of Fear .... Deputy Hatch * '' Bearcats!'' (1971) – Man in a Cage .... Greer * ''

S.W.A.T. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

'' (1975) - Murder By Fire .... Todd * '' Police Story'' (1975/1976) - 2 Episodes - Headhunter/Eamon Kinsella Royce .... Blue/Nicholson * ''

BJ and the Bear ''B.J. and the Bear'' is an American action comedy television series which aired on NBC from February 10, 1979, to May 9, 1981. Created by Glen A. Larson and Christopher Crowe, the series stars Greg Evigan. The series was produced when the CB ...

'' (1979) .... Blackwell * '' Knight Rider'' (1983) - A Nice, Indecent Little Town .... Ron Austin * '' Big Love'' (2007–2010) .... Hollis Green (final appearance)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Askew, Luke 1932 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Actors from Macon, Georgia American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from lung cancer in Oregon Male actors from Georgia (U.S. state) Mercer University alumni People from Lake Oswego, Oregon University of Georgia alumni United States Air Force airmen