Francis Luke Askew (March 26, 1932 – March 29, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in many

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

s, and had a lead role in the spaghetti Western ''Night of the Serpent'' (''La notte dei serpenti''; 1969). He also had a small part in the 1969 classic movie ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American independent drug culture road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American So ...

''.

Biography

Askew was born on March 26, 1932 in Macon, Georgia, to Milton Dillard Askew (1904–1976) and Dorothy Doolittle (1910–1969). Askew attended the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 s ...

, and Walter F. George School of Law."'Angel Unchained' At Sunset Tonight"
'' Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle'', Clarksville, Tennessee, volume 163, number 19, January 24, 1971, page 6-D Askew served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

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'', 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'' (1967). The following year he worked with John Wayne in '' The Green Berets'' (with his hair cut short). The following year he worked with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in ''

''. 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'', ''

The High Chaparral ''The High Chaparral'' television series, which was broadcast on NBC from 1967 to 1971, is an American Western action adventure drama set in the 1870s. It stars Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions ...

'', '' Mission: Impossible'', ''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

'', ''

Quincy, M.E. ''Quincy, M.E.'' (also called ''Quincy'') is an American mystery medical drama television series from Universal Studios that aired on NBC from October 3, 1976, to May 11, 1983. Jack Klugman starred in the title role as a Los Angeles County med ...

,'' ''

The Six Million Dollar Man ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is re ...

'', '' T. J. Hooker'', ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'', ''

MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both p ...

'', ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film '' Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the ...

'', ''

Murder She Wrote ''Murder, She Wrote'' is an American crime drama television series, created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson and William Link, starring Angela Lansbury, and produced and distributed by Universal Television for the CBS network. The series ...

'', and HBO's ''

Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama television series that aired on HBO from March 12, 2006 to March 20, 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a fundamentalist Mormon family in contemporary Utah that practices polygamy, with Jeanne Tri ...

''. 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 McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

and

Jimmy Reed Mathis James Reed (September 6, 1925 – August 29, 1976) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His particular style of electric blues was popular with blues as well as non-blues audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), " ...

songs at The Gaslight Cafe. According to

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, when Luke sang at The Gaslight Cafe it was like a "guy who sounded like Bobby Blue Bland". Askew later moved to

Lake Oswego, Oregon Lake Oswego () is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, primarily in Clackamas County, with small portions extending into neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located about south of Portland and surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town w ...

. 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 *'' Cool Hand Luke'' (1967) .... Boss Paul *''

Will Penny ''Will Penny'' is a 1968 American Western film written and directed by Tom Gries and starring Charlton Heston, Joan Hackett and Donald Pleasence. The picture was based upon an episode of the 1960 Sam Peckinpah television series '' The Weste ...

'' (1967) .... Foxy *'' The Devil's Brigade'' (1968) .... Private Hubert Hixon *'' The Green Berets'' (1968) .... Sergeant Provo *''

'' (1969) .... Stranger on Highway *''

Flareup A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

'' (1969) .... Alan Moris *''Night of the Serpent'' (1969) .... Luke *'' Angel Unchained'' (1970) .... Jonathan Tremaine *'' The Culpepper Cattle Company'' (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. Th ...

'' (1972) .... Jim Younger *'' The Magnificent Seven Ride!'' (1972) .... Mark Skinner *''

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid ''Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' is a 1973 American Revisionist Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah, written by Rudy Wurlitzer, and starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jason ...

'' (1973) .... Eno *''

Slipstream A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid (typically air or mustard) is moving at velocities comparable to that of the moving fluid, relative to the ambient fluid through which the object is churning. The term sli ...

'' (1973) .... Mike Mallard *'' A Matter of Wife... and Death'' (1975) .... Snell *''

Posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

'' (1975) .... Krag *''

Walking Tall Part 2 ''Walking Tall Part 2'' is the 1975 sequel to the crime/ action film, '' Walking Tall''. ''Walking Tall Part 2'' was directed by Earl Bellamy, and produced by Charles A. Pratt. The film stars Bo Svenson as Buford Pusser, replacing Joe Don Baker, ...

'' (1975) .... Pinky Dobson *'' Mackintosh and T.J. '' (1975) .... Cal *'' Rolling Thunder'' (1977) .... Automatic Slim *'' Wanda Nevada'' (1979) .... Ruby Muldoon *''

The Beast Within ''The Beast Within'' is a 1982 American horror film directed by Philippe Mora and starring Ronny Cox, Bibi Besch, Paul Clemens, L. Q. Jones, Don Gordon, R. G. Armstrong, Logan Ramsey, Katherine Moffat, and Meshach Taylor. ''The Beast With ...

'' (1982) .... Dexter Ward *'' The Warrior and the Sorceress'' (1984) .... Zeg the Tyrant *'' Bialy smok'' (1987) .... Frank Brown *''

Bulletproof Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protecti ...

'' (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'' (1997) .... Boss Jack Costello *''

The Newton Boys ''The Newton Boys'' is a 1998 American Western crime film directed by Richard Linklater, who co-wrote the screenplay with Claude Stanush and Clark Lee Walker. It is based on Stanush's 1994 book of the same name, which tells the true story of the ...

'' (1998) .... Chief Schoemaker *''

South of Heaven, West of Hell ''South of Heaven, West of Hell'' is a 2000 American western film starring Dwight Yoakam, who also co-wrote, directed, and scored the film. The film follows Valentine Casey (Yoakam), a Marshal in the Arizona territory, when he receives a surpri ...

'' (2000) .... Leland Henry *'' Frailty'' (2001) .... Sheriff Smalls *'' The Greatest Game Ever Played'' (2005) .... Alec Campbell

Television

*'' Mission: Impossible'' (1968) – The Execution .... Victor Pietro Duchell * ''

'' (1969) – Shadow on the Wind ....

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...

* '' Bonanza'' (1971; part of last season that was not aired*) – Kingdom of Fear .... Deputy Hatch * ''

Bearcats! ''Bearcats!'' is an American Western television series broadcast on the CBS television network during the fall 1971 television season. It starred Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole as troubleshooters in the period before the American entry into World Wa ...

'' (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'' (1979) .... Blackwell * ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series '' Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

'' (1983) - A Nice, Indecent Little Town .... Ron Austin * ''

'' (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