Denver Pyle was a film and television actor that seemed to epitomize the South, though
he was born in Colorado.
He appeared in supporting roles in several John Wayne films, including The Alamo and
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
However, it’s Denver’s role in the classic television show The Dukes of Hazzard that
he’s best remembered for nowadays.
In that 1979 sitcom, Denver played the character of Uncle Jesse, who was the patriarch of the
titular Duke family.
Denver Pyle and Boss Hogg actor Sorrell Booke were the only two cast members to appear in
every episode of the iconic series.
Denver passed just before the turn of the century and was married to his second wife
at the time.
She chose to have him buried in an unmarked grave.
Join Facts Verse as we explore why Denver Pyle was buried in an unmarked grave at his
family’s request.
The Dukes of Hazzard Made Denver Pyle a Star The Dukes of Hazzard was a classic television
sitcom with Southern theming, and it came on air in 1979.
With its plot about a family of bootleggers, the show took its inspiration from the success
of 1977’s Smokey and the Bandit.
Though The Dukes of Hazzard didn’t have the star power of Burt Reynolds to draw in
the audience, it had a reasonably impressive cast in its own right.
One of those cast members was a man by the name of Denver Pyle, who was a veteran Western
star that had worked in classic films with John Wayne.
Though Denver had been working in the entertainment industry for decades by the time that he got
his role on The Dukes of Hazzard, it would end up becoming the role that would define
him.
Denver’s role on the show would make him more popular than ever before.
It was because of this fame that the late Denver Pyle was buried in an unmarked grave
upon his 1997 passing.
Denver Pyle was one of only two Dukes of Hazzard stars that appeared in every single episode
of the show.
That other star would be Sorrell Booke, who played the character of Boss Hogg.
Sorrell passed away in February of 1994, which was a little less than a decade after The
Dukes of Hazzard came to an end.
A few years later, the made-for-television film The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!
was released.
Not only was the release of the film dedicated to the late Sorrell Booke, but it also happened
to include the very final acting performance of the late Denver Pyle.
The Dukes of Hazzard has been criticized in recent times for its flagrant use of the Confederate
flag.
Though the flag is a significant part of Southern history and heritage, it is understandably
problematic.
There are some stars from the show that have suggested that the CBS network wasn’t all
that fond of the program when it was on the air due to its Southern theming, but that
it kept it on the air anyways due to the fact that it was a huge moneymaker.
There were certainly plenty of audience members who identified with the show’s Southern
characters, though few of these audience members were likely thinking about the ramifications
of the Confederate flag that appeared on General Lee.
Denver Also Appeared on Gunsmoke and Perry Mason
Besides appearing in every single episode of The Dukes of Hazzard that was produced,
Denver Pyle also served as the narrator of the show’s animated adaptation.
This adaptation was simply referred to as The Dukes, and it was a product of Hanna-Barbera
Productions.
Denver Pyle’s role on The Dukes of Hazzard proved the actor’s biggest success after
many years of working his way up in the entertainment industry.
Sadly, he would only be around for another decade or so to bask in the glory of his Dukes
of Hazzard fame.
Denver Pyle appeared in many other television programs over the course of his career, with
some of the most notable being Perry Mason, Gunsmoke, and The Andy Griffith Show.
Denver is noted as being one of only a dozen or so actors that portrayed a victim, a defendant,
and a murderer on Perry Mason.
Of course, these weren’t all the same characters!
Denver appeared on Perry Mason a total of five times, and he also had a memorable character
on the classic Western series Gunsmoke by the name of Caleb.
Finally, Denver appeared on The Andy Griffith Show as Mr. Darlin’.
In addition to the many television series that Denver appeared on, the actor also worked
on several notable films over the course of his career.
We’ll be taking a look at some of them next after finally explaining why the actor was
buried in an unmarked grave!
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Denver Pyle Is Buried in an Unmarked Grave Denver Pyle passed away from lung cancer in
December of 1997.
Shortly before his death, the actor received a long-awaited star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame.
By that point, Denver had been a fixture in the entertainment industry for five decades!
In addition to his expansive career in entertainment, Denver was also married two times over the
course of his lifetime.
Denver’s first wife was a woman by the name of Marilee Carpenter, and he was married to
her from 1955 to 1970.
Denver then married his second wife over a decade later, and just a few years before
The Dukes of Hazzard came to an end.
Denver and second wife Tippie Johnston married in 1983, and they remained together until
Denver’s 1997 death.
Upon Denver’s passing, it was Tippie who made the decision for her husband to be buried
in an unmarked grave.
Her reasoning may surprise you!
Denver Pyle was buried next to his in-laws in an unmarked grave somewhere in Forreston,
Texas.
Next to Denver is reserved a spot for the late star’s second wife.
Until the moment that Denver’s second wife joins him in this plot of land, the Dukes
of Hazzard star’s grave will remain unmarked.
The reason that Tippie doesn’t want her husband’s grave to be marked until the time
of her own death is because she doesn’t want to deal with gawkers that are interested
in the grave for its celebrity appeal.
It’s understandable that Tippie wouldn’t want to deal with the leftover ramifications
of her late husband’s celebrity in the wake of his passing.
Denver was a pretty big deal at the time of his death, with the star being worth around
$5 million.
Though Denver died a big star, he came from relatively humble beginnings.
The star was born to a family of farmers in Bethune, Colorado, all the way back in 1920.
Though Colorado certainly isn’t in the South, being raised on a farm added a rustic aspect
to Denver’s personality that would serve him well when he became an actor in Westerns.
Denver Didn’t Know That He Wanted to Be an Actor
Before becoming an actor, Denver tried his hand at numerous professions.
The young man ended up dropping out of college with the aspirations of becoming a rock star.
The future actor’s instrument of choice was the drums, but he didn’t find much success
at the endeavor and ended up trying his hand at a few other professions before eventually
finding his way into the world of acting.
Some of the many jobs that Denver worked before becoming an actor include being a sailor on
a shrimp boat and being a hired hand on an oil field.
He worked for a brief period of time as a page at NBC before joining the Navy during
World War II, after which time he was finally set on the path to becoming a star.
Denver Pyle was wounded during World War II, and he was subsequently honorably discharged
from service.
After returning home to America, Denver worked for a time installing rivets on aircraft in
Los Angeles, California.
It was in California that Denver found his way into the entertainment industry by chance.
He was offered a role in an amateur production out of nowhere, and this role led to the future
star being spotted by a talent agent.
Without even intending to, Denver Pyle had become a professional actor!
Denver Pyle made his film debut in 1947’s The Guilt of Janet Ames, and the rest is history!
By the 1950s, Denver’s hair was starting to whiten as a result of a genetic abnormality.
This premature white hair added to Denver’s Southern grit, despite the fact that the star
was- once again- not actually from the South.
Over the course of the decade, Denver appeared in numerous films in supporting roles.
In many of the films that Denver appeared in during the decade, he wasn’t even credited!
Denver’s work on Western series like Gunsmoke and Bonanza led to him catching the attention
of John Wayne.
Through Denver’s connection with John Wayne, the actor was given the chance to appear in
films like The Alamo and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
Those two John Wayne films were released in 1960 and 1962, respectively.
In 1967, Denver had a supporting role in the film Bonnie & Clyde which saw him get spit
on in the face on camera by lead actress Faye Dunaway.
This film's appearance remains one of Denver’s most memorable, especially given the classic
status that the film has gone on to receive.
It wouldn’t be until a little over a decade later that Denver would finally be cast in
the role of Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard.
This iconic role was a long time coming for the hard-working actor and proved the ultimate
use of Denver Pyle’s unlikely Southern charm.
Though Denver Pyle is buried in an unmarked grave, he’ll be given a proper gravestone
when his wife joins his side upon her own passing.
Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that Denver Pyle had a genetic abnormality
that caused his hair to prematurely whiten, and that the Western actor developed a reputation
for having authentic Southern grit despite not actually being from the South?
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