Ben Jones obit

Ben Jones Dies: Cooter On ‘Dukes Of Hazzard,’ Georgia Congressman Was 84

 He was not on the list.

Ben Jones, known to millions as the affable — if mischievous — mechanic Cooter on The Dukes of Hazzard, died today at the age of 84. His wife, Alma Vitor, said that Jones had died of a massive heart attack while “resting in his favorite chair waiting for the Braves to come on and whoop the Yankees.”

Jones played “Crazy” Cooter Davenport on all seven seasons of the original show from 1979-1985 as well as in the made for TV “Reunion” movie in 1997 and the 2000 one-off Hazzard in Hollywood. While many may remember Cooter as a gregarious good ‘ol boy, the character had a wild, rebellious side in the first season of the show. Often called an “honorary Duke,” he owned the local garage which just happened to be across the street from the Sheriff’s station, allowing him to keep an eye on the comings and going for the Duke cousins.

Jones’ second act was an auspicious one. After serving as president of SAG’s Georgia Branch and as chairman of the Georgia Film Commission, Jones won the race for Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District in 1988. He was re-elected in 1990. While on Capitol Hill, Jones was Democratic whip, a member of the Committee on Veteran’s Affairs and a member of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation. In 1994, he ran against Newt Gingrich in another district and lost.

Luke Duke himself, Tom Wopat, wrote on Instagram today, ‘The Dukes of Hazzard lost another integral part of their cast today. Ben Jones was a fine friend and a fierce advocate of all the best things we can offer in the entertainment business. He will be sorely missed.’

Here is the full text of Alma Vitor’s statement on social media:

I lost the love of my life today. Ben passed from a massive heart attack. He was home resting in his favorite chair waiting for the Braves to come on and whoop the Yankees. Ben had the most amazing rich full life. He loved and was loved by so many. He will be missed. I loved him so so much.

Jones also served as the International Chief of Heritage Operations for the Sons of Confederate Veterans from July 2014 to late 2018, but was a member for over 15 years.

Jones was born in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, near McNair's Railroad Crossing, on August 30, 1941. His father was Hubert C. "Buck" Jones, a railroad section foreman and his mother was Ila Virginia Stephens, the daughter of a railroad section foreman. Within two weeks of his birth, his family moved to Portsmouth, Virginia. The Joneses lived in a "section house", a railroad company shack without indoor plumbing and electricity. That house was next to the Pinners Point Railyard that led to the shipping piers there. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1959 and worked at a number of odd jobs to save money for college. In 1960, he entered East Carolina College (now East Carolina University) and in 1961, he was accepted into the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, based upon his promise as a writer.

At Chapel Hill, Jones spent summers with the railroad on a work train that contracted to various railroads throughout the South. In 1962, while at UNC, he began acting with the Carolina Playmakers and was soon earning money at it in "summer stock" and at the outdoor drama "Unto These Hills" in Cherokee, North Carolina.

During the 1960s, Jones was deeply involved in the civil rights movement. He was arrested during sit-ins, and was attacked on two occasions by the KKK.

Jones appeared in over 100 theatrical productions, including stints at the Kennedy Center, the Berkshire Theatre Festival, and numerous regional theaters. He relocated to Atlanta in 1969 and acted there with the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Children's Theatre, The Theatre of the Stars, and The Winter Playhouse. He also toured for two years with Eva Marie Saint in national productions of Summer and Smoke and Desire Under the Elms. In Atlanta he appeared in numerous television and radio commercials and began landing supporting roles in films, including Smokey and the Bandit (with Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed), The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (with James Earl Jones and Richard Pryor) and with Tim Conway in They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way.

In the mid-1970s, he had a supporting part in an independent film called The Moonrunners, written and directed by Atlantan Gy Waldron and featuring country star Waylon Jennings, composing the music and narration. It later served as the basis for "The Dukes of Hazzard", which began production in 1978 about two miles from Jones' then residence in Covington, Georgia. Jones was cast in the role of "Cooter" Davenport, the sidekick mechanic of cousins Bo and Luke Duke. The show immediately rose to the top of the Nielsen ratings. In the days before cable, satellite dishes, and the Internet, "The Dukes" commonly attracted 40 million viewers weekly on CBS-TV.

Jones continued to live in Georgia and commuted to Los Angeles for the continued filming of "The Dukes." He served as president of the Georgia Branch of the Screen Actors Guild and was appointed chairman of the Georgia Film Commission.

 

Filmography

Film

Year     Title     Role     Notes

1972    Together for Days       Douglas          

1972    The Bagel Report        Man with Women's Panties Fetish     

1975    Moonrunners   Fred    

1976    The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Plantation Foreman     Uncredited

1977    Smokey and the Bandit           Trucker with the Redhead       Uncredited

1977    The Lincoln Conspiracy         Samuel Arnold           

1978    They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way        Lugs   

1983    Deep in the Heart        Chuck 

1984    On the Line     Texas Lawyer 

1988    Dakota Mr. Dakota     

1996    Jack     Mechanic         Part cut from film

1998    Primary Colors            Arlen Sporken

2000    Joe Gould's Secret       Southern Man at the Party     

2021    Unbreakable    Ben Jones       

Television

Year     Title     Role     Notes

1976    Movin' On       Thief    Episode: "Living It Up!"

1977    Nashville 99    Calvin Bonner Episode: "Joldy"

1978    The Magical World of Disney Sgt. Bingham  Episode: "The Million Dollar Dixie Deliverance"

1979–1985      The Dukes of Hazzard            Cooter / Jeeter 141 episodes

1983    Benji, Zax & the Alien Prince Various roles   4 episodes

1987    CBS Summer Playhouse         Emory Episode: "Travelin' Man"

1997    The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!       Rep. Cooter Davenport           Television film

1998    Sliders Sgt. Lou Dawson        Episode: "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?"

1999    As the World Turns     Judge Manning            Episode dated January 19, 1999

2000    The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood         Cooter Davenport       Television film

2005    Surface            Grocery Clerk Episode #1.3

Discography

Year     Album Label   Role

1999    Cooter's Place Briar Patch      Ben Jones

2001    End of the Line           Ben Jones        Ben Jones & Cooter's Garage Band

2012    Southern to the Bone  Cooter's Place

2014    One for the Younguns Ben Jones

2017    Southern Accents

2018    If Not For You Ben Jones

2020    Play Me An Old Song Ben Jones & Cooter's Garage Band

2021    The Hazzard & Southern Railroad     Ben Jones

Christmas at Cooter's

2022    Good Ol' Buckaroos    Ben "Buster" Jones with Cooter's Wild West Band

Deep River      Ben Jones & Cooter's Garage Band

2023    Soft Southern Nights

2024    Rockabilly Road         Ben Jones

Video games

Year     Title     Role

1999    The Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home      Cooter Davenport

2000    The Dukes of Hazzard II: Daisy Dukes It Out

2004    The Dukes of Hazzard: Return of the General Lee