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 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 filmmaking 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 but key part in the 1969 classic movie ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern. It was produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and the S ...

''.

Biography

Askew was born on March 26, 1932, in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

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

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

Mercer University Mercer University is a Private university, private Research university, research university in Macon, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the 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 In his collegiate years, Askew served in the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, serving in the intelligence division of

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

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

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

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

in '' The Green Berets'' (with his hair cut short). In 1969, he worked with

Dennis Hopper Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. He was considered one of the key figures of New Hollywood. He earned prizes from the Cannes Film Festival and Venice Internatio ...

and

Peter Fonda Peter Henry Fonda (February 23, 1940 – August 16, 2019) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. He was a two-time Academy Award nominee, both for acting and screenwriting, and a two-time Golden Globe Award winner for his a ...

in ''

'', with his "Hitchhiker" character (credited as "Stranger on Highway") achieving worldwide popularity and also making Askew a recognizable face in subsequent films. Askew starred for the first time in a role in the almost-forgotten

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 filmmaking style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...

'' Night of the Serpent'' (1969), which is now considered a

cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...

. He continued to work as an actor after that, predominantly appearing in supporting or villain roles in genre films like ''

The Warrior and the Sorceress ''The Warrior and the Sorceress'' is a 1984 Argentine-American fantasy action film directed by John C. Broderick and starring David Carradine, María Socas and Luke Askew. It was written by Broderick (story and screenplay) and William Stout ( ...

'' (1984) and '' Dune Warriors'' (1991), as well as 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 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'', ''

The High Chaparral ''The High Chaparral'' is an American Western action-adventure drama television series that aired on NBC from 1967 to 1971, starring Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. The series was made by Xanadu Productions in association with NBC Produc ...

'', '' 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 during th ...

'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner, aired on NBC from September 13, 1974, to January 10, 1980. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator Jim Rockford, with Noah Beery Jr. in th ...

'', '' Quincy, M.E.,'' ''

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 being seriously injured in a NASA test f ...

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

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'', ''

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 MacGyver (1985 TV series), 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in Mac ...

'', ''

Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action fiction, action Crime drama, crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norr ...

'', ''

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 s ...

'', and HBO's ''

Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer that aired on HBO from 2006 to 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a Mormon fundamentalism, fundamentalist Mor ...

''. 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, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

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 a wide variety of audiences. Reed's songs such as "Honest I Do" (1957), "Baby Wha ...

songs at

The Gaslight Cafe The Gaslight Cafe was a coffeehouse in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Also called The Village Gaslight, it opened in 1958 and became a venue for folk music and other musical acts. Al Aronowitz. . Retrieved June 25, 2 ...

. According to

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, 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. Population in 2020 was 40,731, an 11.2% increase since 2010, making it the ...

. 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 ''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 Wester ...

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

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

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

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

'' (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'' (1975) .... Pinky Dobson *'' Mackintosh and T.J. '' (1975) .... Cal *'' Rolling Thunder'' (1977) .... Automatic Slim *'' Wanda Nevada'' (1979) .... Ruby Muldoon *'' The Beast Within'' (1982) .... Dexter Ward *''

'' (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'' (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 ''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 las ...

'' (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) 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 War in Texas during which h ...

* ''

'' (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 Wor ...

'' (1971) – Man in a Cage .... Greer * '' S.W.A.T.'' (1975) – Murder By Fire .... Todd * '' Police Story'' (1975/1976; 2 episodes) – (1) Headhunter .... Eamon Kinsella Royce; (2) 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 starred Greg Evigan. The series was produced when th ...

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

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American media franchise, entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three-television series: the original ''Knight Rider (1982 TV series), Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequ ...

'' (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 Lake Oswego, Oregon American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from lung cancer in Oregon Male actors from Macon, Georgia Mercer University alumni Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War University of Georgia alumni