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IMDbPro

Luke Askew(1932-2012)

  • Actor
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Luke Askew
Trailer for Savage
Play trailer1:20
Savage (2011)
18 Videos
23 Photos
Tall and rangy, usually sporting long mangy hair, and frequently projecting a strong and intense on-screen presence, character actor Luke Askew made a potent and lasting impression playing a substantial volume of mean and fearsome villains in both motion pictures and television shows alike in a career that spanned over forty years.

Askew was born on March 26, 1932 in Macon, Georgia, of English and Scandinavian descent. He first developed an interest in acting towards the end of his high school years. He attended the University of Georgia (where he initially planned on getting a B.A. in Business Administration), Mercer University, and the Walter F. George School of Law. Askew served in the U.S. Air Force in strategic air command intelligence during his college years.

Following college Askew worked as a radio deejay and television announcer prior to beginning his acting career in Off-Broadway stage productions in New York City (Askew lived in Greenwich Village in the early 1960s and kept himself afloat working as a furniture mover). Luke moved to Los Angeles in 1966 and made his film debut in 1967 in "Harry Sundown". Best known as the stranger on the highway in the hippie counterculture cult classic "Easy Rider", Askew's other memorable roles included the redoubtable Boss Paul in "Cool Hand Luke", the peaceful hippie commune leader Jonathan Tremaine in "Angel Unchained", the scary and brutal thug Automatic Slim in the grim revenge thriller "Rolling Thunder", the sleazy coroner Dexter Ward in "The Beast Within," and the no-nonsense Irish gypsy crime lord Boss Jack Costello in "Traveller".

Askew also appeared in a sizable number of Westerns made throughout the 1960s and 1970s: he had a rare lead role in the spaghetti Western "Night of the Serpent" and gave an especially fine performance as tough and stoic veteran cowpoke Luke in the gritty gem "The Culpepper Cattle Co."

Among the many TV series Askew popped up in throughout the years are "The High Chaparral", "Mission: Impossible", "Cannon", "Quincy, M.E.", "The Six Million Dollar Man", "Fantasy Island", "T.J. Hooker", "The Fall Guy", "Airwolf", "Murder, She Wrote", "Walker, Texas Ranger", "Everwood", and "Cold Case". He had a recurring role as the dangerous polygamist Hollis Greene on the acclaimed cable TV program "Big Love".

Askew died at age 80 at his home in Portland, Oregon on March 29, 2012. He was survived by his wife and his son, Christopher, a painter and tattoo artist.
BornMarch 26, 1932
DiedMarch 29, 2012(80)
BornMarch 26, 1932
DiedMarch 29, 2012(80)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos23

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Known for

Peter Fonda in Easy Rider (1969)
Easy Rider
7.2
  • Stranger on Highway
  • 1969
Frailty (2001)
Frailty
7.2
  • Sheriff Smalls
  • 2001
Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Cool Hand Luke
8.0
  • Boss Paul Hunnicutt
  • 1967
The Devil's Brigade (1968)
The Devil's Brigade
6.7
  • Pvt. Hubert Hixon
  • 1968

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin in Big Love (2006)
    Big Love
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Hollis Greene
    • 2007–2010
  • Cold Case (2003)
    Cold Case
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Max Heidhorn '08
    • 2008
  • Shia LaBeouf in The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
    The Greatest Game Ever Played
    7.4
    • Alec Campbell
    • 2005
  • Peter Coyote, Joel Gretsch, Richard Kahan, Karina Lombard, Jacqueline McKenzie, Mahershala Ali, Patrick John Flueger, Chad Faust, and Conchita Campbell in The 4400 (2004)
    The 4400
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Lee Kendall
    • 2005
  • Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, and Emily VanCamp in Everwood (2002)
    Everwood
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Marvin Harrison
    • 2003
  • Frailty (2001)
    Frailty
    7.2
    • Sheriff Smalls
    • 2001
  • Bridget Fonda, Paul Reubens, Billy Bob Thornton, Vince Vaughn, Peter Fonda, and Dwight Yoakam in South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000)
    South of Heaven, West of Hell
    4.2
    • Leland
    • 2000
  • Vendetta (1999)
    Vendetta
    6.1
    TV Movie
    • William Parkerson
    • 1999
  • Chuck Norris in Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)
    Walker, Texas Ranger
    5.7
    TV Series
    • Roger Dansfield
    • 1998
  • Ethan Hawke, Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich, and Vincent D'Onofrio in The Newton Boys (1998)
    The Newton Boys
    6.1
    • Chief Schoemaker
    • 1998
  • Traveller (1997)
    Traveller
    6.1
    • Boss Jack
    • 1997
  • Olivier Gruner in Savage (1996)
    Savage
    4.1
    • Captain Rohmer
    • 1996
  • The Friends of Harry
    • Harry
    • 1995
  • Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993)
    Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
    6.5
    TV Series
    • Liam Holmes
    • 1995
  • Bill Paxton and Rob Lowe in Frank & Jesse (1994)
    Frank & Jesse
    5.7
    • Lone Rider
    • 1994

Videos18

The Greatest Game Ever Played
Clip 1:22
The Greatest Game Ever Played
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Clip 1:12
The Greatest Game Ever Played
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Clip 1:12
The Greatest Game Ever Played
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Clip 0:57
The Greatest Game Ever Played
Trailer
Trailer 3:03
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 1:47
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:27
Trailer

Personal details

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  • Height
    • 5′ 10¾″ (1.80 m)
  • Born
    • March 26, 1932
    • Macon, Georgia, USA
  • Died
    • March 29, 2012
    • Portland, Oregon, USA(lung cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Margaret Patton BeasleyDecember 23, 1967 - March 28, 2012 (his death, 1 child)
  • Children
    • Christopher Conn Askew
  • Parents
      Milton Dillard Askew Sr.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Interview
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Used to sing blues songs in the same club (the Gaslight) as Bob Dylan in the 1960s. A 33-rpm record was issued once but sold poorly. Confessed to Philippe Garnier (in the book "Caractères") that it was not so bad because "I had lost my voice when we taped this. Had too much booze the night before . . . ". According to the same interview, his Easy Rider (1969) contract had stipulated his name should appear as big as Peter Fonda's and Dennis Hopper's.
  • Quotes
    The way I feel about a movie has more to do with the experiences I had making it. Did I like the people? Did I like the location? Did I like the wardrobe? You know, wardrobe is very important. It's overlooked by a lot of people, but it's one of the most important things in the business because once you put on that outfit, you can be that guy. Like when you're a kid and you put on a cowboy suit, you're a cowboy. Easiest thing in the world.

FAQ12

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