Francis Luke Askew (March 26, 1932 – March 29, 2012) was an American actor and musician, best known for his appearances in Western films.
Early life and education 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 and the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University."'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 during the Korean War, serving in the intelligence division of Strategic Air Command.Luke Askew, Bio Amazon.com. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
Career
Acting After appearing in Off-Broadway plays, Askew 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 Green Berets' Is Adventure Drama Starring John Wayne", Messenger and Inquirer, Owensboro, Kentucky, number 203, July 21, 1968, page 5-C.
In 1969, he worked with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider, with his "Hitchhiker" character (credited as "Stranger on Highway") achieving worldwide popularity and also making Askew a recognizable face in subsequent films."Biography: Luke Askew", Bossier Press, Bossier City, Louisiana, volume 43, number 51, April 20, 1972, page 16. He would later took part in Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage (1999), a documentary about the making of Easy Rider,Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage IMDb and the 2003 documentary Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood.
Askew starred for the first time in a role in the almost-forgotten Spaghetti Western Night of the Serpent (La notte dei serpenti; 1969), which is now considered a cult film.Collector's movies – Spaghetti Westerns. Trash Palace. accessed March 2, 2016. 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 (1984) and Dune Warriors (1991), as well as guest roles on television series; this includes work on such series as: Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Mission: Impossible, Cannon, The Rockford Files, Quincy, M.E., The Six Million Dollar Man, T. J. Hooker, L.A. Law, MacGyver, Walker, Texas Ranger, Murder She Wrote, and HBO's Big Love.
Other work In addition to his acting career, Askew was also a rock and blues singer who frequently performed at the Gaslight Cafe. According to Bob Dylan, when Luke sang at it was like a "guy who sounded like Bobby Blue Bland".Luke Askew profile , ShooFeeTV; retrieved August 12, 2012.
Death Askew later moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon. He died at Lake Oswego on March 29, 2012, three days after his 80th birthday, due to lung cancer.
Partial filmography
Hurry Sundown (1967) .... Dolph Higginson The Happening (1967) .... Second Motorcycle Officer Cool Hand Luke (1967) .... Boss Paul Will Penny (1967) .... Foxy The Devil's Brigade (1968) .... Private Hubert Hixon The Green Berets (1968) .... Sergeant Provo Easy Rider (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 (1973) .... Eno Slipstream (1973) .... Mike Mallard A Matter of Wife... and Death (1975) .... Snell Posse (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 The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984) .... Zeg the Tyrant Bialy smok (1987) .... Frank Brown Bulletproof (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 (2000) .... Leland Henry Frailty (2001) .... Sheriff Smalls The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) .... Alec Campbell
Television
Mission: Impossible (1968) – The Execution .... Victor Pietro Duchell The High Chaparral (1969) – Shadow on the Wind .... Johnny Ringo Bonanza (1971; part of last season that was not aired*) – Kingdom of Fear .... Deputy Hatch Bearcats! (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 (1979) .... Blackwell Knight Rider (1983) – A Nice, Indecent Little Town .... Ron Austin T.J. Hooker (1983) – The Shadow of Truth .... Brad Thurman Big Love (2007–2010) .... Hollis Green (final appearance)
References
External links