Dukes of Hazzard cast now: As Catherine Bach is seen, see what happened to co-stars 40 years later

Catherine Bach became a global sex symbol when she starred as the stunning Daisy Duke in the popular action-comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard back in the late ’70s and ’80s – but on Sunday, the now-68-year-old actress swapped her iconic hotpants for leggings as she stepped out for some retail therapy in Los Angeles, California.

Nearly four decades have passed since the hit show came to an end, but Catherine’s legacy as on-screen siren Daisy still lives on – as does the popularity of the teeny tiny bottoms that she was famous for wearing in the series. 

The CBS show first premiered in 1979, and it also starred Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Denver Pyle, James best, and Sorrell Booke. It went on for seven seasons before it concluded in February 1985, and it remained one of the most top-rated shows during much of its run.

But what are the stars of the show doing now – nearly 40 years later? As Catherine is spotted out and about in LA sporting a very different look than she did during her Daisy Duke days, FEMAIL has uncovered what exactly she – and the rest of her castmates – have been up to over the last three-and-a-half decades.

The Dukes of Hazzard followed three cousins – Daisy, Bo, and Luke Duke, who lived in Georgia and continuously caused trouble while trying to evade the corrupt county commissioner Boss Hogg, as well as local police officer Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane.

It was inspired by the movie Moonrunners, and it quickly became a fan favorite. It went on to inspire the 2005 movie of the same name, which starred Jessica Simpson, Johnny Knoxville, and Seann William Scott.

While some of the Dukes of Hazzard stars went on to launch major careers for themselves, others stepped out of the spotlight and fell completely off the grid – swapping their acting careers for more low-key professions like teaching and flipping houses.

Some of them even faced a slew of controversies over the last 37 years – including arrests, substance abuse, and multiple divorces. From their careers and other acting roles to their loves lives and scandals, here’s everything the cast of The Dukes of Hazzard has done since their time in the show came to an end. 

Luke Duke played by Tom Wopat

Tom, 70, was born in Lodi, Wisconsin, on September 9, 1951. He made his acting debut in the soap opera One Life to Live, which premiered in 1968.

He was then cast as Luke Duke in the series The Dukes of Hazzard. After that came to an end, he didn’t slow down – launching a major music career for himself which included 11 albums.

He also continued to act, starring in the sitcom Cybill, the comedy-drama movie Bonneville, DC’s Jonah Hex, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (alongside Jamie Foxx, Christopher Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, and Samuel L. Jackson), rom-com All in Time, and western movie County Line, as well as its sequel County Line: All In.

Tom even took to the Broadway stage a few times throughout his career, appearing in I Love My Wife, City of Angels, Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, and Chicago, among others. 

As for his love life, he has been married twice – first to a woman named Vickie Allen, which ended in divorce. He then wed a filmmaker named Kirsten Larvick, whom he is still married to. 

In 2017, the actor faced controversy when he was arrested for indecent assault and battery after he allegedly ‘grabbed a woman’s behind and put his finger between her butt cheeks’ during rehearsals for the play 42nd Street, TMZ reported. 

During his arrest, police found ‘two bags of white powder’ in his car, and he later admitted to buying ‘large quantities of cocaine’ and using it ‘over time,’ per Page Six.

In a statement at the time, he shared his ‘deepest regrets to friends, family, and his many loyal fans’ for the ‘unfortunate events.’ He added that he would be ‘taking personal time to address his ongoing struggle with substance abuse.’

The statement continued: ‘While death and illness in the family, combined with the intensity of his recent schedule, certainly contributed to his misstep, Tom definitely understands that sobriety is the sole course for a successful future and will take immediate steps to achieve it.’

He pleaded guilty to two counts of annoying and accosting a person of the opposite sex in July 2018, and was sentenced to one year probation. 

Bo Duke played by John Schneider

John, 62, was born on April 8, 1960, in Mount Kisco, New York. When he was cast as Bo Duke in Dukes of Hazzard at age 18, it was his first acting role. 

It quickly skyrocketed him into the spotlight, and it was just the beginning for him. After its success, he most famously went on to star as Jonathan Kent in the popular ABC series Smallville. 

He also acted in the western Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, fantasy drama Touched by an Angel, Freeform show Secret Life of the American Teenager, crime drama Leverage, and Desperate Housewives (alongside Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, and Eva Longoria).

That’s not all. He also launched the production company John Schneider Studios, where he has written and produced a slew of independent movies.

On top of all that, he also entered the music industry, dropping 32 albums over four decades. He also starred in some Broadway plays – including Chicago and Grand Hotel. 

He competed in season 27 of Dancing with the Stars, but was eliminated sixth; he co-founded the Children’s Miracle Network in 1982, a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children’s hospitals. 

He married former Miss America Tawny Elaine Godin in 1983, but they went their separate ways in 1986. He then tied the knot with a woman named Elly Castle in 1993, but they split in 2014 – after 21 years together. 

They welcomed one daughter together, named Karis. In 2019, he married his producing partner, Alicia Allain.

In 2018, he was sentenced to three days in jail after he failed to pay alimony to Elly; he also had to complete 240 hours of community service and was told to give his ex-wife the money he owed her or he’d face up to five years in prison. 

Daisy Duke played by Catherine Bach

Catherine Bach, 68, was born on March 1, 1954, and hails from Cleveland, Ohio. In 1973, she landed her first acting role in the movie The Midnight Man. 

It’s been said that Catherine wowed Dukes of Hazzard directors so much during her audition that she was hired on the spot to play Daisy Duke. 

The role earned her massive stardom – and a poster of her posing as Daisy sold five million copies after its release, and it even caught the eye of First Lady Nancy Reagan.

The bombshell star made headlines during her time in the show, after it was revealed that she had insured her legs for $1 million.

‘You know what it is? I do things that I shouldn’t really do,’ she one explained of her decision to get them insured. ‘I ski.

‘I had a plane when I started the series, which they made me get rid of… [I do] a lot of things. And I sort of take chances. So they thought that they should insure my legs.’

After Dukes of Hazzard ran its course, Catherine acted in a few more titles including the action film Street Justice, 1989 flick Driving Force, motorcycle movie Masters of Menace, and comedy-drama The Breakup Girl. Her last role was in 2015, when she starred in the movie Book of Fire.

She also launched her own jewelry line at Debenhams in 2002, but has kept a low profile in recent years. She married a man named David Shaw in 1976, but they divorced after five years together.

She then wed entertainment lawyer Peter Lopez in 1990 and together, they welcomed two daughters, named Sophia and Laura. Her husband tragically died in 2010 at age 60 from an apparent suicide. 

Jesse Duke played by Denver Pyle

Denver was born on May 11, 1920, in Bethune, Colorado. He briefly attended Colorado State University but dropped out to become a drummer. He then spent some time in the Army, Marines, and the Navy, but received a medical discharge in 1942. 

Throughout the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, he starred in more than 100 roles, including The Lone Ranger, anthology series Frontier, the western show Fury, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, and NBC’s The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. 

His most famous role was probably when he played Jesse Duke in Dukes of Hazzard. Afterwards, he only acted in a few more things before ending his career as an actor.

His later roles include the 1987 movie Delta Fever, the rom-com Return to Mayberry, and the western comedy film Maverick. 

He invested in the oil industry by purchasing oil wells when they were only $2.15 per barrel. After the 1973 oil crisis, they shot up in price to over $46 a barrel, earning him a large profit. It’s been said that he made more money from selling oil than he did over 30 years as an actor.

He married a Fox production assistant named Marilee Carpenter in 1955. They welcomed two sons together, named David and Tony, but divorced in 1970.

He then married a woman named Tippie Johnston in 1983, whom he was still with when he passed away of lung cancer in 1997 at age 77. 

Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane played by James Best

James, who was born on July 26, 1926, in Powderly, Kentucky, served in the Army during World War II, during which, he travelled around Europe performing plays for his fellow troops.

Early in his acting career, he signed a contract with Universal Studios, which helped him earn some small roles in movies like The Cimmaron Kid in 1952, Seven Angry Men in 1955, and Ride Lonesome in 1959. 

He guest starred in more than 280 different shows over the years, before landing his breakthrough role as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in Dukes of Hazzard.

After it concluded, he acted in a few movies like comedy-drama Hot Tamale, 2007 flick Moondance Alexander, sci-fi movie The Killer Shrews, and rom-com The Sweeter Side of Life.

In his later years, James stopped acting and moved to Florida, where he taught at the University of Central Florida (Orlando).

He also launched his own production company and began painting – often selling his portraits, some of which were scenes from Dukes of Hazzard.

He was also a black belt in karate, played guitar, and eventually opened his own acting school, where he taught for 25 years.

He was married three times – first, to a woman named Matilda Engleberg, whom he wed in 1949. The exact year that they got divorced is unknown, but he married his second wife, JoBee Croskery in 1959. They were together until 1977. 

He tied the knot with his third wife, Dorothy Collier in 1986, and they were together until his death in 2015.

He had a son, named Gary, with his first wife, and two daughters, named Janeen and JoJami, with his second wife.  He passed away at age 88 from complications of pneumonia. 

Boss Hogg played by Sorrell Booke

Sorrell was born on January 4, 1930, in Buffalo, New York. He started landing acting gigs on the radio at age nine, and became well-known for his impersonations.

He graduated from Columbia University in 1949, and went on to receive a Master of Fine Arts at Yale School of Drama. He served in the Army during the Korean War for two years.

After leaving the Army he headed to New York where he starred in an off-Broadway show before he landed his first TV role in the series Omnibus. 

His other early acting credits include the movies Black Like Me, A Fine Madness, What’s Up, Doc?, and Fail-Safe, as well as shows like The Guiding Light, 12 O-Clock High, Dr. Kildare, Mission: Impossible, M*A*S*H, All in the Family, Soap, and Columbo.

He is best known, however, for playing the Dukes of Hazzard’s antagonist Boss Hogg. Afterwards, he didn’t act in much, but instead, he leant his voice to animated characters like Sheriff Rufus Buzby in the movie Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers and Pinky in Rock-a-Doodle, and narrated a few shows like Fantastic Max, Gravedale High, and Capitol Critters. He also had an interest in restoring rundown houses. 

He married a woman named Miranda Knickerbocker in 1958, and together, they shared two kids – a daughter named Alexandra and a son named Nicholas. They divorced in 1973.

He unfortunately passed away in February 1994 from colorectal cancer at age 64. 

The Balladeer played by Waylon Jennings

Waylon Jennings was born on June 15, 1937, in Littlefield, Texas. His mom taught him to play guitar when he was eight years old, and by the time he was 14, he earned his own weekly 30-minute program on KVOW.

He eventually earned the attention of Buddy Holly, who hired him to play bass on his tour. During the tour, however, Waylon made a joke to Buddy that he hoped his ‘plane crashed’ during some friendly banter, but when it did less than an hour and a half later, he was plagued with guilt for many years to come. 

While Waylon is still beloved for voicing the narrator in Dukes of Hazzard, known as The Balladeer, his main focus was his music career. He released 45 albums – five of which went gold in the US, and one of which went platinum. 

He starred in a few other things, including the movie Maverick, the made-for-TV-flick Stagecoach, and western The Long Kill, but he mostly worked on his music.

He struggled with drug addiction throughout his career, and was arrested in 1977 for conspiracy and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The charges were later dropped after the police were unable to provide enough evidence.

The actor and singer later admitted to spending $1,500 a day on drugs, which left him in $2 million debt – however, he became clean in 1984.

He was married four times and had six children, tying the knot with his first wife, Maxine Caroll Lawrence in 1956, when he was 18. She gave birth to four of his children – two sons named Terry and Buddy and two daughters named Julie and Deana.

He then married Lynne Jones in 1962 and together, they adopted a daughter named Tomi. They split in 1967, and he went on to wed Elizabeth Rood that same year.

In 1969, he married his fourth wife, country singer Jessi Colter, and they welcomed a son, whom they named Shooter, in 1979. 

He suffered from Type II Diabetes and had to have his left foot amputated in 2001 as a complication of the disease. He died in his sleep in 2002 at age 64.

Cooter Davenport played by Ben Jones

Ben Jones, 80, was born on August 30, 1941, in Tarboro, North Carolina, but he moved to Portsmouth, Virginia, early on in his childhood. He began acting while attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Before starring as Cooter Davenport in Dukes of Hazzard, Ben mostly acted in theater – starring in over 100 productions across the country.

He also appeared in numerous TV and radio commercials and landed a few small roles in movies like Smokey and the Bandit, The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, and They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way.

He was cast in Dukes of Hazzard after starring in the movie it was based off of, The Moonrunners. After that ended, he went on to star in the drama Dakota, 1998’s Primary Colors, and Stanley Tucci-directed flick Joe Gould’s Secret, but he mostly focused his career on politics.

In 1986, one year after Dukes came to an end, he ran for Congress in Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District and won. He was re-elected in 1990, but lost against Newt Gringrich in 1994.

He founded a Dukes of Hazzard museum in 1999 in Sperryville, Virginia, which has since also opened locations in Pigeon Forge and Nashville, Tennessee, as well as Luray, Virginia.

He also joined a band called Cooter’s Garage Band, and together, they have released 11 albums and embarked on numerous tours around the country.

He released a memoir in 2007, called Redneck Boy in the Promised Land, during which he revealed he had a longstanding battle with alcoholism.

Ben has also published various fiction and poetry works, and shared political commentary for outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today.