In both TV series and movies, it is often the good guys that are the most popular characters with the audience. The good guys come in many different formats depending on the genre of the film. One type of good guy that regularly features in films and on television programs is a sheriff. A sheriff often plays an important role in the main storyline of a series or movie. For example, they may be investigating a crime, catching the bad guys or bringing peace and order to the community they serve in the storyline. In some television programs and movies, the sheriff can have a more sinister role and play a character that is threatening or underhand.
Some sheriffs have become better known than others and here are our picks for 20 of the best sheriffs in TV and movies.
1. Sheriff Amos Tupper
‘Murder, She Wrote’ was a popular crime drama that was aired on CBS for over a decade and starred Angela Lansbury as a writer who investigated crimes. One of the leading characters in the series was Sheriff Amos Tupper, played by Tom Bosley. The sheriff appeared in 19 episodes of this TV series between 1984 and 1988. He was the sheriff of Cabot Cove and was in the series from the start. He was written out of the series in 1988 when he retired and went to live with his sister. This series was created by Peter S. Fischer, Richard Levinson, and William Link.
2. Sheriff Andy Taylor
‘The Andy Griffith Show’ was a popular American sitcom that was aired between 1960 and 1968 on CBS. The character of the sheriff was originally called Cousin Andy but later became Sheriff Andy Jackson Taylor. Both characters were played by Andy Griffith. The sheriff lived in the fictional community of Mayberry, North Carolina, and is a widower with a young son. His Aunt Bee is his live-in housekeeper and childminder. He had several romantic relationships throughout the series.
3. Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane
Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane was a character in the television series ‘Dukes of Hazard’ that was shown in both the United States and in the United Kingdom during the 1980s. This sheriff was played by James Best and was known for his high-pitched laugh, his rustic accent and Flash, his pet basset hound. At the age of 88, James Best died on April 6, 2015. ‘Dukes of Hazard’ was inspired by the 1975 movie ‘Moonrunners’ and was created by Gy Waldron and Jerry Rushing. It also starred Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach, Denver Pyke. and Rick Hurst.
4. Sheriff Rick Grimes
Rick Grimes is the Deputy Sheriff in both a comic book series and a television series launched in 2003, both of which are called ‘The Walking Dead’. When Rick Grimes wakes from a coma, he finds the world is overrun by zombies. Grimes is married to Lori and they have a son, Carl. The character is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln and the television series was created by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. In the motion comic, the character is voiced by Phil LaMarr.
5. Sheriff Walt Longmire
Craig Johnson wrote a series of novels called the ‘Walt Longmire Mysteries’ and Sheriff Walt Longmire is the main character in these novels. John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin then created a television series called ‘Longmire’ based on these novels. In this series, the character of the sheriff is portrayed by Robert Taylor. The series also starred Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Adam Bartley, Cassidy Freeman, and Bailey Chase.
6. Sheriff Ep Bridges
‘The Waltons’ is a series about a family in rural Virginia during World War II and the Great Depression. It is based on ‘Spencer’s Mountain’, a book written by Earl Hamner Jr. It was first broadcast in 1971 and was aired on CBS for nine seasons. One of the main characters in the series was Sheriff Ep Bridges and he is probably one of the best-loved sheriffs from a television series of all time. Ep was the sheriff’s nickname as he was actually called Marmaduke. This lovable sheriff was played by John Crawford.
7. Sheriff Lobo
Between 1979 and 1981, NBC ran a sitcom called ‘The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo’. Sheriff Elroy P. Lobo is the lead character in the series and is played by Claude Akins. The show was renamed ‘Lobo’ for the second series. The character of the sheriff originally came from a series called ‘B.J. and the Bear’ but a spin-off series was created to revolve around the sheriff. Other people who starred in this series were Brian Kerwin, Mills Watson, and Ben Cooper. The sitcom was created by Glen A. Larson.
8. Sheriff Stilinski
‘Teen Wolf’ is an MTV television series that was first broadcast on June 5, 2011. The series was developed by Jeff Davis and it is loosely based on the 1985 film, also called ‘Teen Wolf’. One of the main characters in the film is Sheriff Noah Stilinski who is played by Linden Ashby. He first appeared in the episode called ‘Wolf Moon’ and his last appearance was in ‘Riders of the Storm’. In the series, Sheriff Stilinski experiences several supernatural events that he doesn’t believe are real. His first major case as a sheriff was the death of Henry Tate’s family.
9. Sheriff Alex Romero
Bates Motel is an American television series that was inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock’s film ‘Psycho’. The series is aired on A&E and is the longest scripted drama to run on this channel and was developed by Anthony Cipriano, Kerry Ehrin, and Carlton Cruse. One of the main characters in the series is Sheriff Alex Romero, the sheriff of White Pine Bay. In the series, he marries Norma Bates and vowed revenge when she was killed. The sheriff is portrayed by Nestor Carbonell and first appeared in an episode titled ‘First You Dream, Then You Die’. Others starring in this series include Vera Farmiga, Freddie Highmore, Max Theriot, Olivia Cooke, and Nicola Peltz.
10. Sheriff Buford T Justice
Sheriff Buford T Justice was also called Smokey and was one half of the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ double act from the 1977 car chase comedy. Jackie Gleeson played the role of the Texan redneck sheriff opposite Burt Reynolds as Bo Darville, the ‘Bandit’. The movie was inspired by a real sheriff from Florida with whom Reynolds’ father had once worked. Jerry Reed also starred in this movie in the role of Cletus Snow. Hal Needham directed this film which had a screenplay written by James Lee Barrett, Charles Shyer, and Alan Mandel.
11. Sheriff Harry S. Truman
In the 1990s drama series ‘Twin Peaks’, Sheriff Harry S. Truman teams up with an outside Special Agent to investigate the murder of a beautiful young woman called Laura Palmer who is washed up on the shore. The sheriff is played by Michael Ontkean and the series was co-created and co-produced by Mark Frost and David Lynch. Other actors who starred in this television series included Kyle MacLachlan, Madchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, and Richard Beymer.
12. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell
In the 2007 neo-western neo-noir thriller ‘No Country for Old Men’, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell is played by Tommy Lee Jones. The character is a World War II veteran who has an old-school approach to being the sheriff of a small patch of Texan hinterland, unlike his young protégé Anton Chigurh, played by Javier Bardem. ‘No Country for Old Men’ was set and filmed in the desert landscape of West Texas. Others starring in this movie include Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, Woody Harrelson, Tess Harper, and Garrett Dillahunt. This movie won four Academy Awards and was directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen.
13. Sheriff Hildy Granger
In most television series and films the sheriff is played by a man, so Sheriff Hildy Granger stands out against the rest. She was the lead character in the television series ‘She’s the Sheriff’ of which there were 45 episodes running between 1987 and 1989. Suzanne Somers played the role of the Sheriff in this series which was created by Dan Guntzelman and Steve Marshall. It also starred George Wyner, Pat Carroll, Nicky Rose, and Taliesin Jaffe. This series was once voted in a list of the worst television series of all time.
14. Sheriff August Corbin
‘Sleepy Hollow’ is a supernatural television series that was originally set in a real town also called Sleepy Hollow in New York. However, in later episodes it is set in Washington DC. The series is based loosely on Washington Irving’s short story, ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’. It was first aired on September 16, 2013 until it was cancelled in 2017. Sheriff August Corbin is the sheriff of Sleepy Hollow and is also the mentor and partner of Lieutenant Abie Mills. Clancy Brown Portrays the sheriff in this series. Others who star in ‘Sleepy Hollow’ include Tom Mison, Nicole Beharie, Orlando Jones, and Katia Winter.
15. Sheriff Seth Bullock
‘Deadwood’ was a western TV series set in a town of the same name in South Dakota. When Wild Bill Hickok was murdered in the series, the first sheriff appointed was Sheriff Seth Bullock. This character was played by Timothy Olyphant and the series was aired by HBO. The series was created by David Milch and also starred Ian McShane, Molly Parker, Jim Beaver, W. Earl Brown, and Dayton Celia.
16. Sheriff Woody Pride
Known simply as Woody rather than as Sheriff Woody Pride, this sheriff is the main character in the Toy Story franchise. This drawstring toy was voiced by Tom Hanks and is famous for the catchphrase ‘reach for the sky!’. As he is a character in a family animation, it is interesting to note that he wears an empty gun holster on his belt. Toy Story was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures. Others who provide voices for the characters in this animation include Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, and John Ratzenberger. So far, there have been three Toy Story movies released and a fourth is planned for 2019.
17. Sheriff Andy Bellefleur
As the sheriff of Renard Parish, Andy Bellefleur had an eventful time. Chris Bauer played this character in the HBO supernatural series ‘True Blood’. This show had seven seasons and ran until 2014. Just some of the events that this sheriff had to deal with included fathering four fairy daughters, battling a vampire blood addiction and hunting a serial killer.
18. Sheriff JW Pepper
This sheriff was an important character in the James Bond movie ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ which was released in 1974. The role was played by Clifton James and he played opposite Roger Moore. The sheriff and Bond have some great banter in the movie and chase Scaramanga together through the traffic of Bangkok. The character was also in the Bond movie from the previous year, ‘Live and Let Die’. ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’ was directed by Guy Hamilton and also starred Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, and Maud Adams.
19. Sheriff Bart
The 1974 comedy ‘Blazing Saddles’ featured Sheriff Bart who was also known as Black Bart. This is one of the minority of black sheriffs in movies and was played by Cleavon Little who sadly passed away in 1992 at the age of just 53. This film also starred Gene Wilder. Some of the production team wanted the character to have lighter skin but Richard Pryor, who was originally lined up for the role, recommended Little saying that he was ideal. Mel Brooks co-wrote and directed this movie while also appearing as both an Indian Chief and as Governor William J. Le Petomine in the film. Others who appeared alongside Little and Wilder included Harvey Korman, Slim Pickens, Madeline Kahn, and Dom DeLuise.
20. Sheriff Little Bill Daggett
Sheriff Little Bill Daggett is one of the main characters in the movie ‘Unforgiven’. This 1992 western starred Clint Eastwood and the role of the sheriff in the movie was to protect his town, Big Whisky, Wyoming. Sheriff Little Bill Daggett was played by Gene Hackman who won a Best Supporting Actor Award for his portrayal of this character. Clint Eastwood directed and produced this revisionist western movie.
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