Jerry Rushing
Jerry Elijah Rushing, a.k.a. "Snake", was born on December 19th, 1936 in Monroe, North Carolina. Although he only appeared in one episode of the TV show, playing used-car dealer Ace Parker in Repo Men, his contribution goes much deeper. In fact, if there hadn't been a Jerry Rushing, there probably wouldn't have been any Dukes of Hazzard.
When Gy Waldron was developing the script for Moonrunners, he was put in touch with Jerry Rushing, who had spent many years as a real moonshiner. Although Rushing didn't want to write down all of his stories, he agreed to record some of them on audio tape. It was his idea for Grady and Bobby Lee to use bows and arrows instead of guns because they were on probation. Rushing ended up with a small, uncredited part in Moonrunners as Jake Rainey's bodyguard.
When The Dukes of Hazzard hit TV screens, Rushing sued, claiming that the show was based on the tapes he'd made for Moonrunners. He also claimed that the part of Cooter had been written for him, and that playing a regular part in the show would have been adequate compensation for his contributions. The case was eventually settled out-of-court, with Rushing receiving an undisclosed share of royalties.
In 2005, Jerry Rushing collaborated with Michael D. Barnes to release his biography, The Real Duke Of Hazzard: The Jerry Rushing Story. In the front of the book, John Schneider wrote: "Jerry Rushing is an amazing man who has led an amazing life. Without him, John Schneider as 'Bo Duke' never would have existed. Thanks for loaning me your life, Jerry!"
Jerry Rushing died on July 23rd, 2017.