Denver Pyle Net Worth

What was Denver Pyle's Net Worth and Salary?

Denver Pyle was an American actor who had a net worth of $5 million. Denver Pyle was known for his roles on such television series as "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Doris Day Show," and "The Dukes of Hazzard." He also acted in numerous films, including "Rough Riders of Durango," "To Hell and Back," "Destination 60,000," "The Alamo," and "Bonnie and Clyde." Despite his long acting career, Pyle accumulated most of his wealth by investing in oil when prices were cheap.

Early Life

Denver Pyle was born December 25, 1920 in Bethune, Colorado. Denver Pyle made a career of playing drawling, somewhat slow Southern types. After a short-lived pursuit of a career as a drummer, he drifted from job to job, doing everything from working the oil fields in Oklahoma to shrimp boats in Texas.

Military Service

In 1940, he moved to Los Angeles and briefly found employment as an NBC page, which was disrupted by World War II when Pyle enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Wounded in the battle of Guadalcanal, he received a medical discharge in 1943 and went to work for an aircraft plant in Los Angeles as a riveter.

Film Career

Pyle began acting in films in the late 1940s, with credits including "Devil Ship," "Train to Alcatraz," "Streets of San Francisco," and "Hellfire." He was incredibly prolific in the 1950s, especially in Western films, appearing in such titles as "Dynamite Pass," "The Old Frontier," "Rough Riders of Durango," "The Hills of Utah," "Topeka," "Rage at Dawn," "The Naked Hills," and "King of the Wild Stallions." Pyle was also in a number of films in other genres, including "The Flying Saucer," "Federal Agent at Large," "Million Dollar Pursuit," "To Hell and Back," "Destination 60,000," and "China Doll." Kicking off the 1960s, he appeared in John Wayne's epic historical war film "The Alamo." Pyle went on to appear alongside Wayne in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" in 1962. The same year, he was in "Geronimo." His subsequent credits included "Mail Order Bride," "The Rounders," "Mara of the Wilderness," "Shenandoah," and "The Great Race."

Pyle appeared in three films in 1967: "Tammy and the Millionaire," "Welcome to Hard Times," and "Bonnie and Clyde." In the lattermost picture, he portrays Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, who led the posse that killed the titular duo. Pyle subsequently appeared in the Westerns "Bandolero!" and "5 Card Stud" in 1968. In the early 1970s, he had roles in "Something Big" and "Cahill U.S. Marshal." Following those, Pyle played Uncle Bené in the Disney film "Escape to Witch Mountain"; he later reprised his role in the sequel "Return from Witch Mountain." In the meantime, Pyle had a huge year in 1976, appearing in five films, with lead roles in two of them: "The Adventures of Frontier Fremont" and "Guardian of the Wilderness." He didn't appear much on the big screen in the 1980s and '90s, with his handful of credits including "Delta Fever" (1987) and "Maverick" (1994).

(Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Television Career

Between 1951 and 1953, Pyle made numerous appearances on the syndicated Western "The Range Rider." He appeared in episodes of various other Western shows during the decade, including "The Lone Ranger," "The Roy Rogers Show," "Frontier," "Fury," "Gunsmoke," "The Restless Gun," and "Have Gun – Will Travel." Pyle continued having guest roles on Western series in the 1960s, with credits including "Pony Express," "Tombstone Territory," "Overland Trail," "Cheyenne," "The Rifleman," and "Bonanza." He also played the recurring role of Briscoe Darling, the patriarch of the hillbilly Darling family, on the sitcom "The Andy Griffith Show," and played the main roles of Grandpa Mordechai Tarleton on the sitcom "Tammy" and Buck Webb on the sitcom "The Doris Day Show." Pyle's other credits in the '60s included episodes of "Route 66," "The Twilight Zone," "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "Perry Mason," and "Gomer Pyle – USMC."

Following a number of guest roles and appearances in television films, including "The Boy Who Talked to Badgers," Pyle had his next main role from 1977 to 1978, playing Mad Jack on the NBC adaptation of the film "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams." Dan Haggerty starred in the titular role. Pyle went on to land his most famous and longest-running role in 1979, as Uncle Jesse Duke on the CBS action comedy series "The Dukes of Hazzard." He starred alongside Tom Wopat, John Schneider, Catherine Bach, James Best, Sorrell Booke, and Ben Jones. The show was a massive success, running for seven seasons until 1985 and later spawning a television reunion film, in which Pyle reprised his role as Jesse Duke. After "The Dukes of Hazzard" ended, he reprised his role as Briscoe Darling from "The Andy Griffith Show" in the 1986 television film "Return to Mayberry."

Oil Investments

In the late 1960s, Pyle started investing in oil, snapping up oil wells believed to be near the end of their lifespans. At this time, the price of oil was a little over $2 per barrel. After the 1973 oil crisis caused prices to skyrocket to over $46 a barrel, Pyle became very wealthy, and ended up accumulating more money from his oil investments than his entire acting career to that point.

Personal Life and Death

Pyle wed his first wife, Hollywood production assistant Marilee Carpenter, in 1955. They had two sons named David and Tony, and divorced in 1970. Pyle married his second wife, Tippie Johnston, in late 1983. They remained together until Pyle's death.

On Christmas Day in 1997, Pyle passed away from lung cancer in Burbank, California. Memorial services took place early the next year in Waxahachie, Texas. Pyle's body was interred in an unmarked grave at the Forreston Cemetery in Forreston, Texas.

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