Born on This Day in 1951, the ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ Star Who Slid Across the Hood of the General Lee and Into Broadway Stardom

On This Day, September 9, 1951, Tom Wopat was born to a future of being Luke, the blue-plaid-wearing brunette Duke boy, exceptionally skilled at sliding across the General Lee’s hood, escaping Roscoe P. Coltrane, and prospering as Hazzard County’s redneck Robinhood. However, Wopat’s career legacy is more than how far he can jump a Dodge Charger. He’s also a Tony-nominated Broadway star and a country-leaning crooner whose voice carried far beyond Boss Hogg’s Boar’s Nest.

“It’s become a permanent part of Americana, like Mickey Mouse or ‘I Love Lucy,’” Ben Jones, who played Cooter on the show, told Fox News. “The appeal of the show hasn’t changed much … Americans still love old cars, we still wear blue jeans, work shirts, ball caps, and cowboy hats. Nothing much has changed in rural America. We still drive old cars down dirt roads.”

While the show’s appeal may not have changed much, Wopat, at 74, has evolved.

He shot to fame as Luke Duke on The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985), the denim-clad, good-hearted bad boy who, alongside John Schneider’s Bo, helped turn the series into a pop culture phenomenon. With its Southern sensibilities, car chases, and small-town aesthetic, the show made Wopat a household name and bound him to country culture. Looking back, the entertainer admitted television wasn’t part of his original plan.

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Tom Wopat: “Singing has Always Been My Priority”

“Singing has always been my number one priority,” says Wopat, who has spent more time on stage and in musical theater than he did on television. “‘Dukes’ was really kind of an aberration. I never really aspired to do television. I put my focus on making records, doing live shows, and being in the theater. But ‘Dukes’ really was a ride.”

Wopat parlayed his Duke Boys fame into a recording career. At Dukes’ peak in 1983, Wopat released his single “A Little Bit Closer.” The song landed on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and his albums leaned into the mid-80s country-pop sound. For Wopat, stepping into the Nashville music business felt like the next step – even if it wasn’t completely anticipated.

“The country experience was more of a departure,” he said. “When you consider my education and my upbringing, you can see that it was more of a country-rock outgrowth of my popular music aspirations.”

From Redneck Robinhood to Big Apple Darling

In addition, Tom Wopat made a name for himself as a respected Broadway star. He earned two Tony Award nominations for Annie Get Your Gun (1999) and A Catered Affair (2008). He also starred in productions including Chicago, 42nd Street, and Glengarry Glen Ross.

Performing those classic scores only deepened his love for the stage even more.

“When you’re doing the traditional musicals, singing songs that are 40 and 50 years old, you realize there’s a reason why those musicals are hits,” he said. “These are amazing songs!”

Later in his career, Wopat branched out into jazz and cabaret. He released albums that highlighted his smooth, understated phrasing, which he didn’t understand how to perform in front of an audience.

“I have no experience performing that music live in front of an audience,” he said. “So that remains to be seen. I’m very excited to see what that’s going to be like.”

From Hazzard County’s dirt roads to the Big Apple’s bright lights, Wopat has spent more than four decades bridging his well-known country image with his desired sophisticated stagecraft. Today, Luke Duke is another year older and firmly in his true identity as a pop-culture rebel, traditional vocalist, and entertainer whose talents never fit neatly into the front seat of the General Lee.

(Photo by CBS via Getty Images)