Francis Luke Askew (March 26, 1932 – March 29, 2012) was an American actor and musician, best known for his appearances in Western films.
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Early life and education
Askew was born on March 26, 1932, in Macon, Georgia, to Milton Dillard Askew (1904–1976) and Dorothy Doolittle (1910–1969). Askew attended the University of Georgia and the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. In his collegiate years, Askew served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, serving in the intelligence division of Strategic Air Command.
Career
Acting
After appearing in Off-Broadway plays, Askew made his film debut in Hurry Sundown (1967), but was first noticed as an actor for his role in Cool Hand Luke (1967). The following year he worked with John Wayne in The Green Berets (with his hair cut short).
In 1969, he worked with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider, with his "Hitchhiker" character (credited as "Stranger on Highway") achieving worldwide popularity and also making Askew a recognizable face in subsequent films. He would later took part in Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage (1999), a documentary about the making of Easy Rider, and the 2003 documentary Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood.
Askew starred for the first time in a role in the almost-forgotten Spaghetti Western Night of the Serpent (La notte dei serpenti; 1969), which is now considered a cult film. He continued to work as an actor after that, predominantly appearing in supporting or villain roles in genre films like The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984) and Dune Warriors (1991), as well as guest roles on television series; this includes work on such series as: Bonanza, The High Chaparral, Mission: Impossible, Cannon, The Rockford Files, Quincy, M.E., The Six Million Dollar Man, T. J. Hooker, L.A. Law, MacGyver, Walker, Texas Ranger, Murder She Wrote, and HBO's Big Love.
Other work
In addition to his acting career, Askew was also a rock and blues singer who frequently performed at the Gaslight Cafe. According to Bob Dylan, when Luke sang at it was like a "guy who sounded like Bobby Blue Bland".
Death
Askew later moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon. He died at Lake Oswego on March 29, 2012, three days after his 80th birthday, due to lung cancer.