Actor. Born Francis Luke Askew, he attended the University of Georgia, Mercer University and was preparing for a career in law at the Walter F. George School of Law, when he changed career directions towards the entertainment industry. During his collegiate years, he served in the strategic air command intelligence with the US Air Force. Askew landed the position of disc jockey and had a stint as an announcer in television which led to his motion picture debut in “Hurry Sundown” (1967). He experienced roles of substance in a wide range of films among them “Cool Hand Luke” (1967, as Boss Paul), “Will Penny” (1968) and “The Devil’s Brigade” (1968), “The Green Berets” (1968) and throughout his career, he was typecast as villains. He may perhaps be best remembered by movie audiences for playing the Highway Stranger in the classic cult film “Easy Rider” (1969). He went onto accumulate an impressive body of TV credits with “Mission: Impossible”, “Fantasy Island” and “Murder, She Wrote”, to name a few. (bio by: C.S.)