Sorrell Booke was born in Buffalo, New York in 1930, the son of a local physician. He found his calling early in life, like most actors, when his family encouraged him to entertain relatives by doing impressions and telling jokes. He went on to study at Yale and Columbia University, and mastered five languages. During the Korean War, Booke worked in counter-intelligence where his lingual talents served him well. His intelligence and subtlety are often overlooked when considering his signature role as Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg during his run on The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). He died of cancer in 1994 just after his 64th birthday.

Sorrell Booke parlava molto fluentemente 5 lingue, tra le quali il giapponese, per questo durante la guerra in Corea servì il suo paese lavorando nell'intelligence.

Accreditato in alcune occasioni come Sorrel Brooke, l'attore recitò in parti di secondo piano in serie televisive quali Il dottor Kildare, Le strade di San Francisco e Colombo, ma il ruolo che lo rese più celebre fu quello di Jefferson Davis "J.D." (Boss) Hogg nella serie televisiva Hazzard.

È deceduto per cancro a Sherman Oaks, California, l'11 febbraio 1994. È stato seppellito nel cimitero ebraico di Hillside Memorial Park di Culver City, California.