Wopat was born in Lodi, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and made his television debut in the daytime drama One Life to Live; however, he achieved television fame in the popular television series The Dukes of Hazzard (1979–1985). He also embarked on a music career. He has recorded eight albums. Musically, he switches between rock and roll and country music styles, though his last two albums have been of classic pop standards. The latter recording, Dissertation on the State of Bliss, is a collection of Harold Arlen songs. Although Wopat did not have a mainstream recording career that was as long or commercially successful as his counterpart John Schneider's, he nonetheless had several top-40 hits on the country charts in the late 1980s.