Andy Griffith Add to My Celebs Age 85 Birthday Jun. 1st, 1926 Born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, USA Height 6'

Andy Griffith's Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Matlock Benjamin Ma… The Andy Griffith Show Sheriff And… The New Andy Griffith Show Andy Sawyer Pioneers of Television Andy Griffith Salvage 1 Harry Brode… Centennial Professor L… Mayberry R.F.D. Andy Taylor The Headmaster Andy Thompson The Yeagers Carroll Yea…

Main Movie Roles 2009 - Play the Game 2007 - Christmas Is Here Again 2007 - Waitress 2001 - Daddy and Them 1996 - Spy Hard 1985 - Rustlers' Rhapsody 1958 - No Time For Sergeants 1957 - A Face in the Crowd

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB


BIOGRAPHY:

Andy Griffith is best known for his starring roles in two very popular TV series, "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960) and "Matlock" (1986).

Griffith earned a degree in music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the 1950s he became a regular on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Steve Allen Show. He was featured in the Broadway play "No Time for Sergeants" (1955) for which he received a Tony nomination, and he later appeared in the film version. His film debut was in the provocative and prophetic A Face in the Crowd (1957), in which Griffith gave a performance that has been described as stunning.

On "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960), Griffith portrayed a folksy small-town sheriff who shared simple heartfelt wisdom. The show was one of the most popular TV series in history. It generated some successful spin-offs, and the original is still seen in re-runs to this day.

Griffith created his own production company in 1972, which produced several movies and TV series. In 1981, he was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal in Murder in Texas (1981) (TV). In 1983 Griffith was stricken with Guillain-Barre syndrome, but he recovered after rehabilitation.

In 1986 he produced and starred in the very successful TV series "Matlock" (1986). The show spawned numerous TV movies as well. When he accepted the People's Choice Award for this show, he said this was his favorite role.


TRIVIA:

• The town of Mayberry on "The Andy Griffith Show" is based upon Andy Griffith's hometown of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. By the same token, the characters on the show will commonly mention the "sister city" of "Mount Pilot". Mount Pilot does exist, though it's really called Pilot Mountain, and has the same basic geographical positioning to Mt. Airy as Mayberry does to Mount Pilot. The towns in both reality and the series are about 15 miles apart. Both towns (in both universes) are north of Winston-Salem, North Carolina near the North Carolina-Virginia border.
• He recorded some albums of standup comedy, including one titled "Just for Laughs". Among his classic routines is "What It Was, Was Football", about a country bumpkin who witnesses his first football game.
• His two children are adopted.
• Actors 'Nancy Stafford' (qv) and 'Clarence Gilyard Jr.' (qv) were said to be huge fans of their mentor's first series, _"The Andy Griffith Show" (1960)_ (qv), as little children. Years later, they both auditioned and won the roles alongside him on _"Matlock" (1986)_ (qv), within a couple years of each other. Stafford replaced 'Linda Purl' (qv) in 1987, and Gilyard replaced 'Kene Holliday' (qv) in 1989.
• 9 May 2000 - Underwent a quadruple bypass.
• Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 195-196. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
• Taught English at Goldsboro High School in Goldsboro, North Carolina for a period of time.
• Inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007.

Andy Griffith Photos

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