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77-493: The Andy Griffith Museum is a museum dedicated to the life and career of American actor, television producer, and singer Andy Griffith . The museum, which houses the world's largest collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia , is located in Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina . Much of the museum's collection was acquired by Griffith's friend and the founder of Andy Griffith Museum, Emmett Forrest . The facility opened to

154-421: A Funny or Die video endorsement for Barack Obama's presidential campaign . In addition to his online video with Howard in 2008, in politics Griffith favored Democrats and recorded television commercials endorsing North Carolina governors Mike Easley and Bev Perdue . He spoke at the inauguration ceremonies of both. In 1989, he declined an offer by Democratic party officials to run against Jesse Helms ,

231-519: A homicidal villain in the television film Murder in Coweta County (1983), co-starring music legend Johnny Cash as the sheriff. He also appeared in several television miniseries , including the television version of From Here to Eternity (1979), Roots: The Next Generations (1979), Centennial (1978), and the Watergate scandal -inspired Washington: Behind Closed Doors (1977), playing

308-553: A justice of the peace and the editor of the local newspaper, in an episode of Make Room for Daddy starring Danny Thomas . This episode, in which Thomas's character is stopped for running a stop sign in a little town, served as a backdoor pilot for The Andy Griffith Show . Both shows were produced by Sheldon Leonard . Beginning in September 1960, Griffith starred as Sheriff Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show for

385-405: A 1921 silent film of the historic events. The film was shown across North Carolina. It was the first silent film produced in the state. The 1926 pageant attracted the largest crowd to that point, and organizers sought to build on their achievement. They began to prepare to mark the 350th anniversary of Virginia Dare's birth. They approached North Carolina playwright Paul Green about developing

462-534: A Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina. In July 2010, he also starred in advertisements about Medicare . In 1945, while a student at the University of North Carolina, Griffith was initiated as a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia , a national social music fraternity for men. Griffith and Barbara Bray Edwards were married on August 22, 1949, and they adopted two children: a son named Andy Samuel Griffith Jr. (born in 1957 and better known as Sam Griffith) and

539-526: A cast member of the play for several years, playing a variety of roles until he finally landed the role of Sir Walter Raleigh , for whom North Carolina's capital is named. He attended the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill, North Carolina , and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1949. He began college studying to be a Moravian preacher, but he changed his major to music and became

616-421: A dangerous and mysterious grandfather in the television film Gramps (1995) co-starring John Ritter . He also appeared as a comical villain in the spy movie spoof Spy Hard (1996) starring Leslie Nielsen . In the television film A Holiday Romance (1999), Griffith played the role of Jake Peterson. In the film Daddy and Them (2001), Griffith portrayed the patriarch of a dysfunctional southern family. In

693-495: A daughter named Dixie Nann Griffith. They divorced in 1972. Sam, a real-estate developer , died in 1996 after years of alcoholism. The senior Griffith's second wife was Solica Cassuto, a Greek actress. They were married from 1973 to 1981. Griffith and Cindi Knight married on April 12, 1983, after they met while she was a cast member of The Lost Colony . They remained married until Griffith's death. Griffith also had three granddaughters through his daughter Dixie. According to

770-462: A few years at Goldsboro High School in Goldsboro, North Carolina , where he taught, among others, Carl Kasell . He also began to write. Griffith's early career was as a monologist , delivering long stories such as " What It Was, Was Football ", which is told from the point of view of a naïve country preacher trying to figure out what was going on in a football game. The monologue was released as

847-552: A fictional version of western figure Judge Roy Bean featured in an aspiring singer's fantasy, and an episode of The Love Boat , which featured a memorable appearance by pop icon Andy Warhol . He also appeared as an attorney in the NBC miniseries Fatal Vision (1984), which is considered a precursor to his role in Matlock . Griffith stunned many unfamiliar with his A Face in the Crowd work in

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924-505: A former president loosely based on Lyndon B. Johnson . Most of the television movies in which Griffith starred were also attempts to launch a new series. Winter Kill (1974) launched the short-lived Adams of Eagle Lake , which was canceled in 1975 after only two episodes. A year later, he starred as a New York City attorney for the DA's office in Street Killing , which also failed to launch

1001-525: A gateway to political power. The film was directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg and co-stars Patricia Neal , Walter Matthau , Tony Franciosa , and Lee Remick (in her film debut). A 2005 DVD reissue of A Face in the Crowd includes a mini-documentary on the film, with comments from Schulberg and cast members Griffith, Franciosa, and Neal. In his interview, Griffith recalls Kazan prepping him to shoot his first scene with Remick's teenaged baton twirler , who captivates Griffith's character on

1078-508: A group of about 120 men, women and children established one of the first English settlements in the New World on Roanoke Island in 1587. Shortly after arriving in this New World, colonist Eleanor Dare, daughter of Governor John White of the colony, gave birth to her daughter Virginia Dare . The governor's granddaughter was believed to be the first English child born in North America. Life on

1155-541: A last-minute campaign commercial where he endorsed then-Attorney General Mike Easley for governor of the state of North Carolina. Easley had been locked in a tight race with former Mayor of Charlotte Richard Vinroot and had been losing his lead in the polls. Easley went on to win that November , taking 52% of the vote to Vinroot's 46%. Many observers dubbed Easley's victory as the "Mayberry Miracle", and credit Griffith's endorsement for stopping his falling poll numbers. In October 2008, Griffith appeared with Ron Howard in

1232-481: A launching pad for their professional careers with success on broadway, in film, television, theme parks, and beyond. In addition to Andy Griffith , other notable alumni who got their stage legs at Waterside Theatre include Leon Rippy , Chris Elliott , Eileen Fulton , Terrence Mann , Ira David Wood III , Carl Kasell and R. G. Armstrong . Ted Tally spent a summer in the production long before winning top Academy Award honors for his screenplay of Silence of

1309-541: A local Catholic church.) President Franklin D. Roosevelt saw the production on August 18, 1937. He said, "We do not know the fate of Virginia Dare or the First Colony. We do know, however, that the story of America is largely a record of that spirit of adventure." On August 23, 1939, CBS radio broadcast a one-hour adaptation of the play from the Waterside Theatre. The drama attracted enough tourists to stimulate

1386-528: A new pageant script. Having visited the island on several occasions, Green had already considered writing a piece about "those tragic first settlers." He joined with Saunders and Bradford Fearing, president of the Roanoke Historical Society, to develop a play to celebrate the 350th anniversary of Virginia Dare's birth. Initially, the team imagined a plot to tell the legend of Virginia Dare's falling in love with Chief Manteo's son and giving birth to

1463-403: A new race that has since vanished. To raise interest in the pageant, they planned to conduct a nationwide beauty contest to find a young woman to play Virginia Dare. But Green envisioned a spectacle with a combination of music, dialogue, and dance, which he called "symphonic drama". He wanted the drama to express community ideals of freedom, struggle, and perseverance—guiding themes for a nation in

1540-454: A new show. Two television films for NBC in 1977, The Girl in the Empty Grave and Deadly Game , were attempts for Griffith to launch a new series featuring him as Police Chief Abel Marsh, a more hard-edged version of Andy Taylor; despite strong ratings, both were unsuccessful in leading to a new TV show. During this period, Griffith also appeared in two feature films, both of which flopped at

1617-614: A palisade of the fort and a nearby tree with the letters "CRO" similarly inscribed. While some theories hold that the colonists died at the site, the fate of those first colonists remains a matter of scholarly debate. On July 4, 1937, The Lost Colony first opened. Annual celebrations of Virginia Dare 's birthday, August 18, had been celebrated by the Roanoke Colony Memorial Association since its founding in 1894. The early events were primarily picnic meetings, featuring hymn singing and commemorative speeches. In 1923,

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1694-469: A part of the school's Carolina Playmakers . At UNC, he was president of the UNC chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia , America's oldest fraternity for men in music. He also played roles in several student operettas , including The Chimes of Normandy (1946), and Gilbert and Sullivan 's The Gondoliers (1945), The Mikado (1948) and H.M.S. Pinafore (1949). After graduation, he taught music and drama for

1771-610: A single in 1953 on the Colonial Records label, and was a hit for Griffith, reaching number nine on the charts in 1954. Griffith starred in Ira Levin 's one-hour teleplay , No Time for Sergeants (March 1955) — a story about a country boy in the United States Air Force  — on The United States Steel Hour , a television anthology series . He expanded that role in Ira Levin 's full-length theatrical version of

1848-512: A small storage building were completely destroyed. No cause has been determined. Except for a few costumes stored at the dry cleaners and others on display at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh , the production's costumes suffered a total loss. The destroyed costumes include vintage costumes created by Irene Rains in the 1940s and 1950s; all of Fred Voelpel 's costumes made in

1925-405: A trip to Arkansas . Griffith also expresses his belief that the film is more popular in recent decades than it was when originally released. Griffith's first appearance on television was in 1955 in the one-hour teleplay of No Time for Sergeants on The United States Steel Hour . That was the first of two appearances on that series. In 1960, Griffith appeared as a county sheriff , who was also

2002-432: Is considered the direct inspiration for the later television situation comedy Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. – a spin-off of The Andy Griffith Show . His only other New York stage appearance was the title role in the 1959 musical Destry Rides Again , co-starring Dolores Gray . The show, with a score by Harold Rome , ran for 472 performances and more than a year. Griffith was nominated for " Distinguished Musical Actor " at

2079-430: Is sad. But he lived a great rich life. In a 2016 interview with US Magazine , Howard recalled Griffith encouraging his scriptwriting when he was just seven years old, saying "I felt elated." Howard recounted: "Andy Griffith said, 'What are you grinnin' at, young'un?' I said, 'That's the first idea of mine they've taken.' He said, 'It's the first that was any damn good. Now let's rehearse!'" In 2000, Griffith appeared in

2156-451: Is walk on the stage and look the audience straight in the face. If the armed forces cannot cope with Will Stockdale, neither can the audience resist Andy Griffith." Griffith later reprised his role for the film version (1958) of No Time for Sergeants ; the film also featured Don Knotts , as a corporal in charge of manual-dexterity tests, marking the beginning of a lifelong association between Griffith and Knotts. No Time for Sergeants

2233-401: The 1960 Tony Awards , losing to Jackie Gleason . He also portrayed a US Coast Guard sailor in the feature film Onionhead (1958). It was neither a critical nor a commercial success. In 1957, Griffith made his film debut starring in the film A Face in the Crowd . He plays a "country boy" who is manipulative and power-hungry: a drifter who becomes a television host and uses his show as

2310-519: The 1997 Grammy Awards . Griffith appeared in country singer Brad Paisley 's music video " Waitin' on a Woman " (2008). William Harold Fenrick of Platteville, Wisconsin , legally changed his name to Andrew Jackson Griffith and ran unsuccessfully for sheriff of Grant County in November 2006. Subsequently, actor Griffith filed a lawsuit against Griffith/Fenrick, asserting that he violated trademark, copyright , and privacy laws by changing his name for

2387-575: The CBS television network . The show took place in the fictional town of Mayberry , North Carolina, where Taylor, a widower, was the sheriff and town sage. The show was filmed at Desilu Studios, with exteriors filmed at Forty Acres in Culver City, California . From 1960 to 1965, the show co-starred character actor and comedian — and Griffith's longtime friend — Don Knotts in the role of Deputy Barney Fife , Taylor's best friend and comedy partner. He

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2464-486: The Federal Theatre Project , WPA funds were used for salaries as part of a Theatre Works initiative to assist out-of-work Broadway actors from New York City . English-born actress Katherine Cale starred as Eleanor Dare , Virginia's mother, while Lillian Ashton portrayed Queen Elizabeth I , Earl Mayo played the comic Old Tom, and Jack Lee narrated the production as The Historian. Other actors were hired to fill

2541-550: The Great Depression . North Carolina Congressman Lindsay Warren secured the production of 25,000 memorial half dollars to be sold to raise funds. English-born architect Albert Quentin "Skipper" Bell began construction of the large-scale set with assistance from workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Previously, Bell had designed a village of log-structures on the grounds of Fort Raleigh . Through

2618-594: The Pulitzer Prize for drama. The Lost Colony marked a shift in his work from more traditional forms of drama to focus on the creation of large-scale outdoor musical spectacles which he termed " Symphonic Dramas ." As of 2012, this is the United States's second-longest-running historical outdoor drama, behind The Ramona Pageant produced in Southern California. Before Jamestown and Plymouth were founded,

2695-725: The US Marines . They co-starred in the TV special Return to Mayberry (1986), in which the now-adult Opie is about to become a father. They later appeared together in CBS reunion specials in 1993 and 2003. Griffith also made a comedy cameo on the Saturday Night Live program of October 9, 1982, hosted by Howard, who was, by then, in the early years of his directing career. In October 2008, Griffith and Howard briefly reprised their Mayberry roles in an online video Ron Howard's Call to Action . It

2772-458: The "sole purpose of taking advantage of Griffith's fame in an attempt to gain votes". On May 4, 2007, US District Court Judge John C. Shabaz ruled that Griffith/Fenrick did not violate federal trademark law because he did not use the Griffith name in a commercial transaction but instead in order "to seek elective office, fundamental First Amendment protected speech". Griffith's friendship with Don Knotts began in 1955 when they co-starred in

2849-631: The 1986 reunion television film , Return to Mayberry , with fellow co-star, Don Knotts. Two reunion specials followed in 1993 and 2003, with strong ratings. After leaving his still-popular show in 1968, and starting his own production company Andy Griffith Enterprises in 1972, Griffith starred in less-successful television series such as Headmaster (1970), The New Andy Griffith Show (1971), Adams of Eagle Lake (1975), Salvage 1 (1979) and The Yeagers (1980). After spending seven months in rehabilitation for leg paralysis from Guillain–Barré syndrome in 1983, Griffith returned to television as

2926-514: The 2015 book Andy & Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show , Aneta Corsaut and the married Griffith had an ongoing affair throughout the five years they worked together on The Andy Griffith Show ; the affair was an open secret amongst the cast and crew. Griffith's first serious health problem was in April 1983 when he was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome and could not walk for seven months because of paralysis from

3003-529: The Broadway play No Time for Sergeants . Several years later, Knotts had a regular role on The Andy Griffith Show for five seasons. Knotts left the series in 1965, but periodically returned for guest appearances. He appeared in the pilot for Griffith's subsequent short-lived series, The New Andy Griffith Show , and he had a recurring role on Matlock , from 1988 to 1992. In a January 2000 interview, Griffith said of Knotts, "The five years we worked together were

3080-769: The Lambs . His niece appeared in the 2008 production. 2012 Tony Award winner Steve Kazee ( Once: The Musical ) played the leading role of John Borden in the 1990s. Academy Award and Tony Award-nominee Lynn Redgrave played the supporting role of Queen Elizabeth I for seven performances during the show's 2006 season. There are current artistic team members who started or nurtured their careers with The Lost Colony. This includes Production designer William Ivey Long , winner of six Tony Awards for Best Costume Design. Lighting designer Joshua C. Allen began his career at The Lost Colony in 1991, and has since designed hundreds of productions, venues, and notable themed environments around

3157-401: The best five years of my life." They kept in touch until Knotts's death in early 2006. Griffith traveled from his Manteo, North Carolina , home to Los Angeles to visit the terminally ill Knotts at Cedars-Sinai just before Knotts died of lung cancer. Griffith's friendship with child actor Ron Howard began in 1960 when they guest-starred in the episode of Make Room For Daddy that led to

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3234-685: The box office. He co-starred with Jeff Bridges as a crusty old 1930s western actor in the comedy Hearts of the West (1975), and he appeared alongside Tom Berenger as a gay villainous colonel and cattle baron in the Western comedy spoof Rustlers' Rhapsody (1985). Following another short-lived return to series television, playing a family patriarch in the Dynasty -inspired The Yeagers in 1980, Griffith continued to make guest appearances in several hit series, including Hotel , Fantasy Island , where he played

3311-668: The collection. Many of the artifacts were in poor condition and the museum made efforts to preserve the items and keep them in good shape. Personal items on exhibit includes a rocking chair that Andy Griffith's father, Carl Griffith, made for his mother, Geneva. A large portion of the museum includes pieces from the sets of The Andy Griffith Show , which aired from 1960 to 1968, and the Matlock television series. The museum also houses objects related to actress Betty Lynn (now deceased), who played Barney’s girlfriend and lived in Mount Airy, and

3388-479: The economy of Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Their hotels, motels, and restaurants thrived despite the bleak depression economy. The village of Manteo renamed its streets after historic figures in the drama. Originally intended for one season, the drama was produced again the following year and has since become a North Carolina tradition. Since 1937, more than four million visitors have seen it. Of

3465-614: The end of its first season it was a ratings powerhouse on Tuesday nights. Although the show was nominated for four Emmy Awards, Griffith once again was never nominated. He did, however, win a People's Choice Award in 1987 for his work as Matlock. Griffith also made other character appearances through the years on Playhouse 90 , Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. , The Mod Squad , Hawaii Five-O , The Doris Day Show , Here's Lucy , The Bionic Woman and Fantasy Island , among many others. He also reprised his role as Ben Matlock on Diagnosis: Murder in 1997, and his final guest-starring role

3542-591: The feature film Waitress (2007), Griffith played a crusty diner owner who takes a shine to Keri Russell 's character. His last appearance was the leading role in the romantic comedy , independent film Play the Game (2009) as a lonely, widowed grandfather re-entering the dating world after a 60-year hiatus. The cast of Play the Game also included Rance Howard , Ron Howard's real-life father, who had made appearances in various supporting roles on The Andy Griffith Show , and Clint Howard , Ron's younger brother, who had

3619-497: The festivities were expanded to include dramatic sketches. By 1925 local residents performed a full-scale pageant of the story, using pantomime, music, and narration. W. O. Sounders, editor of the Elizabeth City Independent, was a passionate supporter of the pageant and supported expanding the celebration. Mabel Evans Jones , Roanoke Island native and Dare County School Superintendent, wrote, produced and starred in

3696-594: The formation of The Andy Griffith Show the same year. For eight seasons, they starred together in most of the show's episodes, portraying father and son. They guest-starred together in the show's spin-off series Mayberry R.F.D. They appeared in an episode during which Griffith's character married his long-time girlfriend, Helen Crump, and in the Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. episode "Opie Joins the Marines", in which Howard's character, Opie, runs away from home and attempts to enlist in

3773-413: The grips of the Great Depression . The original production had difficulty finding funding; early pledges of support evaporated as the depression deepened. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) of President Franklin D. Roosevelt helped provide funding and labor for the production through its various agencies; it supported theater groups, writers and artists among the people who were put to work during

3850-457: The island was difficult for the colonists. Low on supplies and facing retaliation from the Native Americans they had displaced, the colonists sent Governor White to England in the summer of 1587 for supplies. Because of the impending war with Spain, White was unable to return to Roanoke Island until 1590. When he arrived, he found no evidence of the colony, save the word "CROATOAN" carved into

3927-551: The knees down. On May 9, 2000, he underwent quadruple heart- bypass surgery at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia . After a fall, Griffith underwent hip surgery on September 5, 2007, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. On July 3, 2012, Griffith died at his Roanoke Island home in Manteo, North Carolina , from a heart attack he had the day before; he

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4004-432: The late Don Knotts . Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy-friendly personality, as well as his gruff but friendly voice, Griffith was a Tony Award nominee for two roles. He gained prominence in

4081-530: The major roles, with members of the Carolina Playmakers, Roanoke Islanders, and CCC taking the smaller roles. The production was directed by Samuel Selden, one of Green's associates in the UNC Playmakers of Chapel Hill, under the supervision of Frederick H. Koch. Music for the production was directed by Eric Stapleton, director of North Carolina's WPA Federal Music Project . It was drawn primarily from

4158-525: The more than 40 annual outdoor dramas which were produced through the 20th century, The Lost Colony is one of three which has continued into the 21st century. In that time, only two seasons have been canceled: the 1944 season was canceled due to WWII and the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The drama has been a community effort, and many local Roanoke Islanders and North Carolinians have performed in it. Marjalene Thomas first performed with

4235-557: The novel Deathwatch (1972) by Robb White . He appeared as The Father in a 1976 PBS television adaptation, directed by Stacy Keach , of Luigi Pirandello 's Six Characters in Search of an Author . Griffith received his only Primetime Emmy Award nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie for his role as the father of a murder victim in the television film Murder in Texas (1981) and won further acclaim for his role as

4312-424: The only child of Carl Lee Griffith and his wife, Geneva (née Nunn). As a baby, Griffith lived with relatives until his parents could afford to buy a home. With neither a crib nor a bed, he slept in dresser drawers for several months. In 1929, when Griffith was three, his father began working as a helper or carpenter and purchased a home in Mount Airy's " blue-collar " south side. Griffith grew up listening to music. By

4389-601: The public on September 26, 2009. The Andy Griffith Museum is located in Mount Airy, North Carolina , a half-mile from Griffith's childhood home. The 2,500-square-feet, which cost approximately $ 500,000 to construct, is adjacent to the Andy Griffith Playhouse. The museum founder, the late Emmett Forrest , a lifelong friend of Griffith's since elementary school, planned the museum with the Surry Arts Council for more than twenty-five years. The Andy Griffith Museum

4466-402: The recurring role of Leon (the kid offering the ice cream cone or peanut butter sandwich) on The Andy Griffith Show . Griffith sang as part of some of his acting roles, most notably in A Face in the Crowd and in many episodes of both The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock . In addition to his recordings of comic monologues in the 1950s, he made an album of upbeat country and gospel tunes during

4543-547: The run of The Andy Griffith Show , which included a version of the show's theme sung by Griffith under the title " The Fishin' Hole ". In later years, he recorded successful albums of classic Christian hymns for Sparrow Records . His most successful was the release I Love to Tell the Story: 25 Timeless Hymns (1996), which was certified platinum by the RIAA. The album won Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album at

4620-593: The same name (October 1955) on Broadway in New York City. The role earned him a Tony Award nomination for " Distinguished Supporting or Featured Dramatic Actor " nomination at the 1956 Tony Awards , losing to Ed Begley . He did win the 1956 Theatre World Award , however, a prize given for debut roles on Broadway. "Mr. Griffith does not have to condescend to Will Stockdale" (his role in the play), wrote Brooks Atkinson in The New York Times . "All he has to do

4697-400: The show in 1938 and throughout the years played every female role — with the exception of one. Robert Midgette (fight director of The Lost Colony ) has been with the show 40+ years. Actor Andy Griffith , who performed at the production's Waterside Theatre on Roanoke Island from 1947 to 1953, liked Manteo so much he decided to live there permanently. North Carolina State Senator Marc Basnight

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4774-501: The show to pursue a movie career and other projects. The series continued as Mayberry R.F.D. , with Ken Berry starring as a widower farmer and many of the regular characters recurring, some regularly and some as guest appearances. Griffith served as executive producer (according to Griffith, he came in once a week to review the week's scripts and give input) and guest starred in five episodes (the pilot episode involved his marriage to Helen Crump ). He made final appearances as Taylor in

4851-452: The starring role in director Elia Kazan 's film A Face in the Crowd (1957) and No Time for Sergeants (1958) before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead roles of Andy Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock (1986–1995). Griffith was born on June 1, 1926, in Mount Airy, North Carolina ,

4928-519: The television film Crime of Innocence (1985)...wherein he portrayed a hateful and vindictive judge who routinely sentenced juveniles to hard prison time, followed by lengthy and equally-torturous probation. Also noteworthy in Griffith's darker roles was his character in Under the Influence (1986), a TV movie in which Griffith played an alcoholic, abusive patriarch. He further surprised audiences with his role as

5005-462: The time he entered school, he was well aware that he was from what many considered the "wrong side of the tracks". He was a shy student, but once he found a way to make his peers laugh, he began to come out of his shell and come into his own. As a student at Mount Airy High School , Griffith cultivated an interest in the arts, and he participated in the school's drama program. A growing love of music, particularly swing , would change his life. Griffith

5082-483: The title character, Ben Matlock, in the legal drama Matlock (1986–1995) on NBC and ABC. Matlock was a country lawyer in Atlanta , Georgia, who was known for his Southern drawl and for always winning his cases. Matlock also starred unfamiliar, struggling actors (both of whom were childhood fans of Andy Griffith) Nancy Stafford as Michelle Thomas (1987–1992) and Clarence Gilyard , Jr. as Conrad McMasters (1989–1993). By

5159-424: The types of old English hymns, ballads, and folk songs which the settlers likely carried with them. Lamar Stringfield , American composer and conductor, has been credited with composing the original music for the play. His contribution is not noted in the original program. The new Hammond electric organ was used to provide musical accompaniment. (By the late 1960s, this particular instrument had been transferred to

5236-480: The world, while receiving numerous awards from the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). On September 11, 2007 a resident of Nags Head, North Carolina reported a fire across the sound. All fire departments north of Oregon Inlet responded to find part of the Waterside Theatre in flames. The fire crews worked to control the blaze. In spite of their efforts, the maintenance shed, Costume Shop, and

5313-407: Was 86. His death certificate listed hypertension , coronary artery disease , and hyperlipidemia as underlying health conditions. In accordance with prior arrangements, no services were held at the time, and he was buried in a cemetery on the island within five hours of his death. Lost Colony (play) The play was written during the Great Depression by Paul Green , who had earlier won

5390-513: Was also Taylor's cousin in the show at first, though later they dropped that cousin relationship and talked simply of knowing one another since boyhood. In the series premiere episode, in a conversation between the two, Fife calls Taylor "Cousin Andy", and Taylor calls Fife "Cousin Barney". The show also starred child actor Ron Howard (then known as Ronny Howard), who played Taylor's only child, Opie Taylor. It

5467-426: Was an amazing environment. And I think it was a reflection of the way he felt about having the opportunity to create something that people could enjoy. It was always with respect and passion for the opportunity and really what it could offer people in a very unpretentious and earthy way. He felt he was always working in service of an audience he really respected and cared about. He was a great influence on me. His passing

5544-436: Was an immediate hit. Griffith never received a writing credit for the show, but he worked on the development of every script. Knotts was frequently lauded and won multiple Emmy Awards for his comedic performances, as did Frances Bavier in 1967, while Griffith was never nominated for an Emmy Award during the show's run. In 1967, Griffith was under contract with CBS to do one more season of the show. However, he decided to quit

5621-468: Was born in Manteo; he performed in the role of a colonist child in the play. As of 2024, the play has better sound and lighting and employs Native American actors, with an updated script showing how they actually speak and behave. Some people criticized the changes for making the play " woke ". The production is often referred to as a training and proving ground for young artists, and many use their summers as

5698-510: Was in 2001 in an episode of Dawson's Creek . For most of the 1970s, Griffith starred or appeared in many television films, including The Strangers in 7A (1972), Go Ask Alice (1973), Winter Kill (1974) and Pray for the Wildcats (1974), which marked his first villainous role since A Face in the Crowd . Griffith appeared again as a villain in Savages (1974), a television film based on

5775-418: Was opened on September 26, 2009. A $ 600,000 upgrade of the museum, with funding that included $ 200,000 from the city, was completed in 2017. Emmett Forrest donated an extensive collection of Andy Griffith memorabilia , which forms the basis for the museum's permanent exhibition. The Surry Arts Council did not actually own the collection until after Forrest's death in 2013, at which time the estate turned over

5852-429: Was posted to comedy video website Funny or Die . The video encouraged people to vote and endorsed Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Joe Biden . After Griffith's death, Howard stated: His love of creating, the joy he took in it whether it was drama or comedy or his music, was inspiring to grow up around. The spirit he created on the set of The Andy Griffith Show was joyful and professional all at once. It

5929-457: Was raised Baptist and looked up to Ed Mickey, a minister at Grace Moravian Church , who led the brass band and taught him to sing and play the trombone. Mickey nurtured Griffith's talent throughout high school until graduation in 1944. Griffith was delighted when he was offered a role in The Lost Colony by Paul Green , a play about Roanoke Island still performed today. He performed as

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