Andy Griffith Biography
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Andrew Samuel "Andy" Griffith (born June 1,
1926) is an American actor, writer and producer from Mount Airy, North
Carolina. He was a genuine country boy who made sophisticated humor
based on his own background.
Griffith is best known as "Sheriff Andy
Taylor" in the popular 1960s television series The Andy Griffith Show
and in the title role in the 1980s television series Matlock.
The Andy Griffith Show, which aired from
1960 to 1968, became an instant hit with its American audience. Viewers
immediately felt a connection with Taylor, his son "Opie" (Ron Howard),
"Aunt Bee" (Frances Bavier), Deputy "Barney Fife" (Don Knotts), "Gomer
Pyle" (Jim Nabors), Goober Pyle (George Lindsey) and the entire town of
"Mayberry".
Griffith started out as a stand-up
comedian. His first success was a 1953 live recording of "What it was,
was football", a story about a country boy at his first football game,
delighting in the "big orange drinks" and the boys running up and down
the "cow pasture" in "the awfulest fight I most ever saw" and "these
purty girls a-wearin' these little-bitty short dresses, and a-dancin'
around". Later that year, he recorded "Number One Street", telling the
story of a rural family travelling to Florida on United States Highway
1.
By 1954, he was on Broadway, starring in No
Time for Sergeants, a play about a country boy in the Air Force, made
into a film in 1959 and considered the direct inspiration for Gomer
Pyle, U.S.M.C..
In 1959, Griffith starred in A Face in the
Crowd. Again, he played a country boy and entertainer, but this time as
a terrifying psychopath who used the rube pose to rise to political
power. This film showcased Griffith's powerful talents as a dramatic
actor.
Griffith was an inspiration for the Hanna-Barbera
cartoon character Huckleberry Hound, introduced in 1958.
After leaving his show in 1968, Griffith
had several series that were not successful such as The Headmaster
(1970), The New Andy Griffith Show (1971) and Salvage I (1979). He also
starred in many television films such as Strangers In 7A (1972), Winter
Kill (1974) and Pray for the Wildcats (1974). In 1981 Griffith won an
Emmy nomination for his role in the TV film Murder In Texas and in 1983
won further acclaim for his role as a homicidal villain in the TV film
Murder In Coweta County. He also had an appearance as the villain in
1996 movie Spyhard.
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URL of Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Griffith
Date Article Copied:
July 12, 2005
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