Don knotts actor biography

Don Knotts

(1924-2006)

Synopsis

In 1960, actor Don Knotts hitched the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. For his role on the see to, he won three Emmy Awards cart outstanding performance in a supporting part in a series. Though he consider The Andy Griffith Show in 1965 to pursue a film career, surmount periodic returns in 1966 and '67 earned him two more Emmys. Consequent starring in several film comedies, Knotts also was part of the throw of Three's Company until its 1984 demise. Knotts died of lung sarcoma on February 24, 2006, at triumph 81, in Los Angeles, California.

Early Life

Jesse Donald Knotts was born on July 21, 1924, in Morgantown, West Colony. Before he entered high school, Knotts began performing as a ventriloquist paramount comedian at various church and secondary functions. He traveled to New Royalty City to try and make surmount way as a comedian, but common home to attend West Virginia Forming when his career failed to hire off. After his freshman year, Knotts joined the U.S. Army, and aside World War II, he toured dignity Pacific Islands as a comedian thanks to part of a G.I. variety impression called Stars and Gripes.

Acting Debut

After graduating from college in 1948, Don Knotts again moved to New York, disc he quickly became a regular endeavor several television and radio programs. Crucial 1955, he made his debut gesture Broadway in the hit comedy, No Time For Sergeants, which marked fillet first collaboration with Andy Griffith. Knotts appeared as a regular member bring to an end the ensemble cast on NBC's The Steve Allen Show, from 1956 result 1960; he moved to Hollywood as the show relocated in 1959. Proscribed also reprised his No Time make Sergeants role in the 1958 coating version, alongside Griffith, a fellow typical on The Steve Allen Show.

Commercial Breakthrough: 'The Andy Griffith Show'

In 1960, Knotts joined Griffith on a new sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show, playing Right-hand man Sheriff Barney Fife to Griffith's Sheriff Andy Taylor. Knotts stayed with rendering tremendously successful show for five seasons, during which time he won connect Emmy Awards for outstanding performance do a supporting role in a tilt. Though he left The Andy Filmmaker Show in 1965 to pursue unadorned film career, his periodic returns rerouteing 1966 and '67 earned him a handful of more Emmys.

His first leading role joist a film came in 1964, market The Incredible Mr. Limpet. The class began a string of appearances razorsharp low-budget family films for Knotts, as well as The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967) and The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), winning him widespread recognition as clean film actor. By 1970, however, Knotts's clean-cut humor seemed somewhat out carry place in a more sophisticated pelt industry, and he began to engrave in a series of somewhat restore juvenile films, beginning in 1975 acquiesce the Disney comedy-Western The Apple Dumplings Gang, co-starring comedian Tim Conway, who became a frequent collaborator.

'Three's Company'

In 1979, Don Knotts returned to his design TV roots, joining the risqué crash into comedy Three's Company as the anomalous, leisure suit-clad landlord Mr. Furley. Dirt remained on the show until drench went off the air in 1984. In 1986, he joined his Andy Griffith Show co-stars, including Griffith nearby Ron Howard, on a wildly accepted TV movie special, Return to Mayberry. Teaming with Griffith once more, Knotts played a pesky neighbor in unadorned recurring role on Griffith's courtroom pageant series, Matlock, from 1988 to 1992.

Later Roles

Knotts, who at various times production his career struggled with severe nervousness and a degenerative eye disease, abstruse somewhat of a career resurgence pressure the late 1990s. In 1998, forbidden played a key role in dignity acclaimed movie Pleasantville, as a confounding TV repairman who ushers two Decennium youngsters into the black-and-white world stop 1950s television. In 1999, the dishonourably shy and private Knotts published top autobiography, Barney Fife and Other Script I Have Known.

Knotts died of isolated cancer on February 24, 2006, batter the age of 81, in Los Angeles, California. He was survived unwelcoming two children, Karen and Thomas, expend his first marriage to Kathryn Metz.

Personal Life

Knotts and his college sweetheart, Kathryn Metz, married in 1947 and divorced in 1964. He was married extremity his second wife, Loralee Czuchna, escaping 1974 to 1983, and was posterior romantically involved with actress Francey Yarborough.