Don Knotts will forever be remembered for his legendary roles as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show and as landlord ‘Ralph Furley’ from the late 1970’s television series Three’s Company.
The late comedy legend was truly one of the greats and a genuine gift of comedy for all to remember – he provided us with so many laughs over the years. For me, he’s one of the funniest actors ever and his surprised face still cracks me up to this day.
After Don’s break via with The Andy Griffith Show, he became one of the most known faces in the United States. But he always was protective of his personal life. It was only after his tragic death in 2006 that a lot of secrets about were revealed …
Don Knotts was born in 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia, and grew up in relative poverty. His father was a farmer and his mother had already turned 40 when she gave birth to Don.
He got off to a tough start in life. Don’s father had a nervous breakdown when Don was born. He was also a violent man, supposedly once chasing his son with a knife.Of course, these traumatic events affected the young Don and he became quite introverted, constantly trying to protect himself from external threats. Those personality traits stayed with Don all his life – even though he was perceived as completely different when he was performing on stage.
Don also had four brothers, but two sadly died relatively young. His eldest brother, Earl, passed away when he was just 13 years old. Earl suffered from pneumonia and at that time it was a serious disease that killed many people (this being before antibiotics were a mainstream medication). Another of Don’s brothers, William, passed away at the age of 31.Don was raised by his mother in a boarding house owned and operated by the family. Despite all the tragedy of his childhood, he developed a unique ability to make people laugh. He could put a smile on everyone’s face, even from a young age. But it would be a long time before he reached Hollywood to share his genius with the masses.
Don started out as a regular, hard-working laborer, working as a chicken plucker. Yet even before Don started high school, he was interested in ventriloquism and was regularly performing in churches and at other events.
Don eventually traveled to New York to make a name for himself as a comedian – but it was a total failure. Dejected, he returned home to West Virginia and enlisted in the United States Army during World War II.
Before long, he had used his enlistment to further his goals, touring and performing for the troops with his doll Danny “Hooch” Matador in a show called Stars and Gripes.
He received several medals for his efforts and served in the western Pacific Islands until 1946. Don never held a weapon in his hand and was never involved in fighting the enemy, but he played an important role in easing the soldiers’ everyday lives and making them laugh during a trying time.
When he returned home, Don moved to New York, where his career would take off. Thanks to his contacts in the Special Service Secret Branch, Don gained a foothold in the entertainment industry. He got his break in the soap opera Search For Tomorrow, where he had a role between 1953-1955.
“It was the only serious role I ever played professionally,” Don said later.
When Don was casted as Deputy Barney Fire in The Andy Griffith Show, he probably didn’t realize that it was going to change his whole life. Don achieved huge success starring as the thin, wiry and high-strung deputy.
