Meet the Don Knotts You Didn’t Know From ‘The Andy Griffith Show’

A troubled beginning.

When Don was born in 1924, his mother (Elsie) was already 40 years old, which could be perceived as difficult enough, but his father (William) suffered from both schizophrenia and alcoholism, both of which led to him having a nervous breakdown from the pressures of having a baby (that would be Don). And later, he would actually threaten the young Don with a knife. In the book Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and Classic American TV Show, author Daniel de Vise notes that when Don was in his thirties, his mother would ask him if he remembered being a kid and his father placing a knife to his throat. “Don,” he wrote, “did not. Only in therapy did the memories come flooding back. Don spent his first years living in fear of the monster on the couch. Jesse Knotts harbored a primal jealousy toward Don, the unexpected baby who drew Elise’s attention away from her bedridden husband.”

How’s that for a heavy burden a son has to carry?

Don fell in love with the movies as a young boy.

Although he had a rough childhood, Don did find some peace going to the movies with his mom. He was particularly in awe of those he felt were comic geniuses, like the slapstick comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. On the radio, he was stunned by the comic timing of Jack Benny. They all turned out to be true inspirations to him.

Interestingly, when he was younger, Don would appear at a variety of school and church events performing as a comedian and as a ventriloquist. He even performed at a birthday party, and when the hat went around, he found that he had amassed nearly a dollar in tips. Did this mean he was in show business? Following high school, he moved to New York City with the intention of making it in comedy, but, when things failed to click for him, he returned home and attended West Virginia University. He would eventually (following a stint in the US Army) earn a Bachelor’s Degree in education with a minor in speech.

Before his acting days, Don served in World War II.

Following his first year of college, he enlisted in the United States Army and served during World War II from 1943 to 1946. Instead of engaging in combat, he and his dummy (named Danny “Hooch” Matador) would entertain the troops. In fact, he became a part of Stars and Gripes, a G.I. variety show, and toured the Pacific. Eventually growing tired of playing straight man to a piece of wood, Don claimed that the dummy had simply disappeared. In reality, he threw poor Hooch overboard in the South Pacific. The reasoning was that his superiors wanted to keep the act going, but he wanted to participate in comedy sketches. Solution? Lose the dummy.

His early credits, from radio to film.

Thanks to connections he made while serving in the army, Don, who had gotten married to Kathryn Metz (the first of three wives), returned to New York, but this time with a definite game plan. It began with the radio western (back in the days when people would “watch” radio since TV wasn’t prevalent yet) Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders, on which he voiced a know-it-all character named Windy Wales. He made the move to television, spending two years on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow from 1953-55 (playing a catatonic character who would only respond to his sister). The following year saw him become a part of the cast of comedian Steve Allen’s version of The Tonight Show, which he remained a part of until 1960. During this period (1955-57) he also appeared in a Broadway production of No Time for Sergeants, that saw him playing two roles. In 1958, he starred in the film version, which is the first time he and Andy Griffith appeared on screen together, and the chemistry between them was instant.

And then came The Andy Griffith Show.

His life definitely changed forever when Don signed on to play Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife, serving with Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) to protect the town of Mayberry. During his time on the show, he endeared the self-important, easily flustered Barney to the television audience, who absolutely loved his portrayal. What’s interesting is, as originally intended, Don would have been the straight man and Andy the funny guy (which is the way they played off each other in No Time for Sergeants), but it just felt wrong and their personas were swapped. Needless to say, that worked.

As recounted by author Daniel de Vise, Andy Griffith was somewhat reluctant to cast Don in the role. “The two men had already proved how well they could play off each other,” he wrote. “Besides, Andy loved having Don around. If there was a downside, perhaps it was the danger that Don’s comic star might one day outshine Andy’s own. Dean Martin had watched this happen with Jerry Lewis, all the critics ignoring the straight man and laying praise on his funnier partner… [But] with a deputy, especially a wide-eyed, manic comedic dervish such as Don — why, maybe then Andy could reshape Andy into something palatable, something enduring.” Good instincts there, Andy!

Don viewed Barney as a “childlike man.”

The character was funny, Don explained, primarily because his face seemed incapable of hiding anything. His face pretty much reflected the emotion he was feeling, whether it was sadness, anger or happiness. Children, he noted, tend to do the same thing; they pout, they have a look of extreme joy or whatever it might be.

Barney Fife was related to Opie Taylor?

Well, that’s not exactly true. But what is, is the fact that Don Knotts and Ron Howard (who played Opie on The Andy Griffith Show) are actually sixth cousins.

Five years and Don was out.

From the very beginning, Andy made it clear that he intended to stay with The Andy Griffith Show for a total of five seasons, and Don, believing he meant it, put it in his own mind that that would be the end and he would have to move on. Andy ultimately changed his mind, but when that time came, Don hadn’t. He signed a five-picture film deal with Universal Pictures. On the show, it was explained that Barney had joined the Raleigh, North Carolina police force — though he would return for a total of five episodes, which was always highly welcomed by the audience and the cast.

Say hello to The Incredible Mr. Limpet.

Don’s first starring role in a feature film in 1964 was this one, which saw him as bookkeeper Henry Limpet, who has a real passion for fish (not eating them, just admiring them). Henry attempts to join the US Navy just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, but is rejected. Tripping off a pier, he lands in the water and — without explanation — finds himself transformed into a fish (though still wearing the character’s glasses). Discovering a sonic burst he can unleash (called a “thrum”), he attempts to help the Navy and finds himself enlisted. He develops a friendship with a cranky crab named Crusty (voiced by Paul Frees), and a romance with a female fish named Ladyfish (voiced by Elizabeth MacRae, who would go on to play Gomer Pyle’s girlfriend on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.) develops. The film nicely combines animation and live action.

And let us not forget the five-film deal.

When Don left The Andy Griffith Show, he told everyone that he had no choice; that he had signed a five-picture deal with Universal. What he admitted years later was that he actually hadn’t signed yet, but felt he had to stick to his decision to leave. The film comedies he ended up making were The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), The Love God? (1969) and How to Frame a Figg (1971).

He never quite recaptured the magic of The Andy Griffith Show.

Following the completion of his films for Universal, Don continued to appear in movies, made numerous TV guest appearances, and even had a short-lived variety show/sitcom called The Don Knotts Show. But like many people who choose to leave successful shows, what followed never quite matched the success of the role that made him famous. Some of that, of course, has to do with the difference between being in people’s living rooms week after week, and appearing on the big screen once a year. The familiarity of weekly television went a long way in allowing an actor — in this case Don — to connect with the viewing audience in a way that a movie just couldn’t.

Three’s Company offered him a place to call home.

In the 1970s, ABC had a huge hit in Three’s Company, and they attempted to spin off Mr. and Mrs. Roper, the landlords of the building that Jack, Chrissy and Janet (John Ritter, Suzanne Somers, and Joyce DeWitt) lived in, to their own show. To fill the vacancy of their departure, Don was brought in as new landlord Ralph Furley. Although intimidated by his history, the cast loved having him aboard and Don really connected with his co-stars and, most importantly, the audience, who genuinely loved his zany portrayal. He stayed with the show until its end in 1984.

He eventually made his Return to Mayberry.

There was something comforting about this 1986 TV movie that saw a reunion of most of the cast of The Andy Griffith Show, including Don, Andy, Ron Howard, Jim Nabors and more. It was just terrific seeing everybody so effortlessly step back into their old roles, though, unfortunately, it was the only reunion of this sort. Don did, however, end up playing a recurring role on Andy Griffith’s lawyer series Matlock.

Toward the end…

There wasn’t to be a lot of on-screen acting for Don. He had small roles in a couple of features and did mostly voice work in animated projects and video games. Sadly, in the early 2000s, he suffered from macular degeneration in both of his eyes, which resulted in him, for all intents and purposes, being blind. By February 2006, he had been suffering from lung cancer, and on the 24th of that month, passed away from resulting pulmonary and respiratory complications of pneumonia.

Don Knotts’ memory has been kept alive.

Six years before his death, Don was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California, his grave is adorned with a bronze plaque that has images of his different characters etched in it. Then, on July 23, 2016, in his hometown of Morgantown, West Virginia, a statue of him was unveiled in front of The Metropolitan Theatre. Long before that, he won the 1961-63 and 1966-67 Primetime Emmys in the category of Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role by an Actor or Actress in a Series (and the last two were for guest star appearances on the show). In 2004, Don and the rest of the cast of The Andy Griffith Show were given the TV Land Legend Award.

In all, loving tributes to a gentle soul who seemed to get his greatest joys in life making people laugh. From serving as straight-man to a wooden dummy in World War II, to touching the hearts and funny bones of America on The Andy Griffith Show, to everything he did after, and all the memories he left behind, there doesn’t seem to be the right words to offer. Except, perhaps, thank you.