Legendary Actor Don Knotts Passes Away in Los Angeles at 81

Legendary Actor Don Knotts Passes Away in Los Angeles at 81

NEW YORK, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran actor and film and TV icon, Don Knotts -- known throughout the world as the face of the lovable, bumbling small town deputy, Barney Fife of The Andy Griffith Show, died yesterday in Los Angeles. He was 81. At the time of his death, Knotts was surrounded by his wife Francie, his children, Karen and Thomas, and his longtime friend and partner in keeping the peace in TV's Mayberry, Andy Griffith, as well as Andy's wife, Cindi. His death was confirmed today by Knott's long-time Manager, Sherwin Bash and announced by TV Land, the network which is home to two of his signature shows, The Andy Griffith Show and Three's Company.

Born on July 21, 1924, in Morgantown, WV, Knotts began performing as a ventriloquist and comedian at various church and school functions even before he entered high school. He traveled to New York City to try and make his way as a comedian, but returned home to attend West Virginia University when his career failed to take off. After his freshman year in college, Knotts joined the Army, and during World War II he toured the Pacific Islands as a comedian in a G.I. variety show called "Stars and Gripes. "After graduating from college in 1948, Knotts again moved to New York, where he quickly became a regular on several television and radio programs. In 1955, he made his debut on Broadway in the hit comedy, "No Time for Sergeants," which marked his first collaboration with Andy Griffith. Knotts appeared as a regular member of the ensemble cast on NBC's The Steve Allen Show (1956 to 1960), and then moved to Hollywood when the show relocated in 1959.

Knotts joined Griffith on The Andy Griffith Show in 1960, playing Deputy Barney Fife to Griffith's Sheriff Andy Taylor. Knotts stayed with the tremendously successful show for five seasons, during which he won three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Performance in a Supporting Role in a Series. Though he left The Andy Griffith Show in 1965 to pursue a film career, his periodic returns in 1966 and 1967 earned him two more Emmys. His first leading role in a film came in 1964, with "The Incredible Mr. Limpet". The film began a string of appearances in family films for Knotts, including "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" (1966); "The Reluctant Astronaut" (1967); and "The Shakiest Gun in the West" (1968) -- that won him widespread recognition as a film actor. He was also featured in several well-known and beloved films including, "The Apple Dumpling Gang" in 1975, co-starring the comedian Tim Conway, who became a frequent collaborator, as well as several other films.

In 1979, Knotts returned to his successful TV roots, joining the hit comedy, Three's Company, as the eccentric, leisure suit-clad landlord Mr. Furley. He remained on the show until it went off the air in 1984.

In 1998, he played a key role in the acclaimed movie "Pleasantville" as a mysterious TV repairman who ushers two 1990s youngsters into the black-and- white world of 1950s television. He continued to appear in numerous theater productions. In 1999, the notoriously shy and private Knotts published his autobiography, "Barney Fife and Other Characters I Have Known." The funeral services will be private and the family plans a memorial to Knotts in the coming weeks.

Source: TV Land

CONTACT: Paul Ward, +1-917-593-6066, or Vanessa Reyes, +1-310-748-0873,
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