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Quick Facts
- NAME: Andy Griffith
- OCCUPATION: Actor, Talk Show Host
- BIRTH DATE: June 01, 1926
- DEATH DATE: July 03, 2012
- EDUCATION: Mount Airy High School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Mount Airy, North Carolina
- PLACE OF DEATH: Manteo, Roanoke Island, North Carolina
- Full Name: Andy Griffith
Best Known For
Andy Griffith is an actor and singer best known for his 1960s starring role in The Andy Griffith Show. He later returned to TV in the drama Matlock.
Videos see all videos
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Andy Griffith - The Cast (3:20)
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Andy Griffith - Early Years (2:08)
Andy Griffith - The Cast
The cast of "The Andy Griffith Show" recall their experiences on set.
Andy Griffith - The Andy Griffith Show
On October 3rd, 1960, the world was introduced to Andy Griffith and a small town called Mayberry.
Andy Griffith - First Success
Andy Griffith began his entree into comedy with stand up acts that eventually landed him a record deal with Capitol Records.
Andy Griffith - Early Years
Andy Griffith grew up in the quiet town of Mount Airy, North Carolina in 1926. His family faced tough times as the Great Depression hit but managed to make it through and even bought their own home.
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Play NowAndy Griffith. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 12:28, May 25, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/andy-griffith-9542091.
Andy Griffith. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/andy-griffith-9542091 [Accessed 25 May 2013].
"Andy Griffith." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 25 2013, 12:28 http://www.biography.com/people/andy-griffith-9542091.
"Andy Griffith," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/andy-griffith-9542091 [accessed May 25, 2013].
"Andy Griffith," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/andy-griffith-9542091 (accessed May 25, 2013).
Andy Griffith [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 25] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/andy-griffith-9542091.
Andy Griffith, http://www.biography.com/people/andy-griffith-9542091 (last visited May 25, 2013).
Andy Griffith. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/andy-griffith-9542091. Accessed May 25, 2013.
In 1972, Griffith formed a production company, Andy Griffith Enterprises. His company's projects included a TV movie, Winter Kills (1974), in which Griffith also starred. In 1981, Griffith received an Emmy nomination for his supporting role in another TV movie, Murder in Texas.
Later Years and Death
In 1983, Griffith was suddenly stricken with Guillen-Barre syndrome, a crippling muscular disease that left him partially paralyzed for three months. After six months of private rehabilitation, he made a full recovery and was able to return to acting. He made a triumphant return to TV stardom in 1986, as the title character in the courtroom drama series Matlock, which aired during prime time on NBC from 1986 to 1992 and on ABC from 1993 to 1995. He also served as an executive producer and an executive story supervisor for the show, and later reprised his role as Ben Matlock -- a crafty, good-natured lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia, in a series of popular TV movies. In 1996, Griffith appeared as a villain opposite Leslie Nielsen in the James Bond parody Spy Hard, which received mixed reviews.
Meanwhile, fan allegiance to The Andy Griffith Show has continued through re-runs. In 1986, Griffith reunited with his co-stars, including Knotts and Howard, in Return to Mayberry, which became the highest-rated TV movie of the 1986 season. He also hosted The Andy Griffith Reunion Special in 1993, and served as executive producer for both programs.
Griffith's marriage to Barbara Edwards ended in divorce in 1972. He and his second wife, Solicia, divorced in 1981 after five years of marriage. In 1983, he married Cindi Knight, a former teacher and actress. The couple lived for many years on a 68-acre ranch in Dare County, North Carolina, Griffith's home state. Griffith and his first wife had two children: Dixie and Sam, a real-estate developer who died in 1996.
Andy Griffith died on July 3, 2012, at the age of 86, at his home in Manteo, Roanoke Island, North Carolina.
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