Andy Griffith - Biography

Last Editor: Clarissa_Angeline_ro				Andy Griffith Biography -   Name : Andy Griffith Date of birth : 1 June 1926 Place of birth : Mount Airy, North Carolina, USA Birth name : Andrew Samuel Griffith Height : 6' (1.83 m)

Andy Griffith Trivia -

Suffered from Guillain-Barre Syndrome and couldn't walk for 7 months. [1983] His two children are adopted. His son died of alcoholism in 1996. Two children, Andy and Dixie, from his first marriage to 'Barbara Edwards' In 1987 when he accepted the People's Choice Award, he said he was happy it was for "Matlock" (1986). He said that "Matlock" (1986) was his favorite character to date. 9 May 2000 - Underwent a quadruple bypass. He was the Tuesday night host for CBS Radio's "Sears Mystery Theater" (1979). He was still Tuesday's host when it became "The Mutual Radio Theater" on Mutual Radio (1980). Attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national music fraternity. He recorded some albums of standup comedy routines. Among his classic routines is "And What It Was, Was Football." Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 195-196. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387 Andy Taylor, Griffith's character on "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960), was ranked #8 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" [20 June 2004 issue]. Recorded a gospel album called "I Love To Tell The Story" in 1996 that became a hit and won a Grammy. Was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award: in 1956, as Best Supporting of Featured Actor (Dramatic) for "No Time for Sergeants," and in 1960 as Best Actor (Musical) for "Destry Rides Again." During a 1959 performance of the Broadway musical "Destry Rides Again", in which Griffith starred opposite Dolores Gray, a small fire broke out backstage at the Imperial Theater. Although it was put out within a few minutes time, without causing any major damage, just enough smoke drifted toward the stage that there could have been a panic had not Griffith and Gray continued on with the scene as though nothing was happening. For their bravery, they were rewarded by the audience that night with a standing ovation and by the New York City Fire Comissioner with citations for heroism.

Andy Griffith Detailed Biography -

At first intending to become a minister, Andy Griffith became active with the Carolina Playmakers, the prestigious drama-and-music adjunct of the University of North Carolina. He spent several seasons portraying Sir Walter Raleigh, in the summertime outdoor drama 'The Lost Colony', spending the rest of those years as a schoolteacher. Griffith continued performing fitfully as an after-dinner speaker on the men's club circuit until, under the guidance of agent and producer Richard O. Linke, he returned to acting, attaining stardom in the role of bumptious Air Force rookie, Will Stockdale, in the TV and Broadway productions of 'No Time For Sergeants'. Before committing 'Sergeants' to film, Griffith made his movie debut in director Elia Kazan's 'A Face in the Crowd'. During 1957 and 1958, Griffith starred in a 1959 Broadway musical version of 'Destry Rides Again'; he also ran a North Carolina supermarket. In February 1960 he first appeared as Andy Taylor, the laid-back sheriff of Mayberry, North Carolina, on an episode of 'The Danny Thomas Show'. This one-shot was the pilot film for the Emmy-winning 'The Andy Griffith Show', in which Griffith starred from 1960 through 1968. Griffith owned half of the series, ruling the set with an iron hand. An unsuccessful return to films, with 1969's 'Angel in My Pocket', was followed by an equally unsuccessful 1970 TV series, 'Headmaster'. For the next years, Griffith confined himself to guest-star appearances, often surprising his fans by accepting cold-blooded villainous roles. In 1985, he made a triumphal return to series television in 'Matlock', playing a folksy but very crafty Southern defense attorney. A life-threatening disease known as Gillian-Barre syndrome curtailed his activities in the late 1980s, but Andy Griffith continued, over the subsequennt decade, with his infrequent 'Matlock' two-hour specials.