Don Knotts BiographyDon Knotts is best known for his role as Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, but his career in show business began before he even graduated from high school. Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on July 21, 1924, Knotts always knew that he enjoyed entertaining others. More importantly, he was good at it.While in school, he made money by performing his ventriloquist routine at parties and other events. After graduating from high school, he headed to New York City to try and make a living in show business. That first attempt at success did not last very long. A few weeks after arriving in New York, he went back to West Virginia and enrolled in West Virginia University.  At the start of World War II, Knotts joined the Army. His talent landed him a spot in the Special Services Branch. He spent his enlistment entertaining the troops. It was during this time that he abandoned his ventriloquist act and concentrated instead of perfecting his stand-up comedy. When his time in the service was complete, he went back to college. He graduated in 1948 and before long he landed his first radio gig. He played a character called Windy Wales on the popular Bobby Benson Show. He also had a regular role on the serial Search for Tomorrow. From 1956 to 1960, Knotts was a regular on The Steve Allen Show. His portrayal of the nervous Mr Morrison, one of the subjects of Allen's "Man on the Street" interviews, captured the attention of both the audience and the entertainment industry. Next, he tried his craft on the Broadway stage with a role in a play called No Time for Sergeants. While the chance to play on Broadway was important to his career, even more instrumental was meeting Andy Griffith, who was the star of the show. When the Andy Griffith Show debuted in 1960, viewers were introduced not only to Sheriff Andy, but also to his faithful deputy, Barney Fife, played by Knotts. He won an impressive five Emmy awards for this role. He then wanted to try and conquer the big screen.
He also teamed up with fellow comedian Tim Conway to star in several movies, including the popular The Apple Dumpling Gang and The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again. Once his film career cooled in the early to mid-1970s, his next break came when he was asked to play the role of the landlord, Mr. Roper, on a hit television show called Three’s Company. After that, Knotts did a lot of voice over work. His last role was a voice over for a character called Mayor Turkey Lurkey in the film Chicken Little. The movie was released in 2005. Knotts died in 2006 after a battle with lung cancer. Don Knotts is an American pop culture icon. It's hard to image a future so distant that the average English speaking person will not recognize him in his Deputy Barney Fife role. Today you can pick up a good "Barney Fife" signed photo for $125-$150. Knotts signed thousands of these photos, so there are a lot of them in the marketplace. Values have risen quite a bit since his death. A decade ago you could have found a signed photo for $25. In 1995 Knotts signed the trading card on the left for me at a local mall appearance. He attracted a big crowd. Several in line were actually so happy to meet him that they were in tears. I haven't seen that kind of emotion at any other autograph signing. I can't remember if he charged a fee for each autograph. (If he charged more than a few dollars I would have remembered). |
His first movie role was as the star of The Incredible Mr. Limpet, which premiered in 1964. He went on to star in several more hit movies including The Ghost and Mr Chicken, The Reluctant Astronaut, The Shakiest Gun in the West and How to Frame a Figg.
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