Andy Taylor.
Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, whose career spanned seven decades in theater,note film, music, and television.
Known for his Southern drawl, folksy-friendly persona, and gruff but friendly voice, Griffith first gained prominence for his comedic monologue "What It Was, Was Football
", which became a charting single for Capitol Records in 1954. The following year he landed the lead role in the hit Broadway comedy No Time for Sergeants, earning a Tony Award nomination. (He also starred in the 1958 film adaptation.) He then earned notice as a dramatic actor for playing the starring role in Elia Kazan's 1957 film A Face in the Crowd, and continued to appear in various film and television roles (often Playing Against Type as a villain or heavy), even after becoming best known for his television roles as Sheriff Andy Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68) and defense attorney Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock (1986–95).
Not to be confused with the Australian writer Andy Griffiths.
Film and TV roles include:
- A Face in the Crowd (1957) as "Lonesome" Larry Rhodes
- No Time for Sergeants (1958) as Will Stockdale
- Rustlers' Rhapsody (1985) as Colonel Ticonderoga
- Spy Hard (1996) as General Rancor
- Waitress (2007) as Joe
- Playhouse 90 (1 episode, 1958) as Professor Tommy Turner
- The Andy Griffith Show (249 episodes, 1960–68) as Sheriff Andy Taylor
- Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (2 episodes, 1966–68)
- Mayberry R.F.D. (6 episodes, 1968–71)
- Return to Mayberry (TV movie, 1986)
- The Mod Squad (1 episode, 1972) as George Carter
- Hawaii Five-O (1 episode, 1972) as Arnold Lovejoy
- Go Ask Alice (TV movie, 1973) as Priest
- The Bionic Woman (1 episode, 1976) as Jack Starkey
- Six Characters in Search of an Author (TV movie, 1976) as The Father
- Frosty's Winter Wonderland (TV movie, 1976) as Narrator (voice)
- Centennial (10 episodes, 1978–79) as Professor Louis Vernor
- From Here to Eternity (3 episodes, 1979) as General Barney Slater
- Salvage 1 (19 episodes, 1979) as Harry Broderick
- Fantasy Island (1 episode, 1982) as Judge Roy Bean
- Murder in Coweta County (TV movie, 1983) as John Wallace
- Fatal Vision (2 episodes, 1984) as Victor Worheide
- Hotel (1 episode, 1985) as J. Scott "Scotty" Foreman
- The Love Boat (1 episode, 1985) as Larry Cooper
- Matlock (181 episodes, 1986–95) as Ben Matlock
- Diagnosis: Murder (2 episodes, 1997)
- Family Law (1 episode, 2001) as Colin Sawyer
- Dawson's Creek (1 episode, 2001) as Andrew Lanier
- Christmas is Here Again (TV movie, 2007) as Santa Claus (voice)
- Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far (1997) as British (voice)
Tropes associated with Andy Griffith:
- Cool Old Guy: He was just as charismatic, witty and likable in his final roles as he was in his prime.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: People who are familiar with Griffith for the folksy, good-natured Southerners he played for his entire career might be surprised by his film debut, A Face in the Crowd. In a role that turned out to be very atypical, Griffith plays Villain Protagonist Lonesome Rhodes, a drunken hick who rises to national fame as a hateful, egomaniacal, womanizing TV demagogue.
- Playing Against Type: A variant in that the role that first launched him to stardom, Lonesome Rhodes in A Face in the Crowd, had him play a man whose sudden fame turns him into a borderline sociopath. The results are absolutely terrifying.
- He also played against type as the villain in Spy Hard, though unlike the former, that's a more comedic villain.
