Andy Griffith

Andrew Samuel "Andy" Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012)

Andy was an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award winning Southern gospel singer, and writer.  

Griffith died today, July 3, 2012 at the age of 86.

Andy Griffith is best known for his starring roles in two very popular TV series, "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Matlock".

Griffith earned a degree in music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the 1950s he became a regular on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Steve Allen Show. He was featured in the Broadway play "No Time for Sergeants" (1955) for which he received a Tony nomination, and he later appeared in the film version. His film debut was in the provocative and prophetic A Face in the Crowd (1957), in which Griffith gave a performance that has been described as stunning.

On "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960), Griffith portrayed a folksy small-town sheriff who shared simple heartfelt wisdom. The show was one of the most popular TV series in history. It generated some successful spin-offs, and the original is still seen in re-runs to this day.

Griffith created his own production company in 1972, which produced several movies and TV series. In 1981, he was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal in Murder in Texas (1981) (TV). In 1983 Griffith was stricken with Guillain-Barre syndrome, but he recovered after rehabilitation.

In 1986 he produced and starred in the very successful TV series "Matlock" (1986). The show spawned numerous TV movies as well. When he accepted the People's Choice Award for this show, he said this was his favorite role.

 He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom honor in 2005 by President George W. Bush.

Andy was a big part of all of our lives and he will be missed. 

May he rest in peace.

The Andy Griffith Show theme song, "The Fishing Hole" as sung by Andy, himself.