No matter how technology evolves, there is nothing like television and film made between the 1950s and 60s. It was a pioneering time for the industry, including the actors. Don Knotts is a well-remembered actor from that era. His daughter has now revealed how she used to practice the lines for his role in The Andy Griffith Show. While he may have left this world several years ago, her iconic father still brings joy to those who watch his movies, a face not so easily forgotten.
Don Knotts with daughter Karen on his variety show "The Don Knotts Show," which aired by NBC , 1970-71. 📺 pic.twitter.com/iJkZsuPcgq
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The start of his career
One of the most remembered faces in Hollywood history belongs to Don Knotts. This is thanks to his role as Deputy Barney Fife in the popular TV series The Andy Griffith Show. A platform that lifted his career off the ground, allowing him to show off his comedic talents.
Originally known as Jessy Donald Knotts, he was born in 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia. His parents were William Jesse Knotts and the former Elsie Luzetta Moore. Growing up as the fourth child in his family, he had a knack for making everyone laugh. Whether this was his coping mechanism for his father’s alleged abusive behavior is unknown.
Don Knotts with his ventriloquist dummy Danny Hooch Matador (1943) pic.twitter.com/RGpTss1lrp
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His career as an entertainer started when he found a passion for ventriloquism. He landed a few gigs around Morgantown at parties and other events. Don even went to New York in an attempt to expand that dream. When that didn’t work out, he returned intending to enroll in university, but instead, he enlisted in the United States Army.
Instead of a gun, Don was handed his dummy, and he toured around the country performing for the troops. There he made connections that lasted a lifetime. Additionally, they gave him a foot in the door of show business.
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Don Knots as Deputy Barney Fife
The first time Don Knotts performed with Andy Griffith was in a Broadway production called “No Time for Sergeants.” Later, they reunited for The Andy Griffith show, where Don played Deputy Barney Fife. For this role, Don was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor five times from 1961 to 1967. Each time he won.
Surprisingly, Don was cast as the serious role at first, but Andy soon realized the error in this and switched. “By the second episode, I knew that Don should be funny, and I should play straight,” Andy said in the book Mayberry Memories: The Andy Griffith Show Photo Album.
Don’s daughter, Karen Knotts, who has followed his footsteps in the acting industry, recalled how she would practice his lines with him. She said, “I remember watching and listening to him rehearse. He asked me to run lines.”
Don struggled with his mental health
The world remembers the Don that seemed perpetually ecstatic, but that wasn’t always the case. Karen remembers her father struggling with depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues from his rough childhood. “He had a lot of different kinds of moods,” said Karen. “He fought a lot of depression, and I helped him, or thought I did, because I could see how he had this endless loop of thought that would always lead to a downward spiral. I would try to break through that and was like Pollyanna, pointing out the positives.”
All those who pass through Morgantown will remember Don Knotts when they pass the statue of him at the Metropolitan Theatre. The artist, Jamie Lester, explained, “It’s a prop that is a symbol for the script for The Ghost and Mr. Chicken which he did around the same time. So, it’s a nod to his film work in his left hand and nod to his TV work with the Andy Griffith Show with the prop for the Barney Fife had in his right hand.”
Don Knotts may have passed away on February 24th, 2006, but his legacy lives on.
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