Andy Griffith entertained stage, film, and TV audiences for decades. His hit shows like The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock proved both his comedic and dramatic chops. Unfortunately, he never got the credit he deserved—until it was already too late.
1. His Parents Gave Him Away—Kinda
Andy Samuel Griffith would become one of the most successful TV stars of his generation—or anyone’s generation for that matter. But, when he was born to Carl Lee and Geneva Griffith in June of 1926, he couldn’t have been further from fame . Growing up in Mount Airy, North Carolina, his parents were so poor that they had him live with relatives at first.
Living with his parents didn’t turn out to be much better.
2. He Slept In A Drawer
Griffith’s father managed to scrape up enough money to buy a home…albeit an empty one. Griffith’s first bed wasn’t a cozy crib, but rather a dresser drawer that his parents repurposed. As he grew older, Griffith found comfort and escape from his “blue-collar” upbringing by listening to music. Before long, he discovered his true talent.
3. He Had A Knack For Jokes
By all accounts, Griffiths was a quiet and “shy” kid at first who tried to shrink away from his humble roots on the “wrong side of the tracks” in Mount Airy. But, as soon as he discovered his hidden talent, that all changed. The budding actor learned that he had a knack for getting his classmates to laugh. He just needed a stage to showcase his talents.
4. He Found His Voice—And His Calling
Throughout high school, Griffith threw himself into the arts, enrolling in the drama program and deepening his love of music. He also had a unique mentor in Ed Mickey, a minister in his church. Mickey taught Griffith to play instruments and helped him find his singing voice. However, Mickey’s influence almost led Griffith away from performing.
5. He Almost Became A Preacher
After graduating from high school in 1944, Griffith found himself at the University of North Carolina (UNC). At first, in large part thanks to his high school mentor’s influence, Griffith pursued theology in the hopes of becoming a Moravian preacher. However, it didn’t take long for his true passion to take over , and he graduated with a degree in music instead.
In fact, he had become part of one of the most exclusive music groups in the country.
6. He Was A Leading Man On Campus
While a student at UNC, Griffith wasn’t just hitting the books—he was lighting up the stage. He led the university’s chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a prestigious (read: the oldest) music fraternity. He also played starring roles in student operettas like The Mikado , The Gondoliers , and HMS Pinafore .
His education wasn’t over yet, though.
7. He Schooled More Than Audiences
Before he became a big star, Griffith was a humble music and drama teacher. After graduating from UNC, he spent some time teaching the next generation of entertainers at Goldsboro High School in North Carolina. And clearly, he was doing something right. One of his students was the future NPR heavyweight, Carl Kasell.
In fact, it seemed like Griffith had given up on his dream of becoming an entertainer himself.
8. He Had A Tough Marriage
In 1949, long before he shot to fame, Griffith was settling into a quiet family life. He married Barbara Bray Edwards and, together, they adopted two children. Sadly, their son Sam would go on to struggle with addiction and pass on in 1996. By that time, however, Griffith and Edwards’ marriage had already dissolved, the couple finalizing their divorce in 1972.
Through it all, however, he never forgot how to laugh.
9. He Found The Funny In Football
Griffith’s breakout hit wasn’t, in fact, on screen. It was on vinyl. In 1953, he released What It Was, Was Football , a comic monologue about a clueless and “naïve” preacher trying to understand a football game. The seemingly semi-autobiographical skit made it all the way to nine on the charts and introduced the name Andy Griffith to millions of fans.
10. He Marched From TV To Broadway
Griffith parlayed the success of his comedy monologue all the way to the little screen—and the big stage. In 1955, he starred in No Time for Sergeants on TV, and then took it to Broadway. Playing a country boy navigating life in the Air Force, Griffith earned raved reviews for his comedic timing and charm. In fact, the critics couldn’t get enough of him.
11. He Captivated With A Single Look
Griffith was such a hit with audiences and critics alike that he barely had to say a word on stage. As The New York Times put it, he just had to “walk on the stage and look the audience straight in the face”. His portrayal of Will Stockdale in No Time for Sergeants was that naturally magnetic. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed.
12. He Lost The Tony
Griffith’s breakout Broadway role in No Time for Sergeants proved impressive, but as it turns out, it wasn’t quite impressive enough . It earned him a Tony nomination in 1956. But, instead of clinching the win, he lost the award to Ed Begley, beginning a trend that would always see him finishing as second-best. Still, he managed to take home a decent consolation prize: the Theatre World Award for outstanding Broadway debuts.
It was another debut, however, that would truly catapult him to fame.
13. He Was Right For The Role
When director Elia Kazan was trying to cast the lead in his highly-anticipated film, A Face in the Crowd , he knew he had found his star when he spotted Griffith. “We went around a lot of clubs, picking up entertainers,” Kazan explained. “I had heard Andy Griffith on record, then I saw him on TV[…]He was the real native American country boy and that comes over in the picture”.
But he wasn’t actually the perfect casting choice.
14. He Was Plastered The Entire Time
Griffith’s debut film role as Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes in A Face in the Crowd pushed him outside of his comfort zone. The morally ambiguous, highly-explosive character was everything that Griffith was not. Director Kazan later revealed that he had to keep Griffith plastered “all through the last big scene because it was the only way he could be [aggressive]. In life, he wants to be friends with everybody”.
And he was friends with everybody.
15. He Met A Lifelong Friend On Set
When Griffith revived his No Time for Sergeants character Will Stockdale for the big screen in 1958, it marked the third time that he played the character in three different media. But, for the film, he had something he had never had before: a best friend. The film teamed Griffith up with Don Knotts , sparking one of the most influential friendships—and comedy partnerships—in entertainment history.
But first, he’d have to learn to make it on his own.
