Andy Griffith - TV Tropes
- ️Fri Jun 05 2020
Andy Griffith as his most famous character, Sheriff
Andy Taylor.
"I firmly believe that in every situation, no matter how difficult, God extends grace greater than the hardship, and strength of peace of mind than can lead us to a place higher than where we were before."
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 playing the demagogic media star Lonesome Rhodes in Elia Kazan's 1957 film A Face in the Crowd, had starring roles as Sheriff Andy Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68) and as defense attorney Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock (1986–95), and appeared in a number of other film and TV roles (often Playing Against Type as a villain or heavy). He also earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance in the 1981 Made-for-TV Movie Murder in Texas.
Not to be confused with the Australian writer Andy Griffiths.
Film and TV roles include:
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Film roles
- 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
Television roles
- Playhouse 90 (1 episode, 1958) as Professor Tommy Turner
- The Danny Thomas Show (1 episode, 1960) as Sheriff Andy Taylor
- The Andy Griffith Show (249 episodes, 1960-68)
- 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)
Video game roles
- 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.