We Bet You Didn’t Know Some of These Things about the Life and Career of Don Knotts |

Multi-talented actor Don Knotts is probably best known for his iconic Barney Fife character on “The Andy Griffith Show”, but the super talented man brought laughter into every American home for many, many years to come. We have put together a piece where you can learn all about the fascinating life of Don Knotts, a phenomenon of comedy.

Winning Awards

We Bet You Didn’t Know Some Of These Things About The Life And Career Of Don Knotts

Don Knotts’ role as Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show” brought him an impressive five Primetime Emmy awards for Outstanding Performance as an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy. Many more actors went on to win numerous awards for their performance in the show.

Time in the Military

Knotts enlisted in the United States Military when he 19 years old, where he was a Reservist for one week until he reported for active duty one week later and was transferred to active duty in the United States Army.

Time In The Military

Like many others, he was drafted in 1943 during the Second World War, yet Knotts did not fire a single bullet throughout the duration of the war. He was a member of the Special Services Unit where he spent the majority of his time inspiring other soldiers, keeping them entertained and their spirits up.

Rank Corporal

Knotts served in the United States Military for two and half years, from June 21, 1943, until January 6, 1946, under the military number of “35 756 363”. When he was discharged at the end of the War his rank was of Technician Grade 5, the equivalent of Corporal.

Rank Corporal

This was all quite a while before his acting career, and it was only when he was discharged from the army that he made the right moves in the entertainment industry. Soon after his discharge, Knotts managed to secure himself a number of prominent roles which really helped get his name out there with the recognition he rightfully deserved.

Military Awards

Don Knotts was awarded a prestigious six awards for his time in the army and as a World War Two Veteran. He was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with four bronze service stars), Army Good Conduct Medal, Marksman Badge (with Carbine Bar) and Honorable Service Lapel Pin.

Military Awards

His Jacket must have been pretty heavy when he donned all those medals! Don Knotts was a comedian and a lover, not a fighter, but still supported his country at a time of need, and managed to do so without firing a single round.

Frat Member

Don Knotts was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity. The fraternity began at the Massachusetts Agricultural College in Amherst on the 15th of March 1873. The fraternity merged with Phi Sigma Epsilon in 1985, making it the largest merger of Greek-letter fraternities.

Frat Member

Don became a member of the fraternity in 1946, just after the war. The fraternity promotes three main principles: "Promotion of Brotherhood," the "Stimulation of Scholarship," and the "Development of Character".

College Scholar

Don Knotts went to college at West Virginia University in Morgantown in 1948, where he got his Bachelor’s degree in Education.

College Scholar

So to sum up, Knotts served in the military becoming a World War II veteran, he became an award-winning actor, and he managed to earn himself a college degree as well, and in Education no less! It is no wonder they built a statue of him; he was an all-round winning package of wonder!

Early Life

Born in Morgantown in West Virginia, his parents had Don after already raising other sons. Sadly Don’s father had a nervous breakdown, and developed paranoid schizophrenia and was an alcoholic, which couldn’t have meant for an easy childhood.

Early Life

One of Don’s older brothers, Earl, who was given the nickname “Shadow” because he was so thin, actually died of asthma in 1942 when Don was still in his late teens, also just one year before Knotts was called up to the military by the United States.

First Marriage

Don Knotts’ married Kathryn Metz in 1947, and they were together until 1966. They had two children together, Thomas and Karen. Karen also followed in her father’s footsteps and became both a comedienne and an actress.

First Marriage

Karen Knotts studied at USC School of Cinematic Art, and today is an SAG/AFTRA actor and a stand-up comedienne. After Don and Kathryn divorced in 1966, Don went on to be married twice more with two other women.

Second Marriage

Don Knotts went on to marry Loralee Czuchna in 1974. Their marriage to one another lasted until 1989. Apparently, Don started experiencing deep bouts of depression which is rumored to be one of the reasons their marriage didn’t last.

Second Marriage

By the time the two splits for good, Don Knotts was in a deep depression already, and it would take him some time to rethink his life and get himself better. It took a good number of years until Knotts would remarry for the third and last time.

Third Time a Charm

Don Knotts married for a third and final time in 2002 when he married Frances Yarborough. The two stayed married until his death in 2006. Frances Yarborough is also an actress who is probably best known for her role in The Electric Chair that was released in 1976.

Third Time A Charm

Yarborough wasn’t really well-known for any other performances, but the two clearly cared a lot about each other. After Knott’s death, Yarborough went on air and said that Don “saw poignancy in people's pride and pain and he turned it into something endearing and hilarious.”

First Jobs

Knotts was working for a market plucking chickens when he was told that he wasn’t going to have a future in acting. He definitely proved them wrong when he became one of America’s most loved television personalities! He developed a reputation as an extremely hard-working actor, who was very reliable and always turned up on set prepared and ready to go!

First Jobs

He felt he had to prove himself every single time, and was so determined to work hard and not end up where he had in the past, that he made sure to develop such a reputation.

“Don and Danny”

Surprisingly, before Don became the household name he became through “The Andy Griffith Show”, he actually wanted to be a ventriloquist, making that his full-time career when he graduated high school.

Don And Danny

He called his doll Danny, envisioning “Don and Danny” as a catchy catchphrase. Turns out that Knott was definitely made for the duo setup but the pairing with another human was much more successful. For example, the pairing with Tim Conway was a great success, with the comedy duo making many successful films together.

Memorable Trademarks

Knotts’ characters were often highly-strung, socially inept men with low self-esteem. Knotts was great at using facial expressions to portray feelings without having to use words at all to express an emotion. The wide-eyed stare he often used to express shock or frustration, was probably one of the trademarks that made him famous. That, and the high-pitched voice he’d use too.

Memorable Trademarks

His acting persona, alongside his commitment to hard work and reliability, earned him countless roles and a lifelong career. Even today, animated sitcoms like Family Guy and The Simpsons parody his dramatized characters.

Hollywood Squares Guest

The TV game show, “Hollywood Squares”, hosted Don Knotts as a guest four times. The show was extremely popular in its time, though more recently it has fallen out of favor with viewers who prefer shows like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”, but “Hollywood Squares” was ranked at 7th place in TV Guide’s list of the 60th greatest same shows ever in 2013.

Hollywood Squares Guest

Back in the day, it was a massive deal, and not that many people got to appear on it more than once, let alone the four times Don Knotts did.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, actually having nothing to do with Don’s early career chicken plucking, is the movie he starred in alongside Joan Staley in 1966.

The Ghost And Mr. Chicken

The film is set in the fictitious community of Rachel in Kansas where Don Knotts plays a newspaper typesetter, Luther Heggs, who spends a night in a haunted house.

TV Land Awards

One of the last award show appearances we got to see Don Knotts was the 2nd annual TV Land Awards in 2004, just two years before he died. It was one of the last time Knotts and Griffith appeared together. Many commented that Knotts seemed more aged than Griffith.

TV Land Awards

Each year awards are given in a number of different categories, which may vary from year to year. Don Knotts was voted TV Land Legend winning the award for that, giving him a further stamp proving the influence he had on so many throughout his career.

The Andy Griffith Show

Don Knotts actually left “The Andy Griffith Show” in 1965, as he was already signed to a multi-picture deal with Universal Studios, and he had thought that the show would be over by then. In fact, Andy Griffith kept the show on the air for quite a few years more as he received quite a lot of pressure to do so from the network.

The Andy Griffith Show

Don Knotts later said that he really regretted that he had to leave the show, but his previous commitments to the film weren’t going to allow him to continue as a cast regular. However, if it weren’t for this mix-up, we would have never gotten the chance to see Knotts in so many great films.

The Reluctant Astronaut

In the 1967 film The Reluctant Astronaut, Knotts portrays Roy Fleming, whose father is played by Arthur O’Connell. Arbuckle (the father) wants better things for his son, and secretly sends off an application for Roy to NASA. Roy then learns from his mother, who is played by Jeanette Nolan, that NASA has accepted his application as a “WB-1074”.

The Reluctant Astronaut

The movie was considered good, on par with The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (maybe with a slightly better title, if you ask us!), by critics and viewers alike. Arbuckle’s friend, Rush, is played by Paul Hartman, who would later also star in the “The Andy Griffith Show.

The Shakiest Gun in the West

The Shakiest Gun in the West is the 1968 film Knotts starred in as Dr. Jesse W. Heywood. The story follows the Doctor who graduates from dental school in Philly in 1870, only to go West to become a frontier dentist. The Western-Comedy mix did really well with audiences.

The Shakiest Gun In The West

The film went on to be as successful as the last two but was thought to be even better due to the comedic input which was enhanced. The film is actually a remake of the 1948 movie The Paleface, which starred Bob Hope and Jane Russell. People just loved Don Knotts though and he always could draw people to the movie theaters.

The Love God?

Don Knotts appeared in the in the 1969 Universal Pictures’ movie The Love God? The film was a whole new field for Don Knotts, where he played the role of a massive playboy. It was a little odd seeing Knotts in this role as he wasn’t exactly the typical male celebrity that women had the hots for. He was just so sweet and funny.

The Love God

Nat Hiken was the writer and director of the film, who sadly died just after it was shot but before it was released in movie theaters. It was a bit difficult for viewers to relate to Knotts in this one, as they were just not used to seeing him in the playboy role.

How to Frame a Figg

Don Knotts also appeared in the 1971 Universal movie How to Frame a Figg. Here he returned to his well-known and much loved goofy comedic role, with his trademark wide-eyed and surprised face featuring a lot in the film.

How To Frame A Figg

How to Frame a Figg is about Hollis Alexander Figg, played by Knotts, a bookkeeper’s assistant in the Dalton City Hall who finds himself framed with embezzlement, and all the mishaps that occur as a result of that misfortune. Knotts found favor with audiences again as they thought this type of role suited him best.

The Steve Allen Show

“The Steve Allen Show”, hosted by Steve Allen, gave Don Knotts a recurring role on the show, starting in 1956. He quickly became an audience favorite with his appearances on the show soon making him a household name and a personal favorite of Steve Allen himself.

The Steve Allen Show

The show was the first of the spin-offs of “The Tonight Show”, which were all named after the host, with Jack Paar and Jay Leno following in Allen’s footsteps. Even those who didn’t watch his movies at the time got to know Don Knotts through the show.

Matlock

Knotts actually had several recurring guest spots on television shows, including Andy Griffith’s “Matlock” series which ran until 1992. On the show Knotts featured as Les Calhoun, the pesky neighbour, and both Griffith and Knotts really loved having another chance to work together again, with both of them saying what a pleasure it made coming to work every day.

Matlock

Their connection really came through to audiences as well, it was such a pleasure to watch! The two of them just had an on-screen charisma which was unsurpassed, allowing viewers to really relax and enjoy them enjoying themselves.

The Andy Griffith Show Reunion

In 1986, “The Andy Griffith Show” did a reunion show and Knotts appeared as the much loved Barney Fife again. Many watched the revival show, but it received mixed reviews.

The Andy Griffith Show Reunion

Some thought that the time had passed for a revival of the show, while others were just happy to see their much loved characters on the screen together again. To be honest, this is usually the way with revival shows, mixed reviews!

Three’s Company

“Three’s Company”, the popular sitcom which aired on ABC for eight seasons, from March 1977 through to September 1984, had Don Knotts playing the inept landlord, Ralph Furley after the original landlords the Ropers had a spin off into their own series.

Three's Company

The series is actually based on a British sitcom “Man About the House”. Knotts even received a nomination for “Favorite Nosy Neighbor” for his character in the sitcom, although he lost the award to Sandra Gould for her role in another much loved series “Bewitched”.

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

Don Knotts played Wheely Applegate in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. The 1977 film was recived very well by critics and viewers alike, and is actually what revived the Herbie franchise. The film stars Dean Jones as Jim Douglas, a returning champion race car driver, who is joined by his eccentric and rather cynical riding mechanic, Wheely Applegate, played by Knotts.

Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo

This movie really did do wonders for the Herby franchise, managing not only to revive it, but also gaurenteeing an introduction to the Herbie movies for further generations, as well as seeing new movies being made.

Cracking Jokes, Even on his Deathbed

Karen, Don Knotts’ daughter, said that she could help bursting out in laughter even while Don lay on his deathbed, as he never stopped making them laugh. She said, “Here’s the thing about my dad. He had this funniness that was just completely, insanely natural. When he was dying, he was making us laugh in hysterics.”

Cracking Jokes, Even On His Deathbed

Karen said later that she sometimes left the room to laugh because it felt inappropriate while he was lying in bed on his last days, especially when he cracked jokes about dying. But she said that she actually really regretted doing so, because now she knows that as a real comedian he would have much preferred to hear his jokes land. At the end of the day, he became a comedian as a method of laughing through the pain of a hard childhood, so it would’ve been quite normal for him to share laughter with his daughter while having to face the tradgedy of his own imminent death.

Rest in Peace

Don Knotts passed away on February 24, 2006, at the age of 81. He had been receiving treatment at Ceders-Sinai Medical Center in Los Ageles, California, for lung cancer, and reportedly was feeling much better and went home. Sadly he had to go back in when he was suffering from pulmonary and respiratory complications to pneumonia related to the lung cancer, and he died at the hospital.

Rest In Peace

In 2011 Don’s family decided to give his tomb a headstone with a brone plaque which features a number of his most popular characters.

Chicken Little

Don Knotts also did a number of voices for characters in animated films. In 2005 he provided the voice of the Mayor Turkey Lurkey in Disney’s animated film Chicken Little, which proved to be a great success. It turns out this would be one of his last films.

Chicken Little

Don Knotts did a great job with his voiceover for the film and kids who would otherwise never have heard him would now know his voice too. So even though he was much older by now, he still managed to entertain the younger generations! The movie was dedicated to Joe Grant, a Disney artist of many years. Grant died of a heart attack before the film was released.

Great Friends, Great Comedians

The reunion between Andy Griffith and Don Knotts on “Matlock” in 1988, was a really great experiences for both actors. The show was 20 years after they both worked on “The Andy Griffith Show” together, and they still loved working together, with both of them speaking highly of the experience.

Great Friends Great Comedians

The format of the show is similar to CBS’s “Perry Mason”, where Matlock identifies perpetrators and then confronts them in a dramatic courtroom scene.

Don Knotts’ Most Popular Characters

One of Don Knotts most remembered roles is his role as Deputy Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show” in 1960 and his role on “Three’s Company” as Ralph Furley starting from 1977.

Don Knott's Most Popular Characters

Knotts’ role on both shows gave him universal acclaim and quite a respectable number of awards. Knotts was definitley one of the most popular and most loved actors during the time he was on television. Even when he released movies that weren’t all that great, people still viewed him as a fantastic comedian, probably also helped by the fact that most people saw him to be a lovable and sincere person off-screen too.

Retirement not for Knotts

Once Knotts made acting his career, he never retired, working as an active thespian up until he died in 2006. Always a fan favorite, he was known in the industry as one of the hardest working actors out there, appearing in over 86 movies and television shows throughout his career.

Retirement Not For Knotts

A good number of those television shows ran for quite a while. Some say it was the stress that caught up with him, but Knotts wasn’t having any of it, denying such claims – it might have even been the job that actually helped keep him going as he loved doing what he was doing.

Close Friends

Don Knotts and the late Andy Griffith were close friends, working together numerous times during both their careers. The two were life-long friends on and off screen, and it was often said that the two hardly ever argued, and if they did it was easily resoved within a few minutes.

Close Friends

The two’s personal relationship surely added so much to their scenes together. Their connection and shared charisma was obvious, reaching viewers at home easily, and drawing them in for more.

Knotts and Ritter

Don Knotts and John Ritter of “Three’s Company” were also longtime friends as well as esteemed colleagues. In 2002, the two also appeared on a cameo together on “8 Simple Rules”, in an episode that paid homage to their earlier television series.

Knotts And Ritter

In fact, Don Knotts was the last of the “Three’s Company” cast to work with Ritter. Apparently the two worked well together and had a lot of respect for each other.

Cannonball Run II

Don Knotts also featured in Cannonball Run II, released in 1984 in order to quickly be forgotten as a commercial flop. The film has a very similar plot to the first, original film, about an illegal cross-country car race.

Cannonball Run II

Like a few other film flops Knotts had parts in, sure, it was a bad movie, but that didn’t do any damage to Knotts’ career or what audiences thought about him.

Hollywood Walk of Fame

On the 19th of January, 2000, Don Knotts was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The Hollywood Walk of Fame stretches across 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and 3 blocks of Vine Street, and consists of over 2,500 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars that are embedded into the sidewalks.

Hollywood Walk Of Fame

Andy Griffith was also awarded a star so the two of them celebrated together, with Knotts saying that this was the best award he had received suring the course of his career, which is really saying something considering how much he already achieved in the entertainment business.

Gus

Don Knotts also featured in the 1976 film, Gus, where he plays an inspiring and serious coach, who is often seen screaming at players from the sidelines. The film was a success at the box office, released on home video in 1981.

Gus

There are two scenes that the movie is most remembered for: one to do with a hotel and another in a supermarket. This was a different role for Knotts, of a more serious nature where he really nails the great motivator character.

Dave the Barbarian

The last television role Knotts took was as a guest on the animated series “Dave the Barbarian” in 2004. Children loved the series at the time, with the show getting good ratings.

The Steve Allen Show

The show revolves around Dave the Barbarian (no surprises there!) and his friends and family, who go on kind of surreal Medieval-themed adventures. Again, Knotts absolutley nailed the job.

No Time for Sergeants

One of the earlier films Knotts appeared in was the 1958 film No Time for Sergeants, which was also one of the first times we get to see Griffith and Knotts on screen together.

No Time For Sergeants

The film is based on a Broadway play which was inspired by the original novel of the same name, with Knotts playing the goofy character of the group as usual. Even though it was one of their first movies in both of their careers, it was a great demonstration of what a great on-screen relationship Knotts and Griffith had together. A good sign of things to come.

Dennis Weaver and Don Knotts

Dennis Weaver and Don Knotts actually sadly died on the same day and at the same age. The two worked together numerous times throughout their respective careers, and the world definitely lost two legends on that day.

Dennis Weaver And Don Knotts

Weaver was a highly esteemed and much loved actor, though arguably not quite as much as Knotts. He was most known for his role in CBS Western “Gunsmoke” where he played Chester Goode, Marshal Matt Dillon’s trusty helper, and for his role as Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on the NBC police drama “McCloud”.

Grave Memorial

Don Knotts sadly departed from this world in February of 2006. He is buried at the same site as a number of other stars at Westwood Memorial Park, 1218 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles. Knotts’ gravestone is definitely one of the more animated, basically also a beautiful piece of art and a tribute to the man and legend that he was.

Grave Memorial

As we mentioned earlier, it shows a number of different characters he portrayed throughout his acting career. Even though it has been nearly two decades since he died, he is still thought to be an inspiration to other actors and comedians out there today.

The Last Time I Saw Archie

Don Knotts also featured in a World War II comedic film, set in the last days of the war. Don Knotts portrayed Captain Harry Little in the film that was released in 1961.

The Last Time I Saw Archie

He stars opposite Robert Mitchum who plays a lazy, cunning American, Arch Hall Sr., who is in an aviation school for pilots who are too old to fly aircraft but not too old to fly liaison aircraft and military gliders.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

Don Knotts played in the 1963 comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, where he portrays a nervous motorist in a madcap pursuit of $350,000 (about $2,705,000 today) in stolen cash, with a group of strangers.

It's A Mad World

The cast included iconic actors of the time, with the strangers being played by Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters.

The Incredible Mr. Limpet

Knotts has the title role in the 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet, a film about Henry Limpet who becomes a talking fish who ends up helping the US Navy locate and destoy Nazi submarines.

The Incredible Mr. Limpet

The film featured the naval ship, the USS Alfred A. Cunningham and the ship which was referred to as the USS Los Angeles was actually the USS Galveston (CG-3).

The Apple Dumpling Gang

The 1975 film featured Don Knotts as Theodore Ogelvie in the American comedy-western film, The Apple Dumpling Gang. Bill Bixby plays Russell Donovan, a gambler who is tricked into caring for a young group of orphans, who finally do strike gold in the California Gold Rush.

No Deposit, No Return

No Deposit No Return

In 1976, Don Knotts played Bert, the goofy sidekick, in No Deposit, No Return. The comedy was written by Arthur Alsberg and Don Nelson, and the family movie’s plot centers around Tracy and Jay, two children who hold themselves to ransom. The two are aided by a couple of clumsy and rather unsuccessful criminals, Duke and his sidekick Bert.

Hot Lead and Cold Feet

Hot Lead And Cold Feet

Another American comedy-Western that Don Knotts played in was the 1978 Hot Lead and Cold Feet, where he featured as Sherriff Denver Kid. One of the string of Western style comedies that Knotts starred in during the 1960s and 70s, the film’s plot involves twin brothers competing for a town thattheir father founded, all while a corrupt mayor tries all sorts to put any competitors out of the game so that he can inherit the town himself.

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again

In 1979 there was a reprisal of The Aplle Dumpling Gang, with The Aplle Dumpling Gang Rides Again. Tim Conway played Amos, and Don Knotts was back as Theodore. The film also had Tim Matheson, Harry Morgan, and Kenneth Mars starring. Ruth Buzzi, “Laugh-In” star, also had a small cameo in the film as a wild farsighted woman.

The Prize Fighter

Another film Knotts did in 1979 was The Prize Fighter, where Don Knotts played Tim Conway’s manager, and Conway was the underdog boxer “Bags”. The film was another success in comedy-duos.

The Prize Fighter

The film was a great success in the box office, with earnings of $6.5 million in its first release, becoming one of the most financially successful films ever to be be released by New World Pictures at the time. This type of comedy were really popular during the 1970s and 80s.

The Private Eyes

A year later, Don Knotts and Tim Conway teamed up again in what would be their last time in starring roles together as a comedy duo. The 1980 film The Private Eyes featured Knotts and Conway as a pair of witless American detectives workign for Scotland Yard.

The Private Eyes

The film is a parody of the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, and was mostly received well by critics and viewers alike.

Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night

One of the first animated voice acting Don Knotts did was for the animated film Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night, where he does the voice of Gee Willikers.

Pinocchio And The Emperor Of The Night

Regrettably the movie was not a success at the box office, receiving mostly negative reviews from critics in its initital release. The film cost $10 million to make but only earned $3.2 million in return throughtout its entire run. Filmation, the film’s production company, soon became defunct.

Big Bully

After having a longish hiatus from films to get through some personal issues, Don Knotts returned in a supporting role as the vice principle in the 1996 comedy drama Big Bully, which starred Tom Arnold as the childhood bully of Rick Moranis, who reconnect as adults.

Big Bully

The film was a massive flob, both with viewers and critics alike, which was reflected in its grossing only $2,042,530 from roughly $15 million budget. The film was so bad that it currently holds 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cats Don’t Dance

In 1997, a year later, Don Knotts was back doing voice animation for the animated movie Cat’s Don’t Dance. The film is about a cat who aspires to success in Hollywood, with Knotts doing the voice for the sidekick, T. W. Turtle. The film also stars the voices of Scott Bakula, Jasmine Guy, Matthew Herried, Ashley Peldon, John Rhys-Davies, Kathy Najimy, Hal Holbrook, Betty Lou Gerson (in her final film role), René Auberjonois, George Kennedy, and Dindal.

Cats Don't Dance

The film is actually also Gene Kelly’s last film project before his death in 1996. The film was released after he died and is dedicated to him, with Randy Newman composing the musical numbers, including Gene Kelly’s contributions as choreographer.

Pleasantville

In 1998, Don Knotts also featured in a smaller role in the critically acclaimed and widely popular film Pleasantville, where he played a TV repairman. The film had a star cast that included Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, J. T. Walsh, and Reese Witherspoon!

Pleasantville

The plot of the film centres around two teenage siblings (Witherspoon and Maguire) who are trapped in a 1950s TV show in a small town in Iowa. The film was a great success in the box office and earned itself three Academy Award Nominations.

Tom Sawyer

In 2000, Don Knotts did some more voice acting work for the animated direct-to-video fim Tom Sawyer, where Knotts voiced the charater of Mutt Potter. The film has a cast of animals instead of humans in an adaptation of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Tom Sawyer

Most of the character’s voices are done by country music singers and featured many musical numbers.

Air Buddies

The straight-to-DVD comedy Air Buddies was released in 2006. It was the sixth film in the Air Bud seriers and the first one to be in the direct-to-DVD spin-off series. The film is about the life of a lonely teenagers and his dog who are fantastic at every sport.

Air Buddies

This was actually Don Knotts’ final film and was released posthumously. In the film, Don Knotts does the voice of “Sniffer”, an old Bloodhound who no longer has his sense of smell.

Here’s Lucy

In 1973, Don Knotts made a guest appearance on the TV show “Here’s Lucy” starring Lucille Ball. The series also had her long-time partner Gale Gordon, as well as her real-life children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr.

Heres Lucy

The 1970s were a really great decade for Don Knotts. It was a time when his film career was steady and he had many television roles. The episode that Knotts featured in brought in great ratings and was definitely one of the highlights of the season.

Fantasy Island

Don Knotts had quite a number of guest appearance roles on mainstream popular TV shows of the 70s, making multiple appearances on “Fantasy Island” in 1978 and 1979. The show was notorious for having the most popular celebrities of the time as guest stars on the show.

Fantasy Island

Due to the shows phenomenal popularity, a decade after the orginal show ended, the network created a revival series, although it was definitely not as succesful as the original.

The Love Boat

Another popular show of the 1970s and 80s which featured Don Knotts in a guest appearance, was “The Love Boat”. An episode titled “Crew Confessions/Haven’t I Seen You?/Reunion”, that aired in 1979, had Don Knotts playing a famous television star who came on the boat disguised as a shoe salesman.

The Love Boat

It is only when the gorgeous Julie Newmar hits on him that he reveals his real identity.

Step by Step

The Christmas episode of Season 3 of “Step by Step” had Don Knotts make a special guest appearance as Deputy Fife. The episode aired in 1993.

Step By Step

This was a clear example of just how successful and popular his iconic character had been in “The Andy Griffith Show”.

The Muppet Show

Don Knotts made a famous appearance in 1977 on “The Muppet Show”! Knotts played himself and was in most of the sketches in the show on the episode.

The Muppet Show

One of the most popular scenes from the episode has Fozzie having difficulty coming onstage to talk to Don Knotts because his sunglasses are so dark he is having a hard time even seeing where he is going! The sketch actually finished with Don falling off the stage!