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

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. 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. 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.