Don Knotts was an actor, comedian, and voice actor from the United States. He began his career in the early 1950s and rose to notoriety with his appearance in The Andy Griffith Show a decade later. Don earned numerous honors, including five Emmys, for his outstanding performance.
He then appeared in a number of twentieth-century classics, including The Ghost and the Chicken, The Incredible Mister Limpet, and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, among many others. In this article, we’ll learn more about Kourtney Kardashian’s career, early life, and net worth as of 2023.
Don Knott’s Net Worth
Don Knotts’ net worth was reported to be $20 million at the time of his death in 2006. His principal source of income was his acting, comedy, and writing careers.
He also made money from his television and cinema performances. He also has other business pursuits, including his own production firm.
Don Knott’s Early Life
Jesse John Knotts was born on July 21, 1924, in Morgantown, West Virginia. His parents were of English descent, and their ancestors may be traced back to 1700s America.
His father was an alcoholic farmer who was bedridden at the time of Don’s birth due to abusive bouts of schizophrenia. Don and his two remaining brothers were reared by their mother at the boarding house she ran after his oldest brother died of illness.
He developed an early interest in comedy and performance, and he frequently performed ventriloquist shows around town. Following his high school graduation, he spent a short period in New York City looking for work as a performer before returning home to attend college at West Virginia University.
When he was drafted in 1943 to serve in the Army’s Special Services Branch as a member of a military comedy troupe specializing in ventriloquism, his academic study was cut short.
He had a ventriloquist act called “Stars and Gripes” that he despised so terribly that he threw Danny, its signature dummy, overboard. During his service in the military, he was able to network with other performers while also honing his comic routines. In 1948, he returned to West Virginia after serving his country.
Don Knotts Early Career
Knotts married and moved to New York City to seek a career in show business after graduating from West Virginia University with a degree in education. His military ties aided him in breaking into the industry, and he secured his first significant television job in 1953, starring on the soap opera “Searching for Tomorrow.”
He appeared on Steve Allen’s variety show during the 1959-1960 season, where his reputation as a comedian flourished. Knotts went on to act in the star-studded Broadway drama “No Time for Sergeants,” where he met Andy Griffith.
The drama was adapted from a television series starring Griffith that was based on a novel, and it was then converted into a film starring Griffith and Knotts.
Andy Griffith Show Fame
Knotts landed a starring role in The Andy Griffith Show in 1960, playing a bumbling, rural Sheriff’s deputy. With the success of the show, his career took off, and he won five Emmys for his performances.
Knotts left the program, believing it would end after the fifth season, to pursue a career in movies, but he would return to reprise his role as Barney Fife in succeeding seasons.
He landed his first big part in the 1964 picture “The Incredible Mr. Limpet” and then signed a five-film deal with Universal Studios. Among these mostly family-friendly comedies were the box office smashes “The Reluctant Astronaut” and “The Shakiest Gun in the West.”
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He spent most of the 1960s working on Universal films, and when his contract expired, he was offered his own variety show on NBC. “The Don Knotts Show” premiered in 1970, however, it received mediocre ratings and viewership. Knotts found he was uncomfortable in the variety show style, and the show was canceled soon after it aired.
Don Knott’s Personal Life
Knotts had three marriages. His first marriage lasted from 1947 to 1964 to his hometown lover, Kathryn Metz. Knotts and his wife had two children together, and after their divorce, he raised the children on his own. Karen Knotts, his daughter, has followed in her father’s footsteps and is a comedian and actress.
From 1974 to 1983, he was married to Loralee Czuchna. He married actress Francey Yarborough in 2002 and lived with her until his death four years later.
Knotts struggled with melancholy, anxiety, and hypochondria throughout his life. Even when he became a well-known comic, he battled an inferiority issue that caused him to stay in bed for days at a time. He was diagnosed with macular degeneration, an eye disorder that causes fuzzy vision and worsens with time when he was just 57 years old.
He continued to work until the pain grew so acute that he could no longer drive. Knotts was diagnosed with lung cancer in the early 2000s. His final role was as a voice actor in Disney’s “Chicken Little.” He died in 2006, at the age of 81, following cancer complications.
Andy Griffith, his good friend and regular costar, was one of the last individuals to leave his bedside. Griffith lobbied for a statue of Knotts to be made in his likeness after his death, but he lost out to those who wanted it to resemble his most recognized character, Deputy Barney Fife.
Don Knotts Age, Height & Weight
Don Knotts was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on July 21, 1924. At the time of his death in 2006, he was 82 years old. He stood 5’6″ tall and weighed 160 pounds.
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For almost 4 years, Jason Martin has been a freelance writer for newspapers, journals, blogs, books, and online material. He covers the most recent news as well as many other topics.