Don Knotts had an interest in entertainment from when he was very young. He performed as a ventriloquist at school and church events before he even entered high school. While in the United States Army, he performed as a comedian and ventriloquist for the troops. He eventually abandoned ventriloquism and threw his dummy (named Danny) overboard according to Al Checco (who was a friend and classmate of Mr. Knotts).
After his stint in the Army, Don Knotts began performing at clubs as a stand-up comic. He eventually found his way to radio, appearing on various shows. He was a regular on the Western-themed children's radio show Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders. There he played a know-it-all handyman named Windy Wales, who was in a way the forerunner of Barney Fife and many of Don Knotts's other characters. As hard as it is to believe given he is best known for comedy, Don Knotts's television debut was as a regular on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow. He appeared on the show from 1953 to 1955. It was in 1955 that he began a stint in the Broadway production of No Time for Sergeants. He continued to appear in No Time For Sergeants until 1957.
Of course, it would be television that would be Don Knotts's greatest claim to fame. His big break would be as part of one of the regulars on The Steve Allen Show. He played in a variety of sketches but was best known for playing the high-strung, nervous Mr. Morrison in the "Man on the Street" interviews. With The Steve Allen Show, Don Knotts became a household name. He appeared on it from 1956 to 1960.
Don Knotts went from The Steve Allen Show to his most famous role of all. Don Knotts and Andy Griffith had become friends when they both appeared on Broadway in No Time for Sergeants. They later worked in the movie adaptation of the play. When Andy Griffith told Don Knotts about his upcoming show, Don Knotts suggested that Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) should have a deputy. In the end, Don Knotts was cast as Deputy Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. Don Knotts drew upon the nervous Mr. Morrison from The Steve Allen Show for part of the inspiration for Barney Fife, who was also high-strung. To this, he added a streak of self-importance which covered up his many insecurities. Barney tended to be a know-it-all, claiming expertise in fields where he actually had very little (everything from firearms to martial arts). As a law enforcement officer, Deputy Fife tended to be a bit too much "by-the-book." Barney proved to be the breakout character on The Andy Griffith Show, becoming the show's most popular character on the series. Don Knotts's performance as Barney Fife was so admired that he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy five years in a row.
The character of Barney Fife was lightning in a bottle, and Don Knotts would never again have a character as phenomenally popular. Regardless, he would continue to have a good deal of success in television. While his variety show, The Don Knotts Show, would only last one season, throughout the Seventies he guest starred on such shows as Here's Lucy, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, The Muppet Show, and even The New Scooby-Doo Movies. In 1979 he joined the cast of Three's Company as landlord Ralph Furley, who replaced the previous landlords Stanley and Helen Roper who had received their own spin-off. Ralph Furley thought he was a ladies' man, despite rarely having any dates. He also thought of himself as a manly man, despite that he lived in fear of his mean, heartless brother Bart. While Mr. Furley would not become as popular as Barney Fife, the character did prove to be popular. He remains one of Don Knotts's best-remembered characters.
Don Knotts would continue to appear on television following Three's Company. For the last fifteen episodes of the syndicated sitcom What a Country!, he played Principal F.J. "Bud" McPherson, replacing Gail Strickland who played Principal Joan Courtney. He later became a semi-regular on Andy Griffith's show Matlock, playing lawyer Ben Matlock's neighbour Les Calhoun. He also continued to make guest appearances on such shows as The Love Boat, Newhart, Burke's Law, 8 Simple Rules, and Las Vegas. He reprised his role as Barney Fife for one last time in the television reunion movie Return to Mayberry.
While Don Knotts may have been best known for his television work, he was also a movie star. He made his movie debut in No Time for Sergeants in 1958, in which he played Corporal John C. Brown, who has the unfortunate duty of giving Air Force recruit Will Stockdale (Andy Griffith) a dexterity test. He appeared in such films as Wake Me When It's Over (1960) and The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961) before making notable cameos in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and Move Over Darling (1963). With The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) he received his first starring role. the Henry Limpet of the title, A bookkeeper who longs to be a fish. While it received mixed reviews, it proved to be a hit at the box office.
Don Knotts thought The Andy Griffith Show would end after five years, so with the show's fifth season he began seeking other roles. He signed a contract with Universal to make a series of comedy movies. The first, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), did well at the box office and has since developed a cult following. His following movies, The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), The Love God? (1969), and How to Frame a Figg (1971), did not do nearly as well but have remained popular on television. The Love God? was significant in that it had themes that were slightly more mature than Don Knotts's other films. He played the owner of a failing birdwatching magazine whose new partner turns the magazine, The Peacock, into a girlie magazine.
Don Knotts would continue to appear in movies after his contract with Universal ended. In the Seventies he appeared in a number of Disney films, including No Deposit, No Return (1976), Gus (1976), Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977), and Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978). His most successful film with Disney may well have been The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), in which he was paired with Tim Conway as a pair of inept outlaws. Don Knotts and Tim Conway reprised their roles in The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979). Tim Conway and Don Knotts followed their work with Disney with the independent comedies The Prize Fighter (1979) and Private Eyes (1980).
Don Knotts's movie appearances would be sporadic following the Seventies. He had a cameo as a CHiPs officer in Cannonball Run II (1984) and a small role as a school principal in Big Bully (1996). In Pleasantville (1998) he had a small, but significant role as a mysterious television repairman. Don Knotts also did voice work in such animated films as Cats Don't Dance (1997) and Chicken Little (2005).
Don Knotts died on February 24 2006 at the age of 81 due to lung cancer. There were many, many tributes to him. There should be little wonder that there would be. Quite simply, he was one of the funniest comedians and actors of all time. He had a knack for creating hilarious, yet well-rounded and sympathetic characters. It is with good reason that Barney Fife remains one of the most popular characters of all time and Ralph Furley is still loved by many. Regardless of how well the comedies he made at Universal did initially at the box office, they became popular on television and remain so to this day. It was with good reason that Don Knotts had such a successful career. He was just so very talented.
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