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Born Andrew Samuel Griffith, this well loved singer, actor and Christian showed his heart in everything he did. It’s no surprise that this man who portrayed a North Carolina defender of justice in the celebrated Andy Griffith Show was born in Mount Airy, NC and had originally studied to defend the word of God as a preacher.
Andy was educated at the University of North Carolina where he studied first to be a minister in the Moravian religion before changing his course toward music and drama; he graduated in 1949. His wife is Cindi Knight as of 1983 and previously he was married to two other women, Barbara Edwards and Solica Cassuto. Andy was an only child, the son of Geneva and Carl Griffith (a furniture maker).
Andy the Actor
Staring in over 38 Movie and television roles, Andy was best known for his self-named television show. Andy had many roles in the movies before turning to TV however including my personal comedic favorite, “No Time For Sergeants”. “No Time for Sergeants” was also a Broadway hit for Andy who enjoyed playing the theater as well.
A unique stand out from most of his movie roles, one might wonder how Andy dealt with his faith and his usual type casting when portraying a murderous rapist in the movie, “Pray for the wildcats”. It was a chilling role for him to play.
He has had a 40 year career overall. The great shining achievement of his acting run, “The Andy Griffith Show” airs worldwide and was always a top rated show each year it originally showed. Andy did little that went well after the original Andy Griffith Show however as he went through a good number of personal trials. Andy’s first marriage ended and a second lasted only 8 years. He dealt with a yearlong illness that caused serious physical pain. It wasn’t until this illness subsided and his third wife encouraged him on that he returned to fame with Matlock, his longest running TV series. Andy only considers movies now, no TV series. His latest work is a movie entitled “Daddy and them”, and also stars such notables as Ben Affleck, Diane Ladd, Laura Dern and Billy Bob Thornton. Andy has also recorded spots for political radio advertising in his home state of North Carolina.
Andy’s awards include the very best from key organizations including the Theater World Award for No Time for Sergeants and the NATPE Lifetime Achievement Award.
Andy the singer
This Gemini (born June first 1926) showed his duality not only in his character roles but also in his dual career as a singer and actor. This is also how he showed his Gemini trait of being the great communicator, even playing the role of a frequent courtroom communicator as Matlock on TV. And he certainly would have been a communicator as a preacher had he carried out his original college vocational plans.
Andy Griffith recorded many songs and record albums and had a top 40 hit single in 1955 that made him comfortable with the radio crowd and they with him. Recording with Capitol Records in the 50’s wasn’t his only stint with the music industry.
Andy’s music amazes to this day as the recent 1997 recorded album “Just as I am: 30 Favorite Old Time Hymns” has sold over a million copies. This recent Emerald and Sparrow Records hit is very innovative with bagpipes and other unique but tasteful instrumentation and scoring. Andy’s voice is as in tune as ever and everything about this work speaks freshness, life and quality. Andy’s other pieces include two 1996 Albums: “Somebody bigger than you and I” and “I love to tell the story” on Sony Columbia and Emerald Sparrow records respectively.
Earlier pieces also included spoken comedy and other religious material and wise sayings. In 1996 Andy won a Grammy award for the hit religious song “I love to tell the story”. Andy had been told at the onset of his career that he would never make it as a singer. He is very proud of his Grammy for this reason. Of course Andy gives us more than one rendition of his singing and strumming abilities on the famed show itself, as Andy Taylor.
Andy the Christian
Andy Griffith’s faith spilled over into his singing career as he sang and recorded hymns that the Christian Andy loved. Almost ordained a preacher for his life’s work, Andy took to acting but never shook his Christian roots.
Currents on Andy Griffith
Now 73 years old, Andy is well set with his 63 acre home on Roanoke Island which he seldom leaves for long. Andy suffered a heart attack and had to have bypass surgery in mid-2000. He has since recovered and is still acting to the date of this writing.
He had two daughters and one son; the son died in 1996. He was also a writer, producer and of course a comedian.
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