Andy Griffith » Trivia

Recorded a gospel album called "I Love To Tell The Story" in 1996 that became a hit and won a Grammy.

Is a member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, a national music fraternity.

Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 195-196. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387

Was on same stage with Elvis Presley in "The Steve Allen Show" (1956).

The town of Mayberry on "The Andy Griffith Show" is based upon Andy Griffith's hometown of Mt. Airy, North Carolina. By the same token, the characters on the show will commonly mention the "sister city" of "Mount Pilot". Mount Pilot does exist, though it's really called Pilot Mountain, and has the same basic geographical positioning to Mt. Airy as Mayberry does to Mount Pilot. The towns in both reality and the series are about 15 miles apart. Both towns (in both universes) are north of Winston-Salem, North Carolina near the North Carolina-Virginia border.

His son died of alcoholism in 1996.

He recorded some albums of standup comedy, including one titled "Just for Laughs". Among his classic routines is "What It Was, Was Football", about a country bumpkin who witnesses his first football game.

He and Marilyn Monroe were born on the same day, June 1, 1926.

Andy Taylor, Griffith's character on "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960), was ranked #8 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" (20 June 2004 issue).

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush on 9 November 2005. Other recipients were Frank Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Gen. Richard Myers, Paul Rusesabagina, Carol Burnett, Aretha Franklin, Vint Cerf and his Internet codeveloper Robert Kahn, Jack Nicklaus, Alan Greenspan, and former congressman G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery.

His two children are adopted.

In 1987 when he accepted the People's Choice Award, he said he was happy it was for "Matlock" (1986). He said that "Matlock" (1986) was his favorite character to date.

9 May 2000 - Underwent a quadruple bypass.

Attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

During a 1959 performance of the Broadway musical "Destry Rides Again", in which Griffith starred opposite Dolores Gray, a small fire broke out backstage at the Imperial Theater. Although it was put out within a few minutes time, without causing any major damage, just enough smoke drifted toward the stage that there could have been a panic had not Griffith and Gray continued on with the scene as though nothing was happening. For their bravery, they were rewarded by the audience that night with a standing ovation and by the New York City Fire Comissioner with citations for heroism.