Many people remember Jesse Donald Knotts (famously as Don Knotts) as a great comedy legend. He was famous for his role in the Andy Griffith Show, where he acted as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife, a role that saw him win five Emmy Awards. You may also remember him as Ralph Furley in the 1979 to 1984 film Three’s Company.

Born on July 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia, Don Knotts was the youngest of four sons, born by a 40 years old mother and a mentally ill father who died of a nervous breakdown when Don was born.

Did you know the legendary comedian Don was a chicken plucker and a professional juggler before he found fame? Yes, he was removing feathers from dead chicken for sale! Just like any other celebrity, you can say he started from the bottom, and many of his hustles were strange.

Upon his shocking death at the age of 81, there were many rumors about his life in the military. One of the famous myths was that Don served in the United States Marine Corps, where he was a mean drill sergeant. Does this sound like Don, really?

Don Knotts was played a significant role in the military. He was not a war veteran or the best sniper, but he brought smiles to the soldiers’ faces, which they enjoyed and appreciated. It was something they needed as soldiers, especially during those war times.

After leaving the military, Knotts returned to America, where he landed his first acting job in the TV soap opera Search for Tomorrow, where he played the character Wilbur Peterson from 1953 to 1955. Although this was his first big break in acting, he decided to leave the drama genre for comedy mentioning that comedy was his first serious professional role.

Did you know that this urban legend almost lost his legendary role as Barney Fife after only one episode? Well, it was because of a petty mistake. His crime was failing to sign his acting contract.

Don Knotts was so talented that even Andy Griffith acknowledged his impact on the show due to his natural comedy. Griffith even did the unthinkable of any actor by exchanging roles with Don making him the lead comedic and him assuming the straight role.

Andy and Barney were introduced as cousins early in the season. The joke was intended to be about relatives being granted small-town government jobs, but their relationship was later changed to childhood friends.

One of the in-jokes of the show was that Barney Fife was allowed to have only one bullet in his gun because he was not trusted. Andy believed that he could shoot his own foot with it or even worse. But guess what happened.

Working as a duo made Don and Griffith develop a connection. Considering the modest nature of Griffith and the fact that he allowed Don to become the star of the show, it was likely that these two gentlemen would be good friends.

Griffith and Don were real-life country boys who rose to prominence as stand-up comedians in the 1950s, finally collaborating on Broadway in “No Time for Sergeants.” They became a comedy duo where they played off each other perfectly.

Just like typical friends, Don and Griffith got on each other’s nerves, too sometimes. They had their issues, especially on set during the Andy Griffith Show. Griffith constantly made practical jokes about Don Knotts. Daniel de Vise, a famous biographer, once said that Griffith would wake up Don from his naps using the banging noise made by tossing a film canister on the ground.

The Andy Griffith Show was just like most low-budget TV series, with small gaffes slipping in. Mistakes like seeing the outline of a boom mic or an actor’s clear tape marks on the floor were difficult to detect in the 1960s because everything was shot in black and white. And now that the classic sitcom is available in digital format, these flaws are more visible.

The episode “The Pickle Story” was voted the most popular of the entire series. Aunt Bee’s pickles were unlike anything she’d ever made before. She couldn’t seem to make a tasty pickle. The pickles were too heavy on the brine and didn’t have enough parsley in the vinegar, according to Clara Johnson, a twelve-time pickle champion.

Andy had a nickname on the show, as Barney referred to him as “Ange” much of the time. Don Knotts came up with the nickname, which is a combination of his first and last names, “Andy” and “Griffith.” Andy loved it so much that he used it all the time while recording.

No one expected the Andy Griffith Show to be influential enough to last longer than five years. However, it shocked many viewers, including Don, when producers allowed Griffith h to renew the contract for another three years.

When Don decided to leave the Andy Griffith show in 1965, it was because of his contract with Universal Pictures. However, he was not so comfortable about leaving the show that had brought him fame. Even his absence in the show was noticeable after his character Deputy Fife finally “made it” by joining the Raleigh, North Carolina police force.

The reason Griffith denied Don’s offer was because he thought Don wanted half the stake of production. But this was further from the truth. He didn’t know that Don would settle for a smaller share of the production. However, Don always acknowledged the impact of The Andy Griffith Show in his career.

Don Knotts will be forever remembered for his role in the 1964 film The Incredible Mr. Limpet, where he acted as Henry Limpet, a hilarious character. The film was a comedic mix of live-action and animation characters. Limpet, in the film, turns into a talking fish who assists the US Navy in locating German submarines prior to the assault on Pearl Harbor.

In 1979, Knotts made a comeback to television in the role of Ralph Furley, a wacky yet lovable landlord. At this time, Three’s Company was already established and growing but was facing drama with contract negotiations which saw quite some extravagant requests from actors like Suzanne Somers.

Apart from his famous police outfit, many knew Barney Fife best for his trademark straw hat and trench coat. It wasn’t about his clothes on and offset only. Knott began to be recognized for his expressive face and by the country as a great comedian. Knotts’s face took on a certain wackiness that complimented his role as a comedian.

Although Don did not have the sexiest roles in his shows, he was known to be a ladies’ man offset as he attracted many women with his sense of humor. Besides, don’t ladies love a man with a sense of humor? Don was lucky to be the best of such and would woo women across the country.

Despite his flirtatious nature, Knotts spent the majority of his adult life married. His first marriage lasted 17 years, and he and Kathryn had two children together, a son, Thomas Knotts, and a daughter Karen Knotts who was also an actress.

Don Knotts was talented and smart enough to go with the flow as comedy evolved through the years. He presented himself to a younger audience as well as new types of comedy. In the 1998 comedy-drama film “Pleasantville,” he played a weird TV repairman in a supporting role.

Although Don was lucky to play a memorable in the comedy-drama film Pleasantville, He was not actively present during the whole process as he was during his early years. He had grown too old and became less mobile. And the best decision was to bring in an impersonator.

Don Knotts was known to suffer from hypochondria as well as macular degeneration on both eyes, a condition that almost rendered him blind. He passed away at the age of 81 on February 24, 2006, after a long fight with lung cancer, and he was surrounded by friends and family at the time of death. What killed him was a respiratory complication contracted during his struggle with cancer.

Don Knott’s show-stopping sense of humor was also present on his deathbed in his final moments. Despite that he was about to pass away, he somehow managed to make his daughter and wife laugh. Imagine laughing at someone’s deathbed, let alone your parent.

To honor his most famous character, Barney Fife, Tom Hellebrand sculpted a statue of Don Knotts. The artist had the statue on display in Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy. Regrettably, the statue had to be desecrated even before it was completed.

Don Knotts died almost fifteen years ago, but his daughter works tirelessly to keep his legacy alive. She made the decision to follow in his footsteps and pursue an acting and comedy career on her own. Don did not approve of her pursuing a career in the film industry when she was a child as he deemed acting as not good for children.