Andy Griffith had to prove he was still a good actor after The Andy Griffith Show ended

"They all told me, 'You're not Andy Griffith. You're Andy Taylor,'" Griffith said.

On Now
MeTV Presents The Best of Sheriff Andy Taylor
Up Next:

Andy Griffith had a very successful career that lasted for decades. He was destined for greatness, starring in films and TV shows and releasing Grammy-winning musical projects.

Behind every success story, there's a chapter detailing the hardships an actor faced to prove their worth. Griffith had to work hard to become a TV Hall-of-Famer, and even after the success of The Andy Griffith Show, he was forced to prove his acting abilities.

In November 1992, Andy Griffith was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame. After the ceremony, the actor spoke with an Associated Press writer about The Andy Griffith Show and his then-current series Matlock. The writer asked, "And then [you'll] hang it up?" which surprised Griffith.

"I'm never going to retire. I cannot live without comedy. I suppose that when we film the last Matlock, it's reasonable to assume that my career might be over, but I can't see it that way," the actor said.

Griffith, then only 66 years old, felt there was no reason to end his career after Matlock, especially since the road to becoming a TV icon wasn't easy.

"It came too hard to give up easily. There were times in my life when I was sure I would not make it as an actor. I once tried for a part in a barbershop quartet and was cut. I was once cast opposite Mae West, and she cut me. I thought I would never get another part," he added.

The Andy Griffith Show is a series many generations of families can watch and appreciate. With its success, you'd think people would've been running to work with Griffith, but that didn't happen.

"After The Andy Griffith Show ended, I could not get a part for a long time. I tried everywhere, but they all told me, 'You're not Andy Griffith. You're Andy Taylor. We don't need Andy Taylor.' So I could get only the role of a heavy. I became known as a heavy. I had to prove again that I was an actor."

Making Andy Griffith prove he could play other parts seems absurd because his credits already showed that he wasn't just Andy Taylor. Yet, he did what he had to do.

"I took what I could get because I cannot live without acting. It's my life."

Watch The Andy Griffith Show on MeTV!

Weeknights at 8 & 8:30, Sundays at 12 & 6 PM

*available in most MeTV markets
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

28 Comments

Deleted 17 months ago
This comment has been removed.
17 months ago
This comment has been removed.
Deleted 17 months ago
This comment has been removed. Load previous comments
LoveMETV22 17 months ago
7 How many actors played
Ben Weaver?
-------------------------
LoveMETV22 17 months ago
WHAT WAS THELMA LOUs
LAST NAME ON THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
------------------------------------------

-----------------------------------
Mr. Schwamp- That one can be chalked up to " Unlikely Unexplained", meaning it's unlikely it will ever be explained.

Most of your other questions are just character placements-story lines, Etc.... The characters didn't vanish, without a trace, or disappear, that's just how the series evolved. Remember it was a fictional TV series, not a documentary.
17 months ago
This comment has been removed.
Coldnorth 17 months ago
You have more patience than I have. I admire that quality, patience is very difficult, but you make it seem easy
gbearden12 17 months ago
Love Andy Taylor and Barney Fife!
klt83 17 months ago
To be fair, some of his choices after The Andy Griffith Show were not good. "Headmaster" and "The New Andy Griffith Show" came at a time when audiences watched grittier shows like "Kojak," "Cannon," Barnaby Jones," etc. The same thing happened to Dick Van Dyke and would have happened to Mary Tyler Moore had she and Grant Tinker not come up with a concept that required a strong supporting cast (Ed Asner, Ted Knight, Gavin McLeod, Valerie Harper, Cloris Leachman). I can remember Andy Griffith being so desperate that he agreed to be a space junk man in "Salvage 1."
Sooner 17 months ago
You hear of so many actors that had an iconic part, then could never get anyone to hire them for anything else. It just goes to show the stupidity of hollyweird.

Acting is more than one part. Any actor that has been used extensively in a role, has a savvy about production and handling themselves on sets, which is valuable to the flow of filming scenes. If someone has proved themselves in an iconic role, that alone should prove a great awareness of acting and maintaining a character in a role.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Deleted 17 months ago
This comment has been removed.
17 months ago
This comment has been removed.
17 months ago
This comment has been removed.
DanDolgin 17 months ago
I still love the Andy Griffith show, but I wish METV would include the color episodes and just show all the shows in order both black and white as well as color like they do with My Three Sons and Petticoat Junction. I notice that METV is showing the color ones now on METV plus, but it's not shown at a convenient time there. I also hope METV will be including Mayberry special shows this coming May which is only about a week away.
klt83 DanDolgin 17 months ago
I think part of the problem might be that the color episodes just weren't all that good. Without Don Knotts, Andy Griffith shifted from straight man and loving father to someone who raised his voice more often to Opie, Aunt Bee, Goober, Howard, etc. I might be able to count on two hands the number of color AGS episodes I look forward to seeing.
Oldwatcher73 17 months ago
THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, AS WELL AS MATLOCK ARE BOTH STILL ON TV IN SYNDICATION..I HAVE SEEN EVERY EPISODE OF TAGS SO MANY TIMES I HAVE THEM MEMORIZED! MATLOCK IS ON IN THE EARLY MORNING,SO I DONT SEE IT AS OFTEN..YOU CANT FORGET ANDY GRIFFITH, BECAUSE HE IS "OMNI PRESENT" IN RERUN HEAVEN!THE SIMPLICITY OF THAT SHOW, WITH ITS BRAND OF HUMOR IS SORT OF REFRESHING IN TODAYS WORLD,BUT HARD TO EXPLAIN TO THOSE OF A DIFFERENT GENERATION..
Rita6868 17 months ago
I liked Andy in "No time for Sargents" movie before Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD later on after The Andy Griffith Show.
Good acting in Matlock but I always wished he did more comedy because I thought his timing was great.I guess hard for him to get some roles which is a shame since he really could act and was really funny.I always remember saying I just wish he would go back to comedy.I just thought dramatic roles must of been his preference.Big crush, still watch TAGS daily.Really Miss Him!❤
klt83 Rita6868 17 months ago
I strongly recommend "A Face in the Crowd" with Patricia Neal. Outstanding performance by Andy Griffith as Lonesome Rhodes and a story from the late 1950s that could be told today.
Deleted 17 months ago
This comment has been removed.
DZee 17 months ago
I got that book from my brother and just started reading it. Only in 3rd chapter so far.
Fishbassist 17 months ago
Watch the Elia Kazan movie A Face In The Crowd. You want to see him ACT? It’s in that film.
LalaLucy Fishbassist 17 months ago
I was just going to put that very thing. To me, that is Andy at his very best.
Fishbassist 17 months ago
This comment has been removed.
Red1955 17 months ago
One of the greatest tv shows I alway love them and watch them
cuddles1954 18 months ago
Andy also made the movie A Face In The Crowd. A totally different character for Andy to play. Came out in 1959.
Fishbassist cuddles1954 17 months ago
The movie asked “What if Andy Taylor was a grade A asshole?” I loved it.
cuddles1954 18 months ago
He did a movie Winter's Kill. He played a sheriff in it.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?