Advanced search

Andy Griffith is best known for his starring roles in two very popular television series, The Andy Griffith Show (1960) and Matlock (1986). Griffith earned a degree in music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the 1950s, he became a regular on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) and The Steve Allen Show (1956). He was featured in the Broadway play "No Time for Sergeants" (1955) for which he received a Tony nomination, and he later appeared in the film version. His film debut was in the provocative and prophetic A Face in the Crowd (1957), in which Griffith gave a performance that has been described as stunning.

On The Andy Griffith Show (1960), Griffith portrayed a folksy small-town sheriff who shared simple heartfelt wisdom. The series was one of the most popular television series in history. It generated some successful spin-offs, and the original is still seen in reruns to this day. Griffith created his own production company in 1972, which produced several movies and television series. In 1981, he was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal in Murder in Texas (1981). In 1983, Griffith was stricken with Guillain-Barre syndrome, but he recovered after rehabilitation. In 1986, he produced and starred in the very successful television series Matlock (1986). The series spawned numerous television movies as well. When he accepted the People's Choice Award for this series, he said this was his favorite role. Andy Griffith died at age 86 of a heart attack in his home in Dare County, North Carolina on July 3, 2012.

Zach Seivers was born on 12 August 1984 in Mount Airy, North Carolina, USA. Zach is known for Nomadland (2020), C'mon C'mon (2021) and My Father's Dragon (2022).

Carl Lee Griffith was born on 10 August 1894 in Mount Airy, Surry County, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor. He was married to Nannie Geneva Nunn. He died on 19 January 1975 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, USA.

Country singer/songwriter Donna Fargo was born as Yvonne Vaughan on November 10, 1945 in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Donna began singing in her early teens. She attended both High Point College and the University of Southern California. Following graduation from college, Fargo began working as a high school teacher in Covina, California and eventually became head of the English Department. She met her future husband and manager Stan Silver in California; they got married in 1968. Fargo initially began performing in various clubs in California. In 1966 Donna went to Phoenix, Arizona, adopted her stage name Donna Fargo, and recorded her first single. Her first major stage show was with Ray Price. In 1969 Fargo was named the Top New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music Awards. In 1972 Donna scored her first big country hit with the infectiously upbeat "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A." the song peaked at #1 on the country charts and went all the way to #11 on the Billboard pop charts. Fargo subsequently won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A." and was named the Top Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music Awards. The equally charming follow-up song "Funny Face" did ever better: it was another #1 country hit and cracked the Top 5 on the Billboard pop charts. Donna had two more #1 country hits with the songs "Superman" and "You Were Always There." She scored additional #1 country hits with "You Can't Be a Beacon If Your Light Don't Shine" and "That Was Yesterday." Fargo's other 70's country hits include such songs as ""Little Girl Gone," "I'll Try a Little Bit Harder," "It Do Feel Good," "Mr. Doodles," "Mockingbird Hill," and "Daddy." She hosted her own short-lived TV series in the late 70's. In 1978 Donna was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis; she took some time off to recover and bounced back in 1979. Although her career waned a bit in the 80's, Fargo continued to record albums and singles throughout that particular decade. She had a Top 30 country hit with "Me and You" and "Members Only," a duet with Billy Joe Royal, peaked at #23 on the country charts in 1987. Outside of music, Donna has her own successful line of greeting cards and has written several books of poetry. She still continues to tour and perform in concert in both the United States and other countries. In 2008 Donna Fargo released the CD single "We Can Do Better in America."

Ronnie Bowman was born on 9 July 1961 in Mount Airy, North Carolina, USA. Ronnie was married to Garnet Imes Bowman. Ronnie died on 22 March 2026 in Tennessee, USA.