Don Knotts’ Net Worth: How Much Did the Beloved Actor Earn?

What is Don Knotts net worth?

Don Knotts Net Worth is US$ 20 Million as of 2022.

Biography

American actor and comedian Jesse Donald Knotts was born on July 21^st, 1924. On 24 February 2006, he passed away at the age of 81. In the 1960s, he played Barney Fife, a deputy sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show. For which, he was honored with five Emmys. From 1979 until 1984, on the sitcom “Three’s Company” Don portrayed Ralph Furley. Knotts also had a leading role in “The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” (1966) movie, he also featured in several comedy films as well. He was born in West Virginia and was the youngest of 4 siblings. After being relieved from the army, he got his big television break. He frequently appeared on the soap drama Search for Tomorrow from 1953 to 1954. He started his film career with “No Time for Sergeants”, which was released in 1958.

Early Life

Knotts was the youngest child of William Jesse Knotts & Elsie Luzetta Knotts. They married in the place known as Spraggs, Pennsylvania. Knotts’s paternal grandparents immigrated to the United States of America around the 17th century. They settled in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland. The name of Knotts’ brothers were William, Ralph, and Willis (also known as “Sid”).

His father had schizophrenia and was an alcoholic, who threatened Knotts with daggers. This is what caused him to begin changing inwardly early on. Knotts’ father expired due to pneumonia at the time when he was just 13 years old. His mother owned a Morgantown boardinghouse and raised his brother and sister. She passed away in 1969 when her age was 84. William, her 31-year-old son, also died at her home in 1941. They both were buried in Morgantown at the Beverly Hills Memorial Park.

Knotts completed his graduation from Morgantown High School. Knotts enlisted with the United States Army, after which he served in World War II. He then received a bachelor’s degree in education from West Virginia University in 1948. He was an associate of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity situated at WVU.

Career

Initial Career

Knotts started performing at school functions and churches as a ventriloquist and comedian, before starting high school. He returned home, after failing to make a career as a comedian in NYC, to attend West Virginia University. He then enlisted in the United States Army after completing his freshman year. Knotts was an army officer who served from June 21st, 1943 to January 6th, 1946 in the 6817th Special Services Battalion of the Army, he was not trained for combat but served the army as a Technician Grade 5. He also received an American Campaign Medal, Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal with four bronze stars, an Army Good Conduct Medal, an Army Marksman Badge, as well as the World War II Victory Medal, and the Philippine Liberation Medal.

After Knotts was relieved from the army he returned to West Virginia University and later married Kay Metz, subsequently moving to New York. Knotts made his television debut in ‘Search for Tomorrow’, a soap opera that aired between 1953 to 1955. He was a part of Steve Allen’s variety show in 1956, which served him fame. His most prominent role was that of an actor in Allen’s interview “Man in the Street”. He played the role of a nervous man.

Andy Griffith Appearance

Knotts portrayed the character of Barney Fife a deputy sheriff and cousin of Sheriff Andy Taylor. Knotts’s portrayal of Fife became so popular that it earned him five Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Comedy. The first Emmy Knotts received was in 1961.

The show’s summary can be found at the Museum of Broadcast Communications. This includes Deputy Barney Fife. Barney was romantic and self-important, he almost always got it wrong. Andy won 3 Emmy Awards in the first 5 seasons. Griffith was the comedy lead in the first episode. Knotts played Griffith’s, straight man. They played similar characters in No Time for Sergeants.

Knotts believed Griffith’s statement as The Andy Griffith Appearance would cease after 5 seasons. Knotts started to search for work and signed five films at Universal Studios. In the autobiography, he also admitted that Griffith hadn’t taken on the contract yet when he announced his intention to continue the series.

Film Career After Mayberry

Knotts was interstellar in a series of film comedies that drew upon his excitable personality from the television sequences. He had a cameo in United Artists’ A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in 1963 and starred as ‘The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), ‘The Resistant Astronaut’ (1967), and ‘The Hakiest Guns of the West’ (1968). Later he was seen in the spin-off “Mayberry R.F.D.” Knotts was the best man for his long-lost love, Helen Crump and Andy Taylor. In two episodes of 1972’s The New Scooby-Doo Movies, he voiced an animated character, which was titled “The Spooky Fish of Juneberry” and “Guess Who’s Knott Comes to Dinner”. In 1975, Tim Conway and Knotts began a series of slapstick movies that were directed at children. These films included The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975 film).

Three’s Company

Ralph Furley was played by Knotts again in a 1979 television series. Stanley Roper and Helen Roper, a married pair who left for the short-lived spinoff The Ropers, are the creators of this program. Due to his famous status, Knotts was able to fit in with the ensemble with ease.

Later |Years

In 1986, Knotts and Andy Griffith were once again together for the TV movie ‘Return to Mayberry’. He performed as Barney Fife once more. Early in 1987, he joined the cast of the long-running syndicated sitcom, for the final 13 episodes of “What’s a Country!” he was in the show as principal Bud McPherson. It had Joseph Staretski and Martin Rips, as the producers of the show, with who he had prior interaction within Three’s Company.

From 1988 until 1992, Knotts played Les Calhoun in the television series Matlock. Additionally, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department designated him an honorary deputy sheriff.

Knotts was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s 2000 List. His first Disney movie since 1979 was Chicken Little (2006), in which he also played Mayor Turkey Lurkey. 

On September 12, 2003, he was playing on ‘On Golden Pond’ in Kansas City when Ritter’s family called him to inform him that Ritter passed away, due to an aortic dissection sufferer and a former Three’s Company co-star. Knotts along with other co-stars attended John’s funeral 4 days later.

On Feb 24^th, 2006, Don passed away due to pulmonary and respiratory complications of pneumonia related to lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in LA.

Highlights

Here are some of the best highlights of Don Knotts’s career:

Film

Television

Video Games

Favorite Quotes from Don Knotts

“I don’t think actors get good training today. I put my training to use in everything I do”

– Don Knotts

“I Well, they put me in a booth and then did some nice things to the speaker to make it come out sounding ok.”

– Don Knotts

“I felt like a loser. I was unhappy as a child most of the time. We were terribly poor and I hated my size.”

– Don Knotts

“I don’t think just funny is enough on Broadway.”

– Don Knotts

Brand Endorsements

Knotts was not only the founder of his Disney franchise but also a celebrity when animals appeared in sports movies. Also, He joined the Herbie franchise in 1977’s Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. He was part pilot and part sidekick of Dean Jones’ Wheely Applegate.

Keys Life Lessons from Don Knotts

We now know everything about Don Knotts and his net worth. Let’s look at some of his lessons.

• He was a key learner and always try to learn new things in his work.
• He thinks before speaking as according to him “When you work with words, words are your work.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

Don Knotts was an American comedian, actor, and voice actor. His career began in the 1950s. He rose to fame a decade later in The Andy Griffith Show. Don received five Emmy Awards for his outstanding performance. He starred in many classic 20th-century films, including The Ghost and The Chicken and The Incredible Mister Limpet, and Herbie Goes to the Monte Carlo among others.

Don Knotts was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, on July 21st, 1924. He is the son of three English ancestors, William, Willis, and Ralph, and has three siblings. His paternal ancestors immigrated from England to Maryland in the 17th century. He attended Morgantown High School, and shortly after graduating enlisted in US Army.

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