June 1, 1926: Born in Mount Airy, N.C., the only child of Geneva and Carl Lee Griffith, and named Andy Samuel Griffith

1941: Inspired to play the trombone after seeing Birth of the Blues at local movie theater

May 30, 1944: Graduated from Mount Airy High School

Summer 1944: Enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a sociology major in prepara¬tion for becoming a Moravian preacher

Summers 1946-1953: Performed various roles in The Lost Colony on Roanoke Island, N.C.

June 1949: Graduated from the University of North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music

1949: Married to Barbara Edwards (divorced 1972)

1949-1952: Worked as a music and drama teacher at Goldsboro (N.C.) High School

November 1953: Release of "What It Was, Was Football" on the Colonial Records label

Mar. 15, 1955: The United States Steel Hour: No Time for Sergeants, as Will Stockdale

Summer 1955: Florida concert tour with country star Ferlin Husky and a promising new performer, Elvis Presley

Oct. 20, 1955: Broadway premiere of No Time for Sergeants, as Will Stockdale (Received Theatre World Award in 1956 for Outstanding Debut of a Performer and Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play)

May 28, 1957: Premiere of A Face in the Crowd, as Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes...

1958: Andy and Barbara adopt son Andy Samuel Griffith, Jr., born in December 1957

May 29, 1958: Premiere of feature film version of No Time for Sergeants, as Will Stockdale.

1959: Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance—Spoken Word for Hamlet

Apr. 23, 1959: Broadway premiere of Destry Rides Again, as Destry (Received Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical)

1960: Andy and Barbara adopt daughter Dixie Nann Griffith, born in September 1959

Oct. 3, 1960: Series premiere of The Andy Griffith Show (249 episodes and eight seasons), as Sheriff Andy Taylor

1968: Received National Brotherhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews

1969: Premiere of Angel in My Pocket, as the Reverend Samuel D. Whitehead

1969: Received Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Florida Southern College

1970: Series premiere of The Headmaster, as Andy Thompson

1971: Series premiere of The New Andy Griffith Show, as Andy Sawyer

1975: Premiere of Hearts of the West, as Howard Pike

1975: Theater (formerly the auditorium for Rockford Street Grammar School) renamed Andy Griffith Playhouse in Mount Airy, N.C.

Apr. 21, 1976: Star unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

1976: Telecast of Six Characters in Search of an Author, as The Father

1978: Received Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of North Carolina

1979: Series premiere of Salvage, as Harry Broderick

1981: Premiere telecast of Murder in Texas, as Ash Robinson (Nominated for Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special)

1983: Premiere telecast of Murder in Coweta County, as John Wallace

Apr. 2, 1983: Married to Cindi Knight

1983: Received North Carolina Award for Fine Arts

1984: Premiere telecast of Fatal Vision, as Victor Worheide

1985: Premiere of Rustlers' Rhapsody, as Colonel Ticonderoga

1985: Premiere telecast Crime of Innocence, as Judge Julius Sullivan

1986: Premiere telecast of Diary of a Perfect Murder, as Ben Matlock

1986: Under the Influence, as Noah Talbot

Apr. 13, 1986: Premiere telecast of Return to Mayberry, as Andy Taylor

Sept. 20, 1986: Series premiere of Matlock (177 episodes, 1986-1995)

1987: Received People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Program for portrayal of Ben Matlock in Matlock

1992: Received Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Television Programming Executives

1992: Inducted into Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame in Orlando, Fla.

1997: Received Grammy Award for Best Southern Gospel, Country Gospel, or Bluegrass Gospel Album for I Love to Tell the Story—20 Timeless Hymns

1999: Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Southern Gospel, Country Gospel, or Bluegrass Gospel Album for Just As I Am

2001: Premiere of Daddy and Them, as O.T. Montgomery

Oct. 16, 2002: Dedication of the Andy Griffith Parkway in Mount Airy, N.C.

Oct. 28, 2003: Dedication of TV Land Landmark for The Andy Griffith Show at Pullen Park in Raleigh, N.C.

2004: Nominated for Dove Award for Country Album of the Year for The Christmas Guest (co-nominee with Marty Stuart)

2004: Received TV Land Legend Award for The Andy Griffith Show

Sept. 24, 2004: Replica of TV Land Landmark for The Andy Griffith Show unveiled in Mount Airy, N.C.

2005: Received Carolina Performing Arts Lifetime Achievement Award at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill

2005: Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush at the White House

2007: Premiere of Waitress, as Old Joe

2008: Received Country Music Association Award for Music Video of the Year for "Waitin' on a Woman" with Brad Paisley

Sept. 26. 2009: Dedication of the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy, N.C.

*Information provided by surryart.ipower.com/mayberrydays.

Keep Reading

Director Matt Moyer's "Inheritance" tells the story of an Ohio family struggling with the legacy of drug abuse and poverty through the experiences of 12-year-old Curtis. (Courtesy of Atlanta Film Festival)

Credit: Atlanta Film Festival

Featured

Stacey Abrams speaks at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at Georgia State University’s convocation center in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Abrams is at the center of speculation over whether she will mount a third campaign for governor. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC