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It's not uncommon for aspiring actors to start young, but there wasn't any time wasted when it came to queer icon Jodie Foster. She started in commercials as young as three and made her television debut as early as six in an episode of "Mayberry R.F.D." Long before she played the vulnerable defendant in "The Accused" or faced off against Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs," the child prodigy slowly made her way into film with roles in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and "Freaky Friday." By the time she was 12, Foster was not only working on her second Martin Scorsese picture with "Taxi Driver," but it was also the role that led her first of five Oscar nominations — and two wins.

In the interim before her big breaks, however, Foster was kept super busy when it came to guest appearances on a plethora of television shows. She...

Lisa Kudrow remembers her Friends TV mom, Teri Garr, following news of her death.

Garr died at the age of 79 due to multiple sclerosis, which was first diagnosed in 1999. Kudrow shared the small screen with Garr in multiple episodes of the NBC sitcom and paid tribute to her late co-star.

“Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me and I know I’m not alone in that,” Kudrow said in a statement to People. “I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr.”

Garr played the role of Phoebe Abbott on Friends, Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay, and Ursula Buffay’s estranged mother. Her first appearance was in the 1997 Season 3 finale episode titled “The One at the Beach.” In the episode, Phoebe meets with a woman she believes is her parents’ friend. Phoebe later discovers that the woman is her biological mother.

Teri Garr, who scored an Oscar nomination for Tootsie, starred opposite Gene Wilder in Mel Brooks’ classic horror spoof Young Frankenstein and played Richard Dreyfuss’ put-upon wife in Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, died Tuesday. She was 79.

Her publicist Heidi Schaeffer told The Associated Press that Garr died of multiple sclerosis after struggling with health issues in recent years.

Garr got her start with bit parts in a number of 1960s Elvis Presley movies, including Viva Las Vegas and Roustabout and appeared in the 1964 Annette Funicello romp Pajama Party. She continued to land small movie roles throughout the decade and also appeared in episodes of classic TV series Star Trek, That Girl, Mayberry R.F.D., It Takes a Thief and Room 222.

In the early ’70s, she recurred on The Sonny and Cher Hour and guested on M*A*S*H, The Odd Couple, The Bob Newhart Show,...

The competition is hot and heavy this year for the Emmy for guest actor and actress in a comedy series. Will Maya Rudolph win her third Emmy in this category for NBC’s “Saturday Night Live?” Or will Jamie Lee Curtis win her first Emmy for her powerful turn in “The Fishes” episode of FX’s “The Bear”? Veteran Christopher Lloyd is looking to receive his first Emmy in 32 years for his role as Larry Arbuckle on Max’ “Hacks.” While Bob Odenkirk, who won two writing Emmys over 30 years ago, may finally earn one for acting as Uncle Lee on FX’s “The Bear.”

Over the years everyone from Colleen Dewhurst (“Murphy Brown”), Carol Burnett (“Mad About You”), who at 91 is up for the Emmy for supporting actress in a comedy series for “Palm Royale,” Jane Lynch (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), John Cleese (“Frasier”) and Mel Brooks, who received the...

Try telling viewers of a certain age about the immense popularity of "The Andy Griffith Show" back in the day and you're likely to be met by blank stares, quite a number of follow-up questions, or both. Looking back, it may be surprising to realize that neither Andy Griffith nor the show itself garnered any major awards love throughout the eight seasons it was on the air, never resulted in much of any real merchandising profits during its run (which was a rarity at the time), and even met a somewhat ignominious end when Griffith was written out of the sitcom series and the entire production became rebranded as "Mayberry R.F.D."

In between those extremes, however, "The Andy Griffith Show" maintained its status as a consistent ratings juggernaut throughout each and every year and vaulted its cast to stardom. Buoyed by Griffith's "Aw shucks" small-town and square-jawed heroic appeal, an all-time classic opening theme song,...

One of the earliest success stories in the history of TV is “I Love Lucy,” which enjoyed six seasons atop the ratings. When the cast was ready to slow down a bit, audiences weren’t ready to see their favorite zany redhead leave altogether, so the 30-minute sitcom was retooled as 13 one-hour specials broadcast sporadically over three seasons, under a new name: “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”

In the 70 years since, many TV shows have seen name changes before airing their first episodes. One of the most notorious is ABC’s attempt to soften the title of “You Can’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23,” which was shortened to the less-offensive “Apartment 23.” However, apparently that wasn’t quite as catchy, so they compromised with “You Can’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” ahead of its April 2012 premiere.

SEEEmmys flashback to 1953: 70 years ago the big winners were ‘Your Show...

One of the earliest success stories in the history of TV is “I Love Lucy,” which enjoyed six seasons atop the ratings. When the cast was ready to slow down a bit, audiences weren’t ready to see their favorite zany redhead leave altogether, so the 30-minute sitcom was retooled as 13 one-hour specials broadcast sporadically over three seasons, under a new name: “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.”

In the 70 years since, many TV shows have seen name changes before airing their first episodes. One of the most notorious is ABC’s attempt to soften the title of “You Can’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23,” which was shortened to the less-offensive “Apartment 23.” However, apparently that wasn’t quite as catchy, so they compromised with “You Can’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23” ahead of its April 2012 premiere.

Only a few series have changed titles midstream, as this can be confusing for viewers.

Maggie Peterson, an actress who made a lasting impression as the sweet-natured, occasionally flirtatious mountain girl Charlene Darling on The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s, died Sunday, May 15, in Colorado, her family has announced.

“It is with great sorrow that we report that our dear Aunt Maggie died yesterday afternoon,” the family posted on Facebook today. “She passed peacefully in her sleep with her family present.”

Although she appeared on only five episodes of the classic rural sitcom in the Charlene role, Peterson was among the show’s most familiar and memorable recurring cast members, often joining her onscreen family The Darlings in singalongs.

Peterson developed a catchphrase with her repeated entreaties about the sentimental impact of outrageously titled song suggestions, as in an the following exchange with Pyle’s character:

Briscoe: “How...

Former Partridge Family actor Danny Bonaduce, 62, announced on Twitter today that he is taking a medical leave from his Seattle radio program “The Danny Bonaduce & Sarah Morning Show” on Kzok.

“Some news to share,” the actor wrote above a photo of himself with a red cane in hand. “I’m taking a temporary medical leave from my radio show. I’ll share more when I know more. I’m still working towards receiving a diagnosis. What I know is, I need time to focus on my health. I love my job and talking to you guys & I’ll be back on the air soon.”

Referencing the cane he added below, “Charlie Chaplin, Willy Wonka, Danny Bonaduce. I’ve joined the club of cool guys with canes.”

Some news to share. I’m taking a temporary medical leave from my radio show. I’ll share more when I know more. I...

Val Bisoglio, a character actor who played John Travolta’s father in Saturday Night Fever, appeared opposite Jack Klugman on all eight seasons of Quincy, M.E. and had an arc on The Sopranos has died. He was 95.

His wife Bonnie Bisoglio said the actor died October 18 of Lewy body dementia at his home near San Olivos, CA.

Born on May 7, 1926, in Manhattan, Bisoglio began his screen career with guest roles on series including Bonanza and Mayberry R.F.D. By the early 1970s, he appeared on such popular TV fare as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in the Family, The Partridge Family, Mannix and Love, American Style. He landed his first series-regular role on the short-lived CBS sitcom Roll Out in 1973.

He scored a second series-regular gig on a CBS sitcom, Working Stiffs, playing the owner of a Chicago office building where his sons — played by Michael Keaton and Jim Belushi — worked as janitors.

The television landscape was changing when the 23rd Emmy Awards took place at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood on May 9, 1971, with Johnny Carson as host. History was made in more than one way that night.

NBC’s “The Flip Wilson Show,” the first comedy-variety series hosted by an African-American, won the genre and writing awards. Wilson shared in both victories. And Mark Warren became the first black helmer to win an Emmy for his direction of NBC’s “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.”

George C. Scott, who had declined the Oscar just 24 days earlier for “Patton,” didn’t attend the Emmys either. However he didn’t turn down this award for his leading role in NBC’s “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentation of Arthur Miller’s “The Price.” Jack Cassidy accepted on his behalf. David Burns, who had died two months earlier of a heart attack during a stage performance of the musical “70, Girls,...

The year of 1969 saw the moon landing of the Apollo 11’s Eagle module, Richard Nixon sworn in as the 37th president of the United States, the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village ushering in the gay rights movement, the Tate-La Bianca murders by the Manson Family, the landmark Woodstock Music and Arts Fair which attracts 400,000, the tragic and violent Rolling Stones concert at the Altamont Speedway and even Tiny Tim marrying Miss Vicki on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”

But one major event was basically ignored by the mainstream media: the Harlem Cultural Arts Festival which took place June 29-August 24 at the Mount Morris Park. Founded by Tony Lawrence, the festival celebrating Black pride, music and culture features such landmark performers as Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Stevie Wonder, The Fifth Dimension and Mahalia Jackson. And when the NYPD refused to supply security,...

Arlene Golonka, best known for her portrayal of waitress Millie on the classic CBS sitcom The Andy Griffith Show and its spinoff Mayberry R.F.D., died Monday at a West Hollywood memory care facility following a battle with Alzheimer’s. She was 85.

Her death was announced by her friend, the literary agent Cary Kozlov.

Golonka, who made her Broadway debut in 1958’s short-lived The Night Circus before landing stage roles in 1962’s Come Blow Your Horn and 1963’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, already had made numerous appearances on television prior to her breakthrough role on The Andy Griffith Show in 1967, among them Car 54, Where Are You?, The Doctors, The Flying Nun and The Big Valley.

She made her first Griffith appearance on Oct. 16, 1967, in an episode that introduced her as Millie Hutchins, initially intended as a love interest for bookish bachelor Howard Sprague (played by Jack Dodson...

Arlene Golonka, a veteran character actor best known for playing Millie Swanson on “Mayberry R.F.D.,” died Monday in West Hollywood, Calif. She was 85.

Her niece Stephanie Morton, said she had been suffering from Alzheimer’s.

“She lived and breathed being an artist, being an actress was who she was born to be,” said her niece, “She was a very wise woman who I was lucky to call my aunt.”

“She loved to teach,” said Morton, who said her acting students over the years included Halle Berry.

With a career spanning over 45 years, Golonka played recurring roles on “The Doctors,” “Joe & Valerie” and “1st & 10” and appeared in episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “M*A*S*H” and “The King of Queens.” On “The Andy Griffith Show,” Golonka played Millie Hutchins, the girlfriend of Sam Jones (Ken Berry) on two episodes, and she reprised the role as Millie Swanson on “Mayberry R.F.D.” across 34 episodes.

Arlene Golonka, the bubbly actress who starred on Broadway before working behind the counter at Boysinger’s Bakery on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. has died. She was 85.

Golonka died early Monday morning in her sleep at a memory care facility in West Hollywood after a battle with Alzheimer’s, her niece Stephanie Morton-Millstein told The Hollywood Reporter.

Early in her career, Golonka shared a New York apartment with Valerie Harper and played hookers on Broadway in Take Me Along and Kirk Douglas’ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. She also was the object of two brothers’ affection in Neil ...

Fred Silverman, the legendary television producer and executive behind such groundbreaking shows as All in the Family, Soap and Hill Street Blues, and the only executive to creatively run CBS, ABC and NBC, died Thursday at his home in Pacific Palisades. He was 82.

Silverman’s knack for identifying hit shows in the making and programming them into memorable primetime nights led Time magazine to crown him “The Man with the Golden Gut” in 1977.

“There are a lot of things that I can point to that I think are proud achievements,” Silverman said in a 2001 interview with the TV Academy Foundation. “Most importantly, I had the opportunity to kind of stretch the medium a little bit, to do some things that had never been done before.”

Watch a clip from his sit-down with Dan Pasternak for the foundation’s “The Interviews” series below.

Born on September 13, 1937, in New York City, Silverman...

Evelyn “Brandy” Foster, who managed the childhood career of daughter Jodie Foster, died May 13 in her Los Angeles home from complications related to dementia. She was 90 years old.

Her death was confirmed by Jennifer Allen, publicist for Jodie Foster.

Born Evelyn Almond and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Foster had been a big band singer and worked briefly as a Hollywood publicist when, after she and husband Lucius Foster divorced in the early 1960s, she began managing the career of son Buddy Foster, best known for his role as Mike Jones on the 1968-71 series Mayberry R.F.D.

According to information provided by Allen, Evelyn Foster managed and guided daughter Jodie’s career until 1991’s Oscar-winning performance in The Silence of the Lambs. Jodie Foster’s first professional job came as a...

Jodie Foster is mourning the death of her mom Evelyn “Brandy” Foster, who managed her career until her 1991 Oscar win for The Silence of the Lambs.

Foster and her siblings Lucinda, Constance and Bud released a sweet and moving obituary for their mom, who died at 90 on Monday just the day after Mother’s Day. The family revealed Evelyn died from complications related to dementia.

“Evelyn was without a doubt the strongest person her family has ever met, a champion, a fighter, full of fire and love,” the obituary, obtained by People, read. “No one could beat her style, all...

Every year, the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys must choose which notable performers and creators to memorialize in their In Memoriam segments, and the three organizations will have many talented entertainers to remember at 2019’s ceremonies.

The past year saw the loss of celebrated stars of the big screen, such “Smokey and the Bandit” star Burt Reynolds, who died Sept. 6. Reynolds, who was 82, earned an Oscar nom for “Boogie Nights” and also appeared on television in “Evening Shade.”

Among the other notable movie performers lost this year were “Superman” and “Smallville” actress Margot Kidder, who died May 13; “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” star Sondra Locke, who was also a film director and died Nov. 3; and Susan Anspach, who starred in “Five Easy Pieces” and “Blume in Love” and died April 2.

Several stars known for their work in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s passed away in 2018, including Dorothy Malone, who starred...

Ken Berry, best known to TV audiences for his work on F Troop, Mayberry R.F.D. and Mama’s Family, has died at the age of 85. A cause of death has not been disclosed.

Berry’s death was first announced by his former wife, actress Jackie Joseph, in a Facebook post on Saturday. She later acknowledged the outpouring of “love and gratitude” expressed by friends and admirers of the late actor, and shared a photo of Berry and his partner of the last 26 years, Susie Walsh:

In addition to Joseph, Berry’s former F Troop costar, Larry Storch (Cpl.

Ken Berry, the amiable and musically-talented TV actor of the 1960s and ’70s who starred in “F Troop,” “Mama’s Family” and “Mayberry R.F.D.,” died Saturday.

His former wife, actress Jackie Joseph-Lawrence posted the news on Facebook. “F Troop” co-star Larry Storch wrote on Facebook, “We hope you know how much you were loved. Goodnight Captain.”

Berry played Captain Parmenter on Western sitcom “F Troop” for two years in the mid-1960s.

On “Mama’s Family,” he played Vinton Harper on the “Carol Burnett Show” spinoff, which starred Vicki Lawrence, Rue McClanahan and Betty White. The sitcom ran two seasons on NBC in 1983 and 1984, and two years later was revived in syndication, where it was a hit and ran until 1990.

Berry appeared as widowed farmer Sam Jones on “The Andy Griffith Show” and transitioned into the lead as the show spun off as “Mayberry R.F.D.”

“Mayberry R.F.D.” ran from 1968 to...

Back in the 1960s, the line between TV and movie stars was never more clearly defined, with actors from television seldom being able to make it on the big screen while film actors turned their noses up at the small screen. Don Knotts, however, was an exception, not only dreaming of movie stardom, but actually achieving it. In some ways, that's pretty surprising when you consider just how successful he was as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. He played the character with the understanding that series star Andy Griffith only intended to stay with it for five years, giving himself a deadline of sorts by which he needed to parlay that show's success into something bigger. Andy ended up changing his mind because of financial incentives thrown his way, while Don didn't, having been offered a five-film deal with Univeral. He chose to leave the show,...

By any standard, The Andy Griffith Show was not an easy act to follow. After all, it became one of the most popular shows throughout its run in the 1960s, and grew even bigger over the decades thanks to reruns and the nostalgia factor. But what’s truly amazing is that series star Andy Griffith decided to leave the show after eight seasons, and instead of simple cancellation, it evolved into the series Mayberry R.F.D., which was essentially the same show, but without Sheriff Andy Taylor or his son, Opie. Instead, the focus shifted to widower farmer (eventually head of the town council) Sam Jones, raising his son, Mike, and they were surrounded by all the regular supporting characters of Mayberry — including Aunt Bee. Amazingly it worked, much of it because of actor Ken Berry, who stepped in as Sam. "Andy and Don Knotts had had an oral agreement that...

The story of Mildred and Richard Loving could easily have become a sledgehammer epic about social injustice. Writer-director Jeff Nichols instead sticks to the facts and recounts their ordeal with a quiet subjectivity that neither exaggerates nor sanctifies. The result is a marvelously affecting demonstration of how a civilized, progressive America rights a wrong. Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton are terrific as just plain folks oppressed by an obsolete law.

Loving

Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

2016 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 123 min. / Street Date February 7, 2017 / 34.99

Starring : Ruth Negga, Joel Edgerton, Terri Abney, Marton Csokas, David Jensen, Nick Kroll, Jon Bass, Michael Shannon.

Cinematography: Adam Stone

Film Editor: Julie Monroe

Original Music: David Wingo

Produced by: Nancy Buirski, Ged Doherty, Colin Firth, Marc Turtletaub

Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols

Growing up in the 1950s, interracial marriage was a strange subject, and major entertainments handled it with kid gloves.

Sound on Sight presents a weekly round-up of some of the more interesting articles from around the web from this week! Be sure to share with us what you think is missing and your own thoughts on these articles!

Over at IndieWire, Peter Knegt asks Why Don’t Lgbt Movies Make Money At The Box Office Anymore?

Last week, Pedro Almodovar’s “I’m So Excited” crossed the $1 million mark in North America. That’s not so exciting as far as Almodovar films go — every one of them has crossed that milestone since 1988′s “Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” (most of them going on to make considerably more). But it is indeed rare for a film to feature lead gay or lesbian characters — as “Excited” does — to cross that mark, at least these days. Read More

At The Dissolve, Nathan Rabin writes about The poisoned, almost subversive...

Ned Wertimer, best known for his role as Ralph the Doorman on the long-running CBS comedy The Jeffersons has died. The 89-year-old actor died at a Los Angeles-area nursing home on January 2, following a November fall at his Burbank home, his manager Brad Lemack tells The Associated Press. The Buffalo, New York native appeared in dozens of TV shows from the 1960s through the 1980s, including Gunsmoke, I Dream Of Jeannie, Mork & Mindy, Mayberry R.F.D., and Mary Tyler Moore, but it was his role as Ralph Hart, the uniformed, mustachioed doorman at the luxury apartment building on The Jeffersons that he is best remembered. He appeared in all 11 seasons of the All In The Family spinoff that aired from 1975 to 1985. He also appeared in numerous feature films including Hometown U.S.A., Mame, The Pack, At Long Last Love and The Impossible Years. His most recent film appearance was in 2007′s Pirates...

-- Close your eyes and picture it: small-town America.

It has a little post office, of course. A general store, too, and a fishing hole. There's a barber who knows everyone – and knows about everyone. There's a friendly auto mechanic. The picture wouldn't be complete without several women who could be anyone's favorite older sister or aunt.

Kids scurry around at reasonable paces, making low-grade mischief while dirtying their short-sleeve plaid shirts or striped T-shirts. Quirky characters wander about in a landscape of picket fences and healthy storefronts. And the police officer in charge? He's tough but fair, community minded, the Solomon of his entire, geographically limited jurisdiction. He's Atticus Finch without any of the racial tension.

This is, today, the comforting script America often reaches for when it summons the vanished rural nation that so many say they long for. Not coincidentally, it is also the state of mind...

Andy Griffith, a true television legend responsible for a pair of iconic roles, passed away this morning at his residence in North Carolina. He was 86.

The sad news was first reported by Witn-tv through Griffth's close friend, Unc President Bill Friday.

The Andy Griffth Show Theme Song

Griffith rose to prominence in the 1960s as Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show and later starred in Mayberry R.F.D., Headmaster and The New Andy Griffith Show. In 1986, a new generation of TV viewers were introduced to the actor through his memorable role on Matlock.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005.

Tweeted former co-star Ron Howard upon hearing the news:

"His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life I'm forever grateful Rip Andy."

TV Land will pay tribute to the actor by airing a marathon of...

Los Angeles, California (x17online) - Actor Andy Griffith's close friend, former Unc President Bill Friday, has told Witn News today that the actor has passed away. He was 86. The beloved actor who starred in such classics like The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock died at his home in Dare County, North Carolina around 7 a.m. Acting was among Griffith's many achievements as he also was a Grammy award-winning southern gospel singer and starred in another series Mayberry R.F.D. He was even awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005.

8:15 Am -- Ron Howard ‏just went to Twitter to post a message about his friend Andy Griffith ... writing, "His pursuit of excellence and the joy he took in creating served generations & shaped my life I'm forever grateful Rip Andy."Andy Griffith, an icon of TV, has died ... this according to Andy's close friend, former Unc President Bill Friday. Griffith, who became famous for "The Andy Griffith Show," passed away at his home in Manteo,...

Andy Griffith has left behind quite a TV legacy. The star of "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Matlock" passed away at the age of 86, but he'll be remembered fondly by fans thanks to his legendary TV roles.

Griffith starred in "The Andy Griffith Show" from 1960-1968, but got his start in the 1955's "No Time For Sergeants." In 1960 he appeared in an episode of "Make Room for Daddy" as a county sheriff. The episode served as a backdoor pilot for his self-titled show. Griffith left the series in 1968 and it became "Mayberry R.F.D." The late actor made his final appearance as the iconic Andy Taylor in the 1986 TV movie "Return to Mayberry."

That was the same year Griffith assumed the role of "Matlock," a country lawyer from Atlanta. The series ran for nine seasons and produced 195 episodes. "Matlock" aired on NBC from 1986–1992 before jumping to ABC where it ended in...

President Bush awards the Medal of Freedom to Andy Griffith at the White House, 2007.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Fox News has reported that Andy Griffith, an icon of American comedy and television, has passed away at age 86. Griffith gained fame in the 1950s with hit comedy albums based on naive hillbilly characters. Before long, he was a Broadway and TV star. In 1960, he spun off a character introduced on a Danny Thomas TV episode and starred in The Andy Griffith Show. Griffith played Sheriff Andy Taylor of the small town of Mayberry. He was surrounded by a lovable group of eccentric country characters including his bumbling deputy Barney Fife, played by Griffith's old friend Don Knotts (who won five Emmys for his performance in the role).  Griffith also produced successful TV series, notably Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C, a major hit starring Jim Nabors in the role he created on The Andy Griffith Show.

Legendary multihyphenate Andy Griffith has died, his close friend and Unc president Bill Friday told North Carolina’s Witn-tv. Griffith was found in his Dare County, N.C. home on Tuesday morning; he was 86.

Television viewers first met Griffith through his 1950s appearances on variety programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Steve Allen Show, but it was the role of Sheriff Andy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show, which ran from 1960 to 1968, that made him a household name. Watch the opening:

Ron Howard, who played Sheriff Taylor’s son Opie, remembers Griffith for “his love of creating,...

Chicago – One of the most iconic and recognizable faces in the history of television has passed away as a friend of Andy Griffith’s is reporting that the star of “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Matlock” has passed at the age of 86. Close friend University of North Carolina President Bill Friday broke the news to Witn News in North Carolina, as reported by TMZ.

Andy Griffith started his career as a comedian in the ’50s before making his film debut in Elia Kazan’s remarkable “A Face in the Crowd.” Yes, Andy Griffith’s breakthrough was as a dramatic actor. But it was comedy which would make him a household name. An episode of “Make Room for Daddy” with Danny Thomas featured Griffith as a county sheriff who stopped Thomas for speeding. It was a backdoor pilot for “The Andy Griffith Show” which would run from 1960 to 1968 and play for decades more in reruns.

Character actor George Lindsey has died at the age of 83.

The comedian passed away in Nashville, Tennessee early on Sunday after battling a brief illness.

Lindsey shot to fame as the slow-witted Goober Beasley on U.S. TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s. His character was soon renamed Goober Pyle and he became known for his hilariously bad impression of Cary Grant and his outrageous Goober Dance, keeping up the antics for the comedy's successor Mayberry R.F.D., which ran until 1971.

He went on to portray the same type of character for country music variety show Hee Haw, on which he starred until its cancellation in 1993.

Lindsey also landed roles on other small screen projects, including CHiPs, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, M*A*S*H, Twilight Zone and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, while he used his vocal talent on animated Disney films like The Aristocats and Robin Hood.

Paying tribute to his old castmate, Andy Griffith says, "George Lindsey was my friend. I had great respect for his talent and his human spirit. In recent years, we spoke often by telephone. Our last conversation was a few days ago... I am happy to say that as we found ourselves in our eighties, we were not afraid to say, 'I love you.' That was the last thing George and I had to say to each other. 'I love you.'"...

By Lee Pfeiffer

Actor George Lindsey has been found dead at age 83. Although he had a long and varied career that included stand-up comedy, he is best remembered by generations of fans as Goober Pyle, the lovable but simple-minded garage mechanic from the legendary Andy Griffith Show. The series' long run in the 1960s ensured its status as an evergreen comedy and it maintains an active fan base that gathers for annual conventions. The close-knit cast continued their ties over the decades and, in learning of Lindsey's passing, Andy Griffith said he had only spoken to him a few days ago. Lindsey took on a key role in the series playing the cousin of Gomer Pyle, played by Jim Nabors. When Nabors quit the series in order to star in the equally successful Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Lindsay managed to pick up the slack and become accepted as popular cast member,...

HollywoodNews.com: Our selected celebrity to be included in our “Hot Hollywood Celebrity Photo Gallery of the Day” is Jodie Foster. She just premiered her new movie “The Beaver” in Cannes.

Jodie Foster ◄ Back Next ►Picture 1 of 11

Jodie Foster - 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival - "The Beaver"

◄ Back Next ►Picture 1 of 11

Jodie Foster - 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival - "The Beaver"

Alicia Christian “Jodie” Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress, film director, producer as well as being a former child actress.

Foster began acting in commercials at three years of age, and her first significant role came in the 1976 film Taxi Driver as the preteen prostitute Iris for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Also that year, she starred in the cult film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress in...