Don Knotts' Daughter Reveals the Awful Truth

if you're a fan of classic american comedy then you're a fan of the legendary don knotts he was one of the most popular comic actors during the golden age of television he's a classic example of americana and is an icon of american comedy we lost dawn in 2006 he was 81 years old and was suffering from pulmonary and respiratory complications yet even upon his deathbed he hadn't lost his charm or quick wit his daughter karen recalls he said something on his deathbed that made her laugh so loudly she stepped outside the hospital room but life wasn't always the easiest for don knotts let's look back at his life's journey and how he overcame struggles to achieve his incredible success dawn's childhood jesse donald knotts was born july 21 1924 in west virginia he was the youngest of four sons and had a 14-year age gap between him and his next oldest sibling his father was a farmer and was able to provide his family a comfortable life through his labor by the time dawn was born the family's situation had taken a turn for the worse his mother was in her 40s and his father was mostly bedridden he'd become an alcoholic and was also suffering from schizophrenia as well as hysterical blindness as one might expect this didn't create the best atmosphere at home physical abuse was part of don's childhood he'd often walk by his father who would lie on the sofa at times this would greatly annoy his dad and threats were commonplace there was even a time don was threatened by a knife his father was brandishing as a child he was often pale and remained thin which later became part of his iconic look as an adult but as a child this was a great source of strain for dawn and he was often ill he would even bear the brunt from his brothers who would fight and bully him one of his brothers earl died from an asthma attack when don was still a teen this endless sadness is what made him want to strive for happiness it's also what made him want to bring happiness to others before we tell you more about don knotts's life and career be sure to give this video a like and subscribe to facts first for more early performances when don turned 13 his father died while this was difficult for the family it was rather liberating for young don as he became older his brothers began to leave him alone he felt he was free and he could now pursue his dreams it was during his teenage years he realized he had a knack for entertaining others he had bought a dummy doll named danny and began performing as a ventriloquist he graduated from morgantown high school and went on to enlist in the u.s army during world war ii he served as an entertainer for the troops and got to hone his performing skills during this time he also served as a nurse when needed upon his return from the war he attended west virginia university where he majored in education and had a minor in speech the big break after he married catherine metz in 1947 he decided to relocate to new york to try to make it in showbiz he started performing stand-up comedy at several nightclubs throughout the city he also had occasional radio gigs including work on a show called bobby benson and the b-bar b-riders his first foray into tv was a small role on a soap opera but this didn't lead to anything bigger and one might have thought don's career wouldn't go any further than being an occasional working actor but his life changed when he worked on a broadway play called no time for sergeants and befriended one of his co-stars this co-star was none other than andy griffith it was around this time don knotts realized his unique niche because of his lanky frame he appeared as a great sidekick he would help these burlier men look like leading men when andy griffith starred in his own show don was cast as the bumbling sidekick barney fife this character launched his career and made him a household name to this day barney is the character don knotts is most associated with but he managed to forge a successful career for himself even after the andy griffith show ended he revived the barney fife character in many spin-off shows films and reunions but he also became a major celebrity in his own right he'd become a regular guest on talk shows and variety shows but what was his life like off camera behind the scenes outside his life on screen don knotts had many struggles with anxiety while his popular performances such as barney fife thrived on an appearance of anxiety don struggled with actual anxiety in real life he would sometimes feel very stressed before a performance and he briefly became dependent on anti-anxiety medication he also had a bit of difficulty with hypochondria as well as insomnia but he knew this was taking its toll on his health and his life he knew he had made huge sacrifices and overcome hurdles to succeed in life he managed to kick his dependence on anti-anxiety medication and managed to deal with his anxieties on his own later career don also spent time in therapy to deal with the difficult trauma of his childhood he knew it wouldn't be easy but he had to do it his daughter karen recalled her father would strive to battle everything in life that brought him down he wanted happiness for himself and for others he also wanted to show his talents in different shows and films he left the andy griffith show after five seasons as he wanted to focus on working on feature films while he did make a few guest appearances on later seasons of the show these weren't as popular as barney fife wasn't a regular character it was clear don had created a character whom the american audience had fallen in love with even though he left the show prematurely don knotts and andy griffith remained friends and continued to work together don later played les calhoun in a series of episodes of matlock following his work on the andy griffith show don managed to find success in many great feature films these included the apple dumpling gang no return gus the prize fighter and the private eyes one of his major film successes was the incredible mr limpet this was one of the first films to mix live action and animation together and don knotts won praise for his work in the film to this day comedians like martin short and jim carrey cite the film as an inspiration don's legacy don's later career included a few hurdles as well perhaps the biggest disappointment for him was the don notch show which was a variety show that included many comedic sketches this was during a time when variety shows were all the rage on american tv unfortunately the don not show didn't manage to reach the level of success as other competing variety shows it also didn't match up to shows like the andy griffith show nevertheless the lack of success of the show was only a minor bump in his career he was still one of the most sought-after actors on tv he continued to make regular appearances in tv shows as varied as three's company newhart the love boat and what a country he also became a prominent voice actor in his later years he had voice acting roles in garfield and friends pinocchio and the emperor of the night 101 dalmatians the series and several other things just to name a few perhaps his best known voice was as mayor turkey lurkey in the hit animated film chicken little he was in his 80s when chicken little was released and it showed audiences he was still a treasured icon he continued to work until 2006 when he passed away in the early 2000s he'd been diagnosed with lung cancer he spent much of his later years surrounded by friends and family including andy griffith who always remained by his side even on his deathbed as he was suffering from serious illness he managed to crack jokes and make his daughter and others laugh don knotts died february 24 2006 at the age of 81. he's left behind an incredible legacy and he'll serve as an inspiration for entertainers for years to come now it's time to hear from you are you a fan of don knotts what's your favorite of his many roles let us know in the comment section below and before you go make sure you give this video a like and subscribe to fax first if you haven't already click the bell icon to stay updated on all our latest content you

Channel: Facts Verse

Views: 2,189,863

Keywords: Don Knotts' Daughter Reveals the Awful Truth, daughter of don knotts revealed the truth, awful truth revealed by don knott's daughter, don knotts, the daughter of don knotts reveals the awful truth, don knott's daughter divulges the truth, Facts verse, Facts verse presents, facts about don knotts, don knotts behind the scenes, don knotts today, don knotts then and now, what happened to don knotts, Don Knotts, the andy griffith show, don knotts daughter, daughter of don knotts

Id: aG4McYPzlow

Length: 8min 5sec (485 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 27 2021