A Face in the Crowd After establishing his career as a comedian and appearing regularly on "The Ed Sullivan Show," Andy Griffith made his film debut in 1957 as Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes in "A Face in the Crowd." This role has been described as one of his most stunning performances.
The Andy Griffith Show One of his most popular and well-known shows, "The Andy Griffith Show," starred Griffith as Andy Taylor, the small-town sheriff of the fictional Mayberry, North Carolina. Debuting in 1960, the show aired for eight seasons and still enjoys reruns on many channels.
After "The Andy Griffith Show," the actor made guest appearances on other popular TV shows. In this episode of Hawaii Five-O, Griffith played Arnold Lovejoy. The episode, "I'm a Family Crook — Don't Shoot," aired during the show's fifth season in 1972.
Washington: Behind Closed Doors In 1977, Griffith starred as Esker Scott Anderson in the miniseries "Washington: Behind Closed Doors," which was based on John Ehrlichman's book about the Nixon Administration.
Murder in Texas Andy Griffith was nominated for an Emmy for his role in the 1981 TV movie, "Murder in Texas." The story follows a plastic surgeon who is charged with killing his first wife.
Griffith played the title character Ben Matlock in the TV series "Matlock" from 1986 to 1995. It was his longest-running show and also his favorite character to play. He received a People's Choice Award for his portrayal in 1987.
In 1997, Andy Griffith brought back his character Ben Matlock, from the TV series "Matlock" , in a two-part episode of "Diagnosis: Murder."(1986-1995)
