Source for "icon" description: Entertainment Weekly Oct 23, 1998, p40
Jesse Donald Knotts was born on July 21, 1924 in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Don Knotts died on February 24, 2006 at the age of 81 from pulmonary and respiratory complications from lung cancer at a hospital in Los Angeles, California.
Don was married three times.
- Kathryn Kay Metz Knotts Collingsmith. Don and Kay met while he was in college. She was an airline stewardess. They married on December 27, 1947. They had two children together. The marriage ended in 1964 amidst rumors of Don being a ladies man.
- Loralee Czuchna. Loralee and Don married on October 12, 1974 and divorced in 1983.
- Francine "Francey" Yarborough. They were married in 2000. Francey is a stage actress.
Don had two children.
- Karen Ann Knotts was born on April 2, 1954. Her mother is Kay Knotts Collingsmith. Karen is an actress.
- Thomas Allen Knotts. His mother is Kay Knotts Collingsmith. Thomas is an electrical engineer in Palo Alto, California.
Don graduated in 1948 from the University of West Virginia with a BA degree.
Don was in the US Army from June 21, 1943 to January 6, 1946. He was also a ventriloquist, and an actor/comedian in both television and movies. An Emmy Award winner, Don Knotts was best known for his portrayal of the character "Barney Fife" on The Andy Griffith Show and as "Mr. Furley" on Three's Company.
Don suffered from bouts of severe hypochondria, shyness, depression, and had a degenerative eye disease.
Residence:
Don lived in Beverly Hills.Barney Fife and Other Characters I Have Known
by Don Knotts
Barney Fife's Guide to Life, Love and Self-Defense
by Don Knotts
Biography: Don Knotts
by A&E
About his divorce from Kay Metz: "Contrary to Don’s on-screen image, he was considered somewhat of a ladies’ man in Hollywood and was often seen in the company of beautiful starlets at various parties. His marriage to Kathryn ended in divorce in 1964 and people who claimed “inside information” cited Don’s flamboyant lifestyle as the primary reason."
Source: Essortment.com
Francey Yarborough, about Don: "He saw poignancy in people's pride and pain and he turned it into something endearing and hilarious."
Source: LA Times
