The entertainment industry is mourning the loss of legendary actor Don Knotts, who passed away Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 81. Since finding stardom as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, Knotts has enjoyed a long television and film career that included a good amount of animation voiceover work. His last role was that of Mayor Turkey Lurkey in the CG-animated Disney hiy Chicken Little.
Knott’s first brush with animation, as well as his first leading role, came with the 1964 feature film The Incredible Mr. Limpet, in which he is transformed into an animated talking fish. Years later, his distinctive voice would be utilized in such animated productions as The Little Troll Prince (1985), Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987), Cats Don’t Dance (1997) and 101 Dalmatians: The Series (1997). More recently, he lent his voice to an episode of Nick at Nite’s Fatherhood and played the character Wormie in the TV and home-video series Hermie & Friends.
At the time of his death, Knotts was surrounded by his wife Francie, his children, Karen and Thomas, and his longtime friend and partner in comedy, Andy Griffith. The funeral will be private and the family is planning to hold a memorial service in the coming weeks.
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