By Alan Duke, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- George Lindsey joined the hit sitcom "The Andy Griffith Show" in 1964
- Lindsey continued as Goober on the sequel series "Mayberry R.F.D." for three years
- He embraced the Goober character for another 20 years on TV's "Hee Haw"
- Goober Pyle's character was the cousin of series original Gomer Pyle
Lindsey's character Goober Pyle
joined the hit sitcom in 1964 as the cousin of Gomer Pyle, played by Jim Nabors.
When the show ended four seasons later, Lindsey continued as Goober for three
years on the sequel series "Mayberry R.F.D."
"George often told me his fondest
memories of his life in show business were the years he spent working on 'The
Andy Griffith Show' and 'Mayberry R.F.D.'" said Andy Griffith. "They were for
me, too."
The Fairfield, Alabama, native
never escaped the stereotyping that the role brought him. He embraced it for
another 20 years as a regular on TV's "Hee Haw," by wearing the familiar hat and
clothes of Goober, and carried the character on the road for decades of stand-up
comedy shows.
Lindsey auditioned for the Gomer
Pyle role when the show started in 1962, but he was edged out by Nabors, the
family's obituary said. When he saw that first episode on TV featuring Nabors as
Gomer, he kicked his television screen because he was upset for losing the
part.
"Not only that, but now I didn't
have a TV to watch 'Ben Casey' on," Lindsey wrote in his autobiography. He was
finally added to the cast as Goober, eventually taking over the job of running
Mayberry's gas station when Gomer joined the Marines with his own spinoff show,
"Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C."
Lindsey turned to acting after a
stint the U.S. Air Force and then as a high school teacher. He studied at the
American Theater Wing in New York for two years while working as a comedian in
nightclubs and coffeehouses. An agent from the William Morris Agency saw his
work and signed him.
That representation led to stage
roles, including the production of "All American" at Broadway's Winter Garden
Theatre.
Lindsey moved to Los Angeles,
where his work was mostly in westerns, such as "The Rifleman" and "Gunsmoke." He
also acted in the "The Real McCoys," "The Twilight Zone" and several Disney
productions. He was cast in three episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Hour."
An obituary released by the
Nashville funeral home handling Lindsey's arrangements said the actor often
joked about what he wanted written on his tombstone
"One choice goes for the joke:
'I told you I was sick.' The other goes for the heart: 'I hope I made you
laugh.' "
Lindsey is survived by his son
George Lindsey Jr., daughter Camden Jo Lindsey Gardner, and two grandsons.