George Lindsey

George Smith Lindsey (December 17, 1928 – May 6, 2012) was an American comedian and character actor, best known for his role as Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D. and his subsequent tenure on Hee-Haw.

George Lindsey
Lindsey in 1973
Born
George Smith Lindsey

(1928-12-17)December 17, 1928
Fairfield, Alabama, U.S.
DiedMay 6, 2012(2012-05-06) (aged 83)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery, Jasper, Alabama
EducationWalker County High School (Jasper, Alabama)
Alma materUniversity of North Alabama
American Theatre Wing
OccupationActor, stand-up comedian, voice actor
Years active1956–2006
Known for"Goober Pyle"
Home townJasper, Alabama, U.S.
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
TelevisionThe Andy Griffith Show
The Twilight Zone
Hee-Haw
Comedy career
MediumStand-up, film, television, books
GenresInsult comedy, observational comedy, musical comedy, improvisational comedy
Subject(s)American culture, racism, self-deprecation, everyday life, religion, current events

Life and career

George Lindsey was born in Fairfield, Alabama to George Ross Lindsey (a butcher) and wife, Alice Smith. He was raised by his grandparents in the small town of Jasper, where he graduated from Walker County High School in 1946. He attended Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri, and Florence State Teacher's College (Florence, Alabama) (now the University of North Alabama), where he majored in physical education and biology. He was a quarterback on the football team, and acted in college plays. He received a Bachelor of Science in 1952.[1][2]

After graduating from college he enlisted in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Ramey Air Force Base in Puerto Rico. After his discharge, he taught for a year at Hazel Green High School in Hazel Green, Alabama, while waiting to be accepted by the American Theater Wing in New York City in 1956. After graduating from the Wing and performing in two Broadway plays, "Wonderful Town" and "All American", he moved to Los Angeles in 1962. He got parts in TV series of the day including Gunsmoke, The Rifleman, The Real McCoys, The Twilight Zone, Daniel Boone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and three episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, before he got the role he would become famous for as "Goober" on The Andy Griffith Show.

The Andy Griffith Show, as "Goober Pyle" (1964)

In 1964, Lindsey was cast as the slow-witted but kindly "Goober Beasley" on The Andy Griffith Show. His character was later renamed "Goober Pyle" to tie him to his cousin Gomer Pyle, slow-witted country boy played by Jim Nabors, also from Alabama. Goober's antics frequently included his exaggerated "Goober Dance" and his comically bad Cary Grant impression.

As Lindsey started his portrayal as Goober, he also had a minor role in the Walter Brennan series The Tycoon on ABC. Lindsey played a sailor in the 1964 film Ensign Pulver, the sequel to Mister Roberts. He also had a role in a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea episode entitled "Submarine Sunk Here". He appeared in six episodes of the television series Gunsmoke. He played a blackmailing taxicab driver in the "Bed of Roses" episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

Lindsey as Goober in The Andy Griffith Show

Star Trek, cast as "Spock"

During an interview segment of TV Land's 40th Anniversary Star Trek Marathon on November 12, 2006 Leonard Nimoy stated that Gene Roddenberry's first choice to play Spock was George Lindsey. Because of the flippant way Nimoy makes the comment it has been suggested that he was joking. The claim Lindsey was offered the role is given more credibility when Lindsey's close friend Ernest Borgnine wrote in his autobiography, "my hand to God – he turned down the part of Mr. Spock on TV's Star Trek, the role that made Leonard Nimoy famous."[3]

Mayberry R.F.D., other acting work

After Griffith left his television show, CBS retooled it as Mayberry R.F.D. and Lindsey played the same character, until CBS cancelled the program in 1971. In his autobiography, Lindsey said though Mayberry R.F.D. gave his character more to do, he never felt the show's writing was up to the standards of The Andy Griffith Show.

In 1972, Lindsey portrayed Charlie, one of a pair of highwaymen in the Gunsmoke episode "Blind Man's Bluff," and an escaped convict, "The Dove," in an episode of The Rifleman. Disney used his talents in a few projects, both as comedy support in features (Snowball Express) and voiceovers for a few of their animated characters. Three Disney animated features that presented the voice of Lindsey were The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973) and The Rescuers (1977). He appeared in the 1967 Gunsmoke episode "Mad Dog" as one of the Watson Brothers.

George Lindsey as Captain Roy Dupree in 1978 M*A*S*H episode 'Temporary Duty'

In 1978, Lindsey guest starred on M*A*S*H as Roy Dupree, a wild but capable Southern surgeon. In 1997 Lindsey played himself in an episode of NewsRadio.

As "Goober" on Hee Haw (1972–1992)
Lindsey in 1982

Lindsey portrayed "Goober" for the third and last time on the syndicated country music variety show Hee Haw, playing a more rustic version of the character. He appeared on that show from 1972 to 1992.[2]

Death

Lindsey died on May 6, 2012 in Nashville, Tennessee from heart failure. He was 83. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama.[4]

His last guest appearance was on Larry the Cable Guy's Hula Palooza Christmas Luau in 2009.

Honors and citations

Lindsey raised over US$1,000,000 for Alabama Special Olympics through 17 years of the George Lindsey Celebrity Weekend and Golf Tournament in Montgomery, Alabama and another $50,000 for the Alabama Association of Retarded Citizens, and participated as Head Coach-Winter Games in the Minneapolis, Minnesota Special Olympics National Competition.

He established and perpetuated the George Lindsey Academic Scholarships at University of North Alabama.[2] In 1992, the university gave him an honorary doctorate.[1]

Lindsey was the 1995 recipient of the Governor's Achievement Award — Alabama Music Hall of Fame. The State of Alabama named the "George Lindsey Highway" in Jasper, Alabama after the actor. In 1998, he established the George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival that takes place at the University of North Alabama annually in the spring.[5]

He was the 1997 recipient of the Minnie Pearl Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2007 recipient of the first ICON Award presented by the Nashville Associations of Talent Directors.

Partial filmography

Autobiography
  • Lindsey, George; Beck, Ken; Clark, Jim (1995). Goober in a Nutshell. Avon Books. ISBN 978-0380777396.
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References
  1. Keepnews, Peter (May 6, 2012). "George Lindsey, TV's Goober Pyle, Dies at 83". The New York Times. p. A21.
  2. Wilson, Claire M. "George Lindsey". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Alabama Humanities Foundation. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  3. Borgnine, Ernest (2008). Ernie. Google Books: Citadel. p. Chapter 39. ISBN 9780806529424.
  4. Duke, Alan (May 6, 2012). "'Goober Pyle' actor George Lindsey dies". CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  5. Library, Collier (2008). "Biography of George Lindsey". University of North Alabama. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
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