Andy Griffith

Born Mount Airy, North Carolina

As the star of The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68) and Matlock (1986–95), Andy Griffith established himself as one of network television’s most beloved personalities. He first gained notice on the big screen starring in Elia Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd (1957) and then in No Time for Sergeants (1958), but it was his role as the sheriff of the mythical North Carolina town of Mayberry that won him national popularity. When The Andy Griffith Show debuted on CBS in the fall of 1960, it quickly became Monday night’s most popular television program. Before the show’s second season, Griffith embarked by train from Hollywood on a two-week cross-country tour to “meet people” and promote the show. Photographer Art Shay captured this image of Griffith in his Sheriff Andy Taylor uniform as the actor leaned out of the train during a whistle stop in Chicago.