Don Knotts Genealogy
(aka, Jesse Donald Knotts)Are You Related?

Born July 21, 1924, in Morgantown, West Virginia, Jesse Donald Knox was an American comedic actor best known for his role of Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show. During the run of the show, he won five Emmy Awards for his portrayal. Knotts got his start in comedy by entertaining the troops while stationed on Parris Island during World War II. His first television role was on the soap opera Search for Tomorrow but got his big break on Steve Allen's variety show playing the recurring part of the "nervous man on the street" that would be the foundation for his onscreen persona. Knotts appeared in the Broadway play No Time for Sergeants and appeared in the film version as well with Andy Griffith, the first time the two worked together. Knotts went on to star in several films with his usual bumbling persona, including The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Reluctant Astronaut, The Apple Dumpling Gang, and It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Though he made regular appearances on television over the years, Knotts wouldn't have his next big hit until Three's Company in 1979. He was married three times--to Kathryn Metz, Loralee Czuchna, and Frances Yarborough--and had two children, Thomas and Karen. He died on February 24, 2006, due to complications from cancer.

Don Knotts's last name, "Knotts," is an English name describing a family that lived at the knot of a hill. It was first found in Derbyshire and is believed to be descended from that Scandinavian King Cnut. Other spellings include "Cnot," "Cnotte," "Canute," "Cnut," "Knot," "Knout," and "Knotte." The first known Knotts to come to America was William Knotts in 1642.