Andy Griffith may have been the star of The Andy Griffith Show, but he wasn’t the audience’s
favorite character! Many lovable and comedic characters populated the show’s town of Mayberry.
One of the most popular of these characters was Floyd Lawson or Floyd the barber. Sadly,
Howard McNear, who played the character of Floyd the barber, ended up suffering two separate
strokes over the course of its eight-season run, resulting in his 1969 death. Join Facts Verse as
we take a look at how Howard McNear suffered TWO strokes during The Andy Griffith Show.
Floyd the Barber Was One of Mayberry’s Best Residents
The Andy Griffith Show premiered to American audiences in 1960, and it quickly became a
favorite amongst television viewers across the country. The show focused on the character of
Andy Taylor, played by Andy Griffith. Andy was the sheriff of the show’s setting of Mayberry,
and he was also the widowed father of Opie, portrayed by Ron Howard.
While Andy and his son Opie were certainly the main characters on The Andy Griffith Show, they
were often overshadowed in the hearts of the audience by Mayberry’s other residents. One of
the show’s most popular characters quickly became Floyd Lawson, who was better known as Floyd the
barber. Experienced television actor Howard McNear portrayed the character of Floyd the barber.
Howard McNear Brought Floyd to Life Prior to being cast as Floyd the barber
on The Andy Griffith Show, Howard McNear had been through a long and storied career on both
radio and television. Sadly, Howard’s work on The Andy Griffith Show ended up being his last,
as the actor tragically passed away during the series’ filming. Thankfully,
Howard appeared in plenty of the show’s 249 episodes. The actor appeared in 80 episodes of
the series overall, with his final appearance being in the show’s 219th episode.
Howard McNeal’s departure from The Andy Griffith Show was caused by his worsening condition
after a debilitating stroke that he had suffered several years earlier and had left half of his
body paralyzed, resulting in him being absent for over a year of the series’ filming.
During this block of time, Howard was absent for a period of 40 of the show’s episode.
Surprisingly, Howard McNear ended up returning to The Andy Griffith Show for a significant
chunk of time following his original stroke. The actor did this both because he wanted
to get back to work and because Andy Griffith himself was desperate for the actor’s return.
According to Andy, there was a major dearth of comedy on the series in the wake of Howard’s
absence. Although Howard wasn’t the focal point of the show and was only a supporting character that
made sporadic appearances, he brought a comedic element to the series that couldn’t be replaced.
Howard McNear Suffered a Stroke During Filming Howard had been brought onto The Andy Griffith
Show in 1961, while the show was still in its first season after premiering the prior year.
Forgetting the period where Howard was out of commission as a result of his first stroke,
the star then continued reprising the character of Floyd the barber until 1967.
Howard’s first stroke occurred in 1963, and it left the entire left side of the
actor’s body paralyzed. The actor then took a break from filming for nearly two years before
making his return. However, upon Howard’s return, the crew of The Andy Griffith Show
had to work around the fact that the actor could only use the right side of his body.
Instead of writing Howard’s stroke into the series, the crew simply filmed him from the side.
Both The Andy Griffith Show’s fans and creative staff seemed to be pleased with the results of
filming Howard McNear from the side, and the actor subsequently continued reprising the role of Floyd
the barber on the series until around the time of his death several years later. Prior to Howard’s
return to the series following his first stroke, Andy Griffith and the show’s creative team had
tried out different ways of making the show work without the beloved character. There was
even one episode where a stand-in was used for the character when Opie gets a haircut.
The Andy Griffith Show Couldn’t Work Without Floyd While Andy Griffith tried to make The Andy
Griffith Show work without Floyd the barber, he claimed that the show lacked comedy without
the character. Thankfully, he was able to get Howard to return, but not for long!
Howard’s condition would continue to worsen after returning to The Andy Griffith Show,
and it got to the point where he couldn’t perform. Shortly afterward,
he suffered the fatal stroke that would cause him to pass away. If you’re enjoying this
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Howard Continued Performing While Paralyzed
Many were surprised when Andy Griffith made the decision to bring Howard McNear back onto The Andy
Griffith Show after the latter had suffered his debilitating stroke in 1963. However,
Andy simply felt that Howard was an integral enough part of the show that it was worth
filming around the actor’s paralysis. Howard’s longtime wife had agreed that it would probably be
good for the veteran actor to get out and start working again, so Howard was brought back on!
Floyd the Barber Returns! Howard’s return to The Andy Griffith Show came
in 1965, and he would sadly pass away two years later. His final appearance on the show would come
shortly before his passing, and it was apparently tragic for his costars on the series to watch
as the actor slowly lost his ability to function. Upon first returning to the series,
Andy Griffith claimed that Howard’s mind remained sharp despite the fact that he could
only use half of his body. Although Howard was only able to use his right hand, he was
still able to make the classic comic gestures that the audience had grown to love him for.
Besides Andy Griffith, Jack Dodson also shared that he had difficulty watching
as Howard McNear’s condition worsened following his return to The Andy Griffith Show in 1965. Jack
played the character of Howard Sprague. While Howard McNear was mentally sharp upon his
initial return to the series, his mental state deteriorated over the following years leading
up to his fatal stroke. Jack Dodson claims that it was heartbreaking to witness Howard film the scene
that would end up being his last. Apparently, Howard had a very hard time remembering his lines,
and he grew quite frustrated with himself. It became obvious that he couldn’t keep going.
Howard’s Final Appearance Following the last scene that Howard
filmed, he left the set of The Andy Griffith Show and never came back.
Of course, he would wind up suffering his fatal stroke shortly afterward. Howard’s very last
episode of the series was its aforementioned 219th, which was named “Goober’s Contest”.
In the episode, Goober and Wally organize a sweepstake competition to draw business to
their filling station. Floyd the barber ends up winning the contest, and he gets a much
larger cash prize than Goober and Wally were intending due to the two accidentally telling
the person in charge of filling the envelopes the wrong amount for the first-prize winner.
The Actor Started Out on Radio While Howard McNear’s final appearance was
as Floyd the barber on The Andy Griffith Show, the actor had actually gotten his start as an
action star on radio serials. Howard’s biggest success in radio was on the series Gunsmoke,
in which Howard was the first actor ever to portray the character of Doc Charles
Adam. Of course, that character would end up being portrayed by actor William
Conrad by the time that Gunsmoke was brought over to television.
Following Howard’s radio days, the actor broke out into television in the
early 1950s. He appeared in many different shows before getting his gig as Floyd the
barber on The Andy Griffith Show. He even appeared on Gunsmoke for a few episodes,
though not in the role of Doc. Besides Gunsmoke and The Andy Griffith Show, Howard could also
be seen in such television series as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Real McCoys,
and I Love Lucy. He even featured in seven episode of The Jack Benny Program.
Howard’s Personal Life Howard McNear married his
first and only wife, Helen Spats, in 1926. The two ended up remaining married until Howard’s
death from the aforementioned fatal stroke many decades later. Following Howard’s 1969 death,
the majority of the actor’s former coworkers from The Andy Griffith
Show attended his funeral. Despite the fact that Howard was sorely missed, The Andy Griffith Show
producer Richard Linke later recalled that the funeral had been an oddly joyous one. According
to him, there was more laughter at Howard McNear’s funeral than any other funeral that he had ever
been to. Of course, this laughter came not because those attending were overjoyed at the prospect of
Howard passing away, but instead because the actor had been such a consistently hilarious
presence in his life that the funeral attendees couldn’t help but laugh as they remembered him.
Howard McNear was so hilarious that Andy Griffith still wanted him on The Andy Griffith Show even
after the Floyd the barber actor had lost the ability to use half of his body. Now it’s time
to hear from you: did you know that Howard McNear suffered two separate strokes over
the course of The Andy Griffith Show and that he filmed many episodes of the series
without the use of the left side of his body? As always, like this
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