George Lindsey as Goober Pyle.

It’s not often that a show puts multiple iconic characters into the national consciousness, but The Andy Griffith Show was no ordinary show.  When secondary character Gomer Pyle proved to be so popular he got his own spin-off program, Gomer’s cousin Goober Pyle stepped right into the role of comic relief in Mayberry, filling in at Wally’s Gas Station and putting the bumpkin in country bumpkin.  The man who brought Goober to life, George Lindsey, passed away in Nashville following a short illness.  He was 83.

The most interesting part about Goober’s life is just how George Lindsey got the role.  In 1962, he was one of the men who auditioned for the role of Gomer Pyle, but lost out to Jim Nabors.  Naturally, when Nabors left Mayberry after two seasons, Lindsey stepped right into the role of Gomer’s cousin Goober.  Goober, a slang take on the African word Nguba for “peanut,” which spawned the phrase “Goober pea” for peanut and turned the word “goober” into a slang term for a dork.

Lindsey played Goober for seven seasons, four on Andy Griffith’s show and three on follow-up Mayberry RFD.  He also played Goober in a staggering 44 appearances on Hee-Haw, making him one of the show’s most popular guest stars.

Tags: andy griffith, george lindsey, jim nabors, goober, goober pyle, mayberry, mayberry rfd, goober pyle dead, george lindsey dead at 83, george lindsey dead, nashville, tennessee, hollywood, obituaries, television, television actors, peanuts

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