MOUNT AIRY, N.C. — Barney Fife’s best gal is about to turn 90, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Betty Lynn — who played Thelma Lou on “The Andy Griffith Show” and later became a resident of the town that inspired Mayberry — will celebrate her birthday on Monday, and the Surry Arts Council is commemorating the occasion with a series of special events that day.
“It is so wonderful to have Betty, one of the most important folks from ‘The Andy Griffith Show,’ living here in Mount Airy where she can meet and greet fans regularly,” said Tanya Jones, the executive director of the Surry Arts Council, in a release announcing the event. “She’s been an enormous advocate for the arts, and we wanted to show her how much she means to us.”
Lynn, who was born in Kansas City, Mo., acted on radio, Broadway, films and television before landing the role of Thelma Lou. She reprised the role in the 1986 TV movie “Return to Mayberry” and also appeared in several episodes of Andy Griffith’s later series “Matlock.”
Read full story: The Winston-Salem Journal