I started viewing TC before I did the Barney series , so Mr. Furly was totally new to me.

The man clearly has astounding acting abilities. He obviously worked hard at his acting, and yet managed to make it look all so natural! His takes were awesome.

Anyone aware of his background in acting? Where is he now?

I know that before The Andy Griffith Show Don Knotts( Mr. Furley) was in the daytime soap Search For Tomorrow and then he was a regular on The Steve Allen Show. These were in the 1950's. The last big thing I saw him in was the movie Pleasantville in 1998, although he did have a cameo in John Ritter's sitcom 8 Simple Rules last year.

Who can forget Don's work in "The Apple Dumpling Gang"???

I'm sure Don's role on Search for Tommorow was very small. He certainly is no leading (or even important) dramatic actor for a soap opera.

Well, I don't know about his other roles, and certainly in the Andy Griffith show his role was not meant to be comical. His true genius did seem to shine through in his comedy role on TC, and he could, in my opinion, be considered one of the finest comedy characters, in sitcoms at least. That sniffle, those gasps of horror, those eyes expressing dismay and shock, and last but not least those whirlwind escapes from the ribbing jointly administered by Chrissie, Janet, and Jack when he came to fix something in the apartment, are moments to be savored. :-)

Of course, takes by all the actors on the show are unique and every take by every star is to be enjoyed with its own flavor! Jack, Janet, Chrissie, Larry, Lana, you name it and they had a wonderfully special way of expressing themselves! In fact, the takes themselves are a very special part of the show. But I diverge from the topic :-)