Howard McNear

Infobox actor
bgcolour = silver
name = Howard McNear

---

imagesize =
caption =
birthname = Howard Terbell McNear
birthdate = birth date|1905|1|27|mf=y
location = Los Angeles, California, United States
deathdate = death date and age|1969|1|3|1905|1|27|mf=y
deathplace = San Fernando Valley, California, United States

Howard T. McNear (January 27, 1905 – January 3, 1969) was an American film, television and radio character actor. McNear is best remembered as Floyd Lawson, the barber in "The Andy Griffith Show".

Biography

Career

McNear was born in Los Angeles, California to Luzetta M. Spencer and Franklin E. McNear. [ [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/mcnear.htm Ancestry.com community; Howard T. McNear] ]

McNear worked in radio from the late 1930s, distinguishing himself in the 1938-1940 radio serial "Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police" as ace operator Clint Barlow. [ [http://www.audio-classics.com/lspeedgibson.html Radio Broadcast Log Of: "Speed Gibson of the International Secret Police] ] McNear could be effective in such authoritative roles, but he gravitated more toward character roles, often comic. He created the role of Doc Charles Adams in CBS Radio's "Gunsmoke" (1952-1961) [ [http://comp.uark.edu/~tsnyder/gunsmoke/gun-radio.html "Gunsmoke" Radio series information] ] . McNear was under contract to CBS for many years and was featured in many of the network's radio and TV programs. From 1955 to 1960 he appeared frequently, in various quirky roles, in the popular radio detective series "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar". [ [http://ppages.bfree.on.ca/rdrake/otr/crime/johnnydollar.htm Golden Age of Radio] ] In the TV sitcom "Leave It to Beaver", McNear made an appearance as a barber named Andy, a role which proved prophetic. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0630315/ "Leave it to Beaver" episode info, "The Shave"] ]

McNear was best known for his performances as the vague, chatty barber Floyd Lawson on "The Andy Griffith Show". McNear replaced another actor in the role, who was deemed too elderly for the part. McNear later said that he didn't replace anyone, but was playing Floyd Lawson Jr. During production McNear suffered a stroke that rendered him unable to walk though his speech remained intact. Griffith, who realized how much the Floyd character added to the show's dynamic, urged that he return to the role if possible. McNear continued in the role (after being off the show for almost a year and a half), however, with the production crew accommodating his disability. In early episodes, he is seen standing and working in his barber shop. After the stroke, he is usually seen seated (in his barber chair or a park bench, etc.). The stagehands constructed a stand for him, which allowed him to stand and appear to be working, usually to comb hair (one-handed, of course). [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/person/47976/Howard-McNear/biography Howard McNear biography] ] His last appearance on the show was in 1967.

Death

McNear died in the San Fernando Valley from the effects of a stroke. After his passing in 1969, Howard McNear was interred in the Los Angeles National Cemetery, a former U.S. Veterans Administration cemetery in Los Angeles. [ [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1865 Find a Grave, Howard McNear] ]

Filmography

*"Escape from Fort Bravo" (Uncredited, 1954)
*"The Long, Long Trailer" (Uncredited, 1954)
*"Drums Across the River" (1954)
*"You Can't Run Away from It" (1956)
*"Bundle of Joy" (1956)
*"Affair in Reno" (1957)
*"Public Pigeon No. One" (1957)
*"The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown" (Uncredited, 1957)
*"Bell, Book and Candle" (1958)
*"Good Day for a Hanging" (1959)
*"Anatomy of a Murder" (1959)
*"The Big Circus" (1959)
*"It Started with a Kiss" (Uncredited, 1959)
*"-30-" (1959)
*"Heller in Pink Tights" (1960)
*"The Last Time I Saw Archie" (1961)
*"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" (1961)
*"Blue Hawaii" (1961)
*"The Errand Boy" (1961)
*"Bachelor Flat" (1962)
*"Follow that Dream" (1962)
*"Irma la Douce" (1963)
*"The Wheeler Dealers" (1963)
*"Fun in Acapulco" (Uncredited, 1963)
*"Kiss Me, Stupid" (1964)
*"My Blood Runs Cold" (1965)
*"Love and Kisses" (1965)
*"The Fortune Cookie" (1966)

Television

*"Dragnet" (1 episode, 1954)
*"The Millionaire" (1 episode, 1955)
*"Willy" (1 episode, 1955)
*"Four Star Playhouse" (3 episodes, 1952-1955)
*"It's a Great Life" (1 episode, 1956)
*"Screen Directors Playhouse" (1 episode, 1956)
*"Lassie" (1 episode, 1956)
*"I Love Lucy" (1 episode, 1956)
*"The Brothers" (Unknown episodes, 1956-1957)
*"Private Secretary" (1 episode, 1957)
*"The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" (2 episodes, 1955-1958)
*"The Adventures of Jim Bowie" (1 episode, 1957)
*"Ford Television Theater" (1 episode, 1957)
*"The George Sanders Mystery Theater" (1 episode, 1957)
*"The Real McCoys" (1 episode)
*"The George Gobel Show" (2 episodes, 1956-1957)
*"December Bride" (3 episodes, 1956-1957)
*"The Thin Man" (1 episode, 1958)
*"The Life of Riley" (1 episode, 1958)
*"Playhouse 90" (1 episode, 1958)
*"Leave It to Beaver" (1 episode, 1958)
*"The Donna Reed Show" (2 episodes, 1959)
*"Bachelor Father" (1 episode, 1959)
*"M Squad" (1 episode, 1959)
*"Alcoa Theatre" (1 episode, 1959)
*"The Gale Storm Show" (1 episode, 1959)
*"Richard Diamond, Private Detective" (1 episode, 1960)
*"Man With a Camera" (1 episode, 1960)
*"The Ann Sothern Show" (3 episodes, 1958-1960)
*"Goodyear Theatre" (1 episode, 1960)
*"Happy" (1 episode, 1960)
*"Tom, Dick and Harry" (1960)
*"The Tab Hunter Show" (1 episode, 1960)
*"Maverick" (2 episodes, 1960)
*"Have Gun — Will Travel" (1 episode, 1960)
*"Peter Gunn" (3 episodes, 1959-1960)
*"Klondike" (1 episode, 1961)
*"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" (1 episode, 1961)
*"General Electric Theater" (4 episodes, 1957-1961)
*"The Joey Bishop Show" (1 episode, 1961)
*"The Tall Man" (1 episode, 1961)
*"The Andy Griffith Show" (80 episodes, 1961-1967)
*"Pete and Gladys" (1 episode, 1962)
*"Thriller" (1 episode, 1962)
*"Frontier Circus" (1 episode, 1962)
*"The Jack Benny Program" (7 episodes, 1958-1962)
*"Margie" (1 episode, 1962)
*"Alcoa Premiere" (1 episode, 1962)
*"The Wide Country" (1 episode, 1962)
*"The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" (2 episodes, 1962)
*"The Twilight Zone" (2 episodes, 1962-1963)
*"Gunsmoke" (6 episodes, 1956-1964)
*"Harris Against the World" (1 episode, 1965)
*"Honey West" (1 episode, 1965)
*"Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1 episode, 1966)

Voice

*"NBC Comics" (1950)
*"The Flintstones" (3 episodes, 1960-1962)

Footnotes

External links

*imdb name|id=0573830|name=Howard McNear
*tv.com person|51098|Howard McNear
*Find A Grave|id=1865

Persondata
NAME= McNear, Howard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= McNear, Howard Terbell
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1905-1-27
PLACE OF BIRTH= Los Angeles, California
DATE OF DEATH= 1969-1-3
PLACE OF DEATH= San Fernando Valley, California