Solica Cassuto Biography

Following the Second World War, the film industry in the 1950s blossomed. Propaganda films and newsreels enhanced cinematic techniques, while television became a mainstream home appliance.

What we know about Solica Cassuto

As Andy Griffin enjoyed fame as a superstar, he married his second wife, Solica Cassuto, in 1973. She was an actress in Greece, her home country.  Unfortunately, Solica Cassuto and Andy Griffin got separated in 1981. They also did not have children together.

Who married Andy Griffith?

Nothing else talks about Solica Cassuto’s life. Aside from her marriage with Andy Griffin, nobody knows anything about her family, cinematic background, career, and location. The Internet is silent about her. Some websites may provide her body measurements, but they are unreliable since these get based on estimates and candid old footage.

Solica Cassuto’s husband, Andy Griffin

Now, you will know more about his prominent ex-husband, Andy Griffith. His life and career reflect the history of cinema during the 50s and the 60s, the same period where Solica Cassuto started her career in Greece. He was also a song composer, actor, producer, and screenwriter for over seventy years.

His childhood. Andy Samuel Griffith was born on June 1, 1926. He grew up in an impoverished home in North Carolina. Since his parents, Lee and Geneva, were so poor, they could only place baby Andy on drawers. His father finally had a job as a carpenter when Andy was three years old.

His early years. In elementary school, he got ashamed because he came from a poor neighborhood. But he learned how to make jokes and amuse his classmates. He also fell in love with Southern music. As a member of the Baptist Church, he performed as a trombone player at their congregation’s brass band. Their minister trained him to sing as well.

In high school, he participated in drama clubs. He became immersed in acting with prominent roles in theaters and stage plays. For example, he played Walter Raleigh, the protagonist, in The Lost Colony, a famous show about the infamous Roanoke Island.

His college life. After graduating there in 1944, Andy Griffith studied at the University of North Carolina. He first wanted to become a Moravian minister, but he pursued music instead. Andy Griffith’s prestige soon grew as he joined the Carolina Playmakers (the university’s stage play society) and the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (the oldest fraternity of male musicians in the United States). He participated and acted in several operettas during his college years:

• In 1945, Andy Griffith portrayed a primary role at The Gondoliers. It portrays the adventures of a young princess who will inherit the throne of a kingdom. The Gondoliers involve assassinations, love stories, and complicated royal affairs.
• In 1946, he performed at The Chimes of Normandy. This play (which first got written in French) shows the story of a mischievous aristocrat who wants to inherit his family’s wealth. This play gets routinely revived since it is a 19th-century classic.
• In 1948, Andy Griffith had a role in the university’s rendition of The Mikado. This story represents the politics and intrigues in the British government during the late 19th century. The Mikado is one of the most repeated plays worldwide.
• In 1949, he got involved in the HMS Pinafore stage play. It is about the ship’s captain, his daughter, and their intricate relationship.

The beginnings of his career. Andy Griffith taught what he learned at college after his graduation. He served as a music and drama teacher at a local high school in North Carolina. Then, he also started writing stage plays.

Most importantly, Andy Griffith started his life at comedy. He delivered monologues about football games and preachers. His first performance got released in 1953, becoming a hit in the label charts a year later. Then, Andy Griffith appeared in titular plays and famous shows:

• In March 1955, Andy Griffith portrayed Will Stockdale, the protagonist, in No Time for Sergeants. This series about an Air Force staff became adapted as a theatrical play and a movie. In the following years, Andy Griffith won the Tony Awards.
• He also appeared in the spinoff of No Time for Sergeants, Gomer Pyle, USMC. This TV sitcom connected Andy Griffith and Don Knotts, another award-winning actor.
• Onionhead, a 1958 movie about a sailor, attempted to exploit the success of No Time for Sergeants and Gomer Pyle. Unfortunately, it did not succeed or receive acclaim as expected.
• Destry Rides Again is one of the musicals that made Andy Griffith more famous. In 1959, they performed this play 472 times. He got nominated for the 1960 Tony Awards for his prominent role in Destry Rides Again.

What did Andy Griffith die of?

A Face in the Crowd was Andy Griffith’s first movie in 1957. This film follows the story of a poor and mischievous country boy who became a celebrity and politician. A Face in the Crowd became more popular decades later. After his debut, Andy Griffith appeared on television. He portrayed a sheriff and a newspaper editor in the television adaptation of No Time for Sergeants.

Andy Griffith’s television career. In September 1960, Andy Griffith had his television program on CBS, The Andy Griffith Show. He acted as a widower and an authority in a fictional town. In this show, he performed with Don Knotts, his best friend and also a comedian.

How much was Andy Griffith worth when he died?

The Andy Griffith Show became popular in the United States, and this program gave him and Don Knotts many awards. Andy Griffith ran the show as its executive producer and host until 1968 when he decided to take other roles and projects. This show was such a hit that their reunion shows in 1986, 1993, and 2003.

Andy Griffith’s projects

In 1972, Andy Griffith began a production company named after him. The following are the shows, movies, and projects where Andy Griffith appeared:

• Headmaster, a television series which ran from 1970 to 1971, portrays the affairs of a private school and the people in it. Andy Griffith is named Andy Thompson in this show. He is a friendly headmaster loved by his family and school staff.
• Adams of Eagle Lake is a 1975 two-episode television series about a sheriff in a local town. The show involves murder, fraud, treasure hunting, and fights against criminals. Andy Griffith played the protagonist’s role as Sheriff Sam Adams.
• In 1979, Andy Griffith led the protagonist’s role in Salvage 1 as Harry Broderick. This show is about a man who created a spaceship out of the garbage and scrap that he collected. Some reviewers call it one of the greatest shows during that time.
• The Yeagers only had two episodes before getting canceled by ABC in 1980. Andy Griffith’s role was Caroll Yeager.
• Matlock is a legal drama that ran from 1986 to 1995. Andy Griffith returned to the show business through this show after suffering from leg paralysis and nerve damage. As the lead role in Matlock, Andy Griffith portrayed a Southern lawyer. The show became a hit, and it earned several nominations for prestigious awards.
• Playhouse 90 is a series of television plays broadcasted from 1956 to 1961, earning thirteen Emmy Awards. Andy Griffith had a minor appearance here as he started his career.
• Hawaii Five-O ran from 1968 to 1980, portraying the life of elite law enforcers on the islands. During the show’s sensational lifetime, Andy Griffith appeared from time to time.
• The Doris Day Show began in 1968 and ended in 1973. During these years, Andy Griffith had a minor role in this series about a widow living on a rural ranch.
• Here’s Lucy is another series that began in 1968. The story revolves around a widow and her two teenage children. Here’s Lucy got nominated for the Emmys twice. Before this show ended in 1974, Andy Griffith appeared here as an additional character.
• The Bionic Woman is an Emmy Award-winning series about a woman with artificial body parts installed by the United States Government. She worked for the Office of Scientific Investigations, defending her homeland from aliens, robots, and evil people. Andy Griffith also had minor parts here.
• Fantasy Island is a story about a resort in the Pacific Ocean where guests can have their dreams come true but with a test of character. From 1977 to 1984, Fantasy Island was a highly rated series. Andy Griffith was among the extra characters in this show.
• Diagnosis: Murder is about a psychiatrist and a policeman entangled in a complicated murder crime. Andy Griffith appeared here too.

• The Strangers in 7A is a television movie released in 1972. Andy Griffith here is the lead role, a superintendent who got trapped with his wife by a sadistic thief in their building.
• The film Go Ask Alice is the story of a teenage girl who needed rehabilitation because of drugs. Andy Griffith is a priest in this movie. It got nominated for two Emmys.
• Andy Griffith also appeared in Winter Kills, a film about the assassinated president and the investigators who wanted to decipher the conspiracy.
• Pray for the Wildcats is a movie about an ad agency involved in a dangerous dirt-bike trip in Baja California. Here, Andy Griffith is Sam Farragut, the story’s protagonist.
• The 1974 film Savages revolves around a gas station employee who helped a wealthy attorney hunt in the desert. But when the lawyer accidentally shot a man, he tried to kill the employee who witnessed his crime. Andy Griffith portrays the lawyer in this film.
• Andy Griffith had a minor role in Deathwatch, a 1965 film about three convicts: a thief, a gay man, and a muscular prisoner.
• Murder in Coweta County is a film based on actual events about a sheriff in rural Georgia and an untouchable don. This movie shows the fight between the two. Andy Griffith was the ruler of “The Kingdom,” the illegal estate that the sheriff brought down.
• Play the Game is Andy Griffith’s last leading film. It is about a man teaching his grandfather (portrayed by Andy Griffith) how to meet a new wife. This movie won the Santa Fe Film Festival and the Lauderdale International Film Festival in 2008.

Andy Griffith’s music. As an acclaimed singer, Andy Griffith’s songs belong to the country and gospel genres. During The Andy Griffith Show, he serenaded his audience with his award-winning voice. Andy Griffith also recorded for many label records, where he performed Christian hymns.

Andy Griffith’s relationships. On August 22, 1949, Andy Griffith married his first wife, Barbara Edwards. The couple adopted Sam Griffith and Dixie Griffith. Unfortunately, Andy and Barbara divorced after 23 years, in 1972. Then, he got wed to Solica Cassuto in 1973. They probably met in the show business since Solica is a Greek actress. They also got separated in 1981.

Where is Andy Griffith gravesite?

Finally, Andy settles with his last wife, Cindi Knight, on April 12, 1983. They worked together and fell in love while working on the Murder in Coweta County movie.

Andy Griffith’s prestige. In 1991, he became accepted into the Television Hall of Fame. Andy Griffith also received a star plaque on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Then, in 1997, he earned a Grammy Award for his song. Two years later, he entered the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He also got included in the Christian Music Hall of Fame (in 2007) and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame (in 2010). Andy Griffith also has a museum in the state.

Aside from awards and recognition, he also gained honors from the state and federal governments. A highway in North Carolina got named after him. Two statues of him got erected as well. His most significant reward is the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which President George Bush accorded in 2005.

The decline of Andy Griffith’s health

In 1983, Andy Griffith had leg paralysis from April to November. Then, in 2000, he had a heart-bypass surgery in Virginia. He went through hip surgery due to a severe fall seven years later.

Andy Griffith passed away on July 3, 2012, in North Carolina. He died because of cardiac arrest at 86 years old.