June 12, 1933

Actor and singer Jim Nabors was born in Sylacauga on June 12, 1933. Nabors began acting while a student at the University of Alabama, and is best known for his Gomer Pyle character, who appeared on “The Andy Griffith Show” from 1960 to 1964, and later on his own series, “Gomer Pyle, USMC.” Nabors also appeared in several feature films but focused on music and investments in, among other things, a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii, where he moved in 1976. He died at his Hawaii home Nov. 30, 2017.

Read more at Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Publicity photo from the television program “The Andy Griffith Show.” Pictured are Don Knotts (Barney Fife) and Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle), July 2, 1964. (CBS Television, Wikipedia)

Publicity photo of Jim Nabors from the television program “Gomer Pyle USMC,” May 3, 1968. (CBS Television, Wikipedia)

Sylacauga native Jim Nabors (1930- ) sings the national anthem before the University of Alabama football game against the University of Hawaii at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa in September 2006. The actor and vocalist is best known for his role as Gomer Pyle on “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Gomer Pyle, USMC.” (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of The Huntsville Times)

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