Jim Nabors
Encyclopedia
James Thurston "Jim" Nabors (born June 12, 1930) is an American
actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama
, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma
. While working at a Santa Monica
nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith
and later joined The Andy Griffith Show
, playing Gomer Pyle
, a gas station attendant whom some described as dim-witted. Nabors himself has stated that the Gomer character was not so much dim-witted; he just wanted to see the good in people. The character proved popular, and Nabors was given his own spin-off
show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Though best known for his portrayal of Gomer Pyle, Nabors became a popular guest on variety show
s in the 1960s and 1970s (including two specials of his own in 1969 and 1974) after revealing a rich baritone voice. He subsequently recorded numerous albums and singles, most of them containing romantic ballads.
Nabors is also well-known for singing "Back Home Again in Indiana
," prior to the start of the Indianapolis 500
, held annually over the Memorial Day Weekend.
, where he sang for his high school and church. He attended the University of Alabama
, where he began acting in skits. After graduating, he moved to New York, where he worked as a typist for the United Nations
; after a year, he moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee
, where he got his first job in the television industry as a film cutter. Because of his asthma
, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a film cutter for NBC
. He moonlighted at a Santa Monica
tavern, The Horn, singing and acting in cabaret theater
. His act featured him as a character similar to the Gomer Pyle character he would later portray: he would sing in a baritone and sometimes his higher-pitched voices and speak in a higher-pitched voice. At the club, comedian Bill Dana saw Nabors's act and invited him to appear on The Steve Allen Show
. Nabors signed on to the show, but it was soon canceled.
and was hired to play a one-shot role of Gomer Pyle, an "addlebrained" gas station attendant, on The Andy Griffith Show
. Nabors's character (based on his act at The Horn) became so popular that he was made a regular on the show and was later given his own show, the spin-off Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
, in which his character joined the United States Marine Corps
. The show, which placed Nabors's "bumbling" and "naive" character opposite Sergeant Vince Carter (Frank Sutton
), also proved popular. Despite its airing during the Vietnam War
, a time of "profound disillusionment with war and the military", Gomer Pyle remained popular because it avoided war-related themes and instead focused on the show's rural roots and the relationship between Pyle and Sgt. Carter. Nabors quit Gomer Pyle after five seasons because he desired to move to something else, 'reach for another rung on the ladder, either up or down'.
Nabors revealed his rich baritone voice first on the February 24, 1964 episode of The Andy Griffith Show
and, then, on April 8, 1964 on The Danny Kaye Show
and subsequently capitalized on it with numerous successful records and live performances. Most of the songs were romantic ballads, though he also sang pop
, gospel
, and country
songs. He also hosted his own variety show
, The Jim Nabors Hour
(1969–1971), which also featured his Gomer Pyle co-stars Ronnie Schell
and Frank Sutton. Despite poor critical reception, the show proved popular. After the cancellation of The Jim Nabors Hour, Nabors embarked on a nationwide roadshow.
. He also appeared in every season premiere
of The Carol Burnett Show
because Burnett considered him a "good-luck charm". However, on a 1973 episode of The Rookies
, he played his first "serious" role, a man called on to be an assassin
after the death of his sister. From 1977 to 1978, Nabors hosted another variety show, The Jim Nabors Show. Though the show only lasted one season, Nabors was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety Series. Nabors eventually grew tired of the "prime-time TV grind" and abandoned television jobs for nightclub and concert gigs and a role in a touring production of Man of La Mancha
. However, Sid and Marty Krofft
persuaded Nabors to star in the television show The Lost Saucer
, a show about two bumbling androids, Fi (Ruth Buzzi
) and Fum (Nabors), who travel through time with two children. Nabors, whose character was described as a "Gomer Pyle in outer space", sang in a few of the episodes.
In the 1980s, at the request of his friend Burt Reynolds
, Nabors appeared in three feature-length films which starred Reynolds. In The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
(1982), about a sheriff (Reynolds) who falls in love with a brothel
madam
(Dolly Parton
), Nabors played Deputy Fred, a character similar to Gomer Pyle. Though the film was given mostly unfavorable reviews, Nabors garnered some praise for his performance. However, not only was 1983's Stroker Ace
(about a race car driver [Reynolds] who fights a fried-chicken chain entrepreneur) panned, Nabors earned a Golden Raspberry Award for his performance as the title character's mechanic. In Reynold's "star-studded" Cannonball Run II
(1984), about a cross-country car chase, Nabors made a cameo appearance alongside such celebrities as Dom DeLuise
, Jackie Chan
, Shirley MacLaine
, Dean Martin
, Frank Sinatra
, and Andy Griffith Show co-stars Don Knotts
and George Lindsey
. Like Reynolds's previous two films, Cannonball received mostly negative reviews. In 1986, Nabors returned to television, reprising his role as Gomer Pyle in the television movie Return to Mayberry
, in which the cast of The Andy Griffith Show reunited. In 1986, Nabors starred in the half-hour comedy pilot "Sylvan in Paradise" as the title character, Sylvan Sprayberry, an accident-prone bell captain at a Hawaiian hotel. The series was not picked up by NBC
.
After moving to Hawaii from Bel Air, California, in 1976, he launched a show, "The Jim Nabors Polynesian Extravaganza", at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
; it ran for two years. Nabors eventually experienced "bright light burnout" and disappeared from the stage save for an occasional performance. In 1984, after a five-year hiatus, Nabors returned to performing, starring in the "Moulin Rouge" show at the Las Vegas Hilton
and other shows in Reno
and Las Vegas
. He made his theatrical debut as Harold Hill in The Music Man
with Florence Henderson
at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre.
In 1994, Nabors suffered from a near-fatal case of hepatitis B. According to Nabors, he contracted the disease while traveling in India; he shaved with a straight razor
and "whacked [his] face all up". The disease caused liver failure, and Nabors was not given a hopeful prognosis; however, his friend Carol Burnett
made an arrangement with the transplant division of UCLA and secured Nabors a transplant. Nabors later became involved in the American Liver Foundation
as a result of his experience. Shortly after recovering from his liver transplant, Nabors embarked on another tour, with stops in Phoenix, St. Louis, and Washington. From 1997 to 2006, Nabors starred in the Burton White-produced A Merry Christmas with Friends and Nabors, a live performance at the Hawaii Theatre
Center in Honolulu, Hawaii
. The production, featuring local and national artists, ran for forty performances and was directed by Tom Hansen until Hansen's death in 2006. The final performance run was directed by John Rampage and dedicated to Hansen. For more than 30 years, he has sung "Back Home Again in Indiana
" with the Purdue All-American Marching Band
before each Indianapolis 500
.
in 1991. "Gomer Pyle" received an honorary promotion to Lance Corporal
from the Commandant of the Marine Corps
James L. Jones
in 2001, and on September 25, 2007, he was promoted from Lance Corporal
to Corporal
by Lt. General John F. Goodman
. The Hawaii Pacific University
awarded Nabors the Fellow of the Pacific Award for his "outstanding leadership, service, and dedication to the community". In 2006, he was inducted into the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame
. He received honors from the University of Alabama on September 2, 2006, before a football
game against the University of Hawaii
. Nabors, along with U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye
, was honored on January 19, 2007, at "A Night of American Heroes," a yearly dinner held in benefit of the Battleship Missouri
Memorial at Pearl Harbor
. U.S. Highway 280 in Talladega County, Alabama
, was named "Jim Nabors Highway" in honor of the Sylacauga native.
As he was "never without a job" for four decades, Nabors has never married: according to him, he was "really more married to his career". Consequently, he has been the target of rumors alleging he is gay
. In the 1970s, a rumor began circulating that Nabors and then-closeted
actor Rock Hudson
were to marry. Though supposedly intended as a joke (with the punchline being that Hudson would then be known as "Rock Pyle"), the rumor was picked up by media and spread across the country. Nabors was "horrified" by the rumor, as he felt that it hindered his ability to portray himself as something other than a comedic character.
Nabors began vacationing in Hawaii in the 1960s, and in 1976, moved from Bel Air, California to Honolulu, Hawaii. For 25 years, he owned a macadamia nut plantation
on Maui
before selling it to the National Tropical Botanical Garden
, a conservationist
organization (he still retains farming rights to the land and owns a second home on the property).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor and singer. Born and raised in Sylacauga, Alabama
Sylacauga, Alabama
Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,616.Nicknames for Sylacauga include: "The Marble City," "Buzzard's Roost" and "Sly Town"....
, Nabors moved to Southern California because of his asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
. While working at a Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
nightclub, The Horn, he was discovered by Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
and later joined The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
, playing Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle
Gomer Pyle is a bubbly, gentle, rural auto mechanic character played by American singer/ television actor Jim Nabors. Gomer Pyle became a character on the TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, when actor Howard McNear, who played Floyd the barber, suffered a stroke and took a respite from acting. Jim...
, a gas station attendant whom some described as dim-witted. Nabors himself has stated that the Gomer character was not so much dim-witted; he just wanted to see the good in people. The character proved popular, and Nabors was given his own spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Though best known for his portrayal of Gomer Pyle, Nabors became a popular guest on variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s in the 1960s and 1970s (including two specials of his own in 1969 and 1974) after revealing a rich baritone voice. He subsequently recorded numerous albums and singles, most of them containing romantic ballads.
Nabors is also well-known for singing "Back Home Again in Indiana
Back Home Again in Indiana
" Indiana" is a song composed by Ballard MacDonald and James F. Hanley, first published in January of 1917. While it is not the official state song of the U.S...
," prior to the start of the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
, held annually over the Memorial Day Weekend.
Early life and career
Nabors was born to Mavis and Fred Nabors in Sylacauga, AlabamaSylacauga, Alabama
Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 12,616.Nicknames for Sylacauga include: "The Marble City," "Buzzard's Roost" and "Sly Town"....
, where he sang for his high school and church. He attended the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, where he began acting in skits. After graduating, he moved to New York, where he worked as a typist for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
; after a year, he moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, where he got his first job in the television industry as a film cutter. Because of his asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a film cutter for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. He moonlighted at a Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
tavern, The Horn, singing and acting in cabaret theater
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
. His act featured him as a character similar to the Gomer Pyle character he would later portray: he would sing in a baritone and sometimes his higher-pitched voices and speak in a higher-pitched voice. At the club, comedian Bill Dana saw Nabors's act and invited him to appear on The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show
The Steve Allen Show is an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC, and in first-run syndication from 1962 to 1964....
. Nabors signed on to the show, but it was soon canceled.
Breakthrough and popularity
It was at The Horn where Nabors was discovered by Andy GriffithAndy Griffith
Andy Samuel Griffith is an American actor, director, producer, Grammy Award-winning Southern-gospel singer, and writer. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead...
and was hired to play a one-shot role of Gomer Pyle, an "addlebrained" gas station attendant, on The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
. Nabors's character (based on his act at The Horn) became so popular that he was made a regular on the show and was later given his own show, the spin-off Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.The show renders the title as Gomer Pyle - USMC. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot was aired as the finale of the fourth season of The Andy...
, in which his character joined the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. The show, which placed Nabors's "bumbling" and "naive" character opposite Sergeant Vince Carter (Frank Sutton
Frank Sutton
Frank Spencer Sutton was an American actor best remembered for his role of Gunnery Sergeant Vince Carter on the CBS television series Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.-Early life:...
), also proved popular. Despite its airing during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, a time of "profound disillusionment with war and the military", Gomer Pyle remained popular because it avoided war-related themes and instead focused on the show's rural roots and the relationship between Pyle and Sgt. Carter. Nabors quit Gomer Pyle after five seasons because he desired to move to something else, 'reach for another rung on the ladder, either up or down'.
Nabors revealed his rich baritone voice first on the February 24, 1964 episode of The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show
The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina...
and, then, on April 8, 1964 on The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show
The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts...
and subsequently capitalized on it with numerous successful records and live performances. Most of the songs were romantic ballads, though he also sang pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
songs. He also hosted his own variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
, The Jim Nabors Hour
The Jim Nabors Hour
The Jim Nabors Hour was a variety television series hosted by Jim Nabors that aired on the CBS television network from 1969 to 1971.Fresh from his success with Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., which put his backwoods "Gomer Pyle" character from The Andy Griffith Show in a military context, the show not only...
(1969–1971), which also featured his Gomer Pyle co-stars Ronnie Schell
Ronnie Schell
Ronald Ralph "Ronnie" Schell is an American actor, stand-up comedian and cartoon voice actor . Early in his career he appeared as himself as a contestant on You Bet Your Life opposite Groucho Marx, demonstrating a comic barrage of jive talk.-Life and career:Schell was born in Richmond, California...
and Frank Sutton. Despite poor critical reception, the show proved popular. After the cancellation of The Jim Nabors Hour, Nabors embarked on a nationwide roadshow.
Later career
Typecast from his role as Gomer Pyle, Nabors found his subsequent roles mostly comedic. In the 1970s, he appeared in the children's television programs Krofft Supershow and Buford and the Galloping GhostBuford and the Galloping Ghost
Buford and the Galloping Ghost was a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions which aired on NBC from February 3, 1979 to September 1, 1979 on NBC...
. He also appeared in every season premiere
Season premiere
In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...
of The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show
The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33...
because Burnett considered him a "good-luck charm". However, on a 1973 episode of The Rookies
The Rookies
The Rookies is an American crime drama series that aired on ABC from 1972 until 1976. It followed the exploits of three rookie police officers in an unidentified city for the fictitious Southern California Police Department .-History:...
, he played his first "serious" role, a man called on to be an assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
after the death of his sister. From 1977 to 1978, Nabors hosted another variety show, The Jim Nabors Show. Though the show only lasted one season, Nabors was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety Series. Nabors eventually grew tired of the "prime-time TV grind" and abandoned television jobs for nightclub and concert gigs and a role in a touring production of Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...
. However, Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft , are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs in the USA, particularly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s....
persuaded Nabors to star in the television show The Lost Saucer
The Lost Saucer
The Lost Saucer is an ABC network television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. It first aired September 6, 1975.-Premise:The Lost Saucer was about two time-travelling futuristic androids named Fi and Fum who land their flying saucer on present day Earth...
, a show about two bumbling androids, Fi (Ruth Buzzi
Ruth Buzzi
Ruth Ann Buzzi is an American comedienne and actress of theatre, film, and television. She is especially known for her performances on the comedy-variety show Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.-Early life:...
) and Fum (Nabors), who travel through time with two children. Nabors, whose character was described as a "Gomer Pyle in outer space", sang in a few of the episodes.
In the 1980s, at the request of his friend Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
, Nabors appeared in three feature-length films which starred Reynolds. In The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall...
(1982), about a sheriff (Reynolds) who falls in love with a brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
madam
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
(Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
), Nabors played Deputy Fred, a character similar to Gomer Pyle. Though the film was given mostly unfavorable reviews, Nabors garnered some praise for his performance. However, not only was 1983's Stroker Ace
Stroker Ace
Stroker Ace is a 1983 action comedy film, filmed in North Carolina and Georgia, about a NASCAR driver, the eponymous Stroker Ace, played by Burt Reynolds....
(about a race car driver [Reynolds] who fights a fried-chicken chain entrepreneur) panned, Nabors earned a Golden Raspberry Award for his performance as the title character's mechanic. In Reynold's "star-studded" Cannonball Run II
Cannonball Run II
See also Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy DashCannonball Run II comedy film featuring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest...
(1984), about a cross-country car chase, Nabors made a cameo appearance alongside such celebrities as Dom DeLuise
Dom DeLuise
Dominick "Dom" DeLuise was an American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur from 1965 until his death and the father of: actor, director, pianist, and writer Peter DeLuise; actor David DeLuise; and actor Michael DeLuise...
, Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
, Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine
Shirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, and Andy Griffith Show co-stars Don Knotts
Don Knotts
Jesse Donald "Don" Knotts was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, a role which earned him five Emmy Awards...
and George Lindsey
George Lindsey
George Lindsey is an American character actor, best known for his role as "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show, as well as for his tenure on Hee-Haw.-Early life and career :...
. Like Reynolds's previous two films, Cannonball received mostly negative reviews. In 1986, Nabors returned to television, reprising his role as Gomer Pyle in the television movie Return to Mayberry
Return to Mayberry
Return to Mayberry is an American television reunion movie for the 1960s American sitcoms The Andy Griffith Show and, to an extent, Mayberry R.F.D. as well. The movie premiered on April 13, 1986 on NBC, and was the highest-rated telemovie of 1986. Sixteen of the original cast members reunited for...
, in which the cast of The Andy Griffith Show reunited. In 1986, Nabors starred in the half-hour comedy pilot "Sylvan in Paradise" as the title character, Sylvan Sprayberry, an accident-prone bell captain at a Hawaiian hotel. The series was not picked up by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
After moving to Hawaii from Bel Air, California, in 1976, he launched a show, "The Jim Nabors Polynesian Extravaganza", at the Hilton Hawaiian Village
Hilton Hawaiian Village
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa, formerly the Kaiser Hawaiian Village Hotel, has been a popular hotel in the Waikiki area of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States since 1957. It is the largest hotel of the Hilton chain, with 3,386 rooms and with 7 towers...
; it ran for two years. Nabors eventually experienced "bright light burnout" and disappeared from the stage save for an occasional performance. In 1984, after a five-year hiatus, Nabors returned to performing, starring in the "Moulin Rouge" show at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
and other shows in Reno
Reno
Reno is the fourth most populous city in Nevada, US.Reno may also refer to:-Places:Italy*The Reno River, in Northern ItalyCanada*Reno No...
and Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. He made his theatrical debut as Harold Hill in The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
with Florence Henderson
Florence Henderson
Florence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
at the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theatre.
Straight razor
A straight razor is a razor with a blade that can fold into its handle. They are also called open razors and cut-throat razors.Although straight razors were once the principal method of manual shaving, they have been largely overshadowed by the safety razor, incorporating a disposable blade...
and "whacked [his] face all up". The disease caused liver failure, and Nabors was not given a hopeful prognosis; however, his friend Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
made an arrangement with the transplant division of UCLA and secured Nabors a transplant. Nabors later became involved in the American Liver Foundation
American Liver Foundation
The American Liver Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes liver health and disease prevention. The mission of the ALF is to facilitate, advocate and promote education, support and research for the prevention, treatment and cure of liver disease....
as a result of his experience. Shortly after recovering from his liver transplant, Nabors embarked on another tour, with stops in Phoenix, St. Louis, and Washington. From 1997 to 2006, Nabors starred in the Burton White-produced A Merry Christmas with Friends and Nabors, a live performance at the Hawaii Theatre
Hawaii Theatre
The Hawaii Theatre is a historic Vaudeville theatre and cinema in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. It is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places....
Center in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
. The production, featuring local and national artists, ran for forty performances and was directed by Tom Hansen until Hansen's death in 2006. The final performance run was directed by John Rampage and dedicated to Hansen. For more than 30 years, he has sung "Back Home Again in Indiana
Back Home Again in Indiana
" Indiana" is a song composed by Ballard MacDonald and James F. Hanley, first published in January of 1917. While it is not the official state song of the U.S...
" with the Purdue All-American Marching Band
Purdue All-American Marching Band
The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the marching band of Purdue University. The Purdue "All-American" Marching Band is the primary source of auxiliary entertainment for Purdue University football games...
before each Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
.
Personal life
Nabors's successes have earned him accolades. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
in 1991. "Gomer Pyle" received an honorary promotion to Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
from the Commandant of the Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
James L. Jones
James L. Jones
James Logan Jones, Jr. is the former United States National Security Advisor and a retired United States Marine Corps General....
in 2001, and on September 25, 2007, he was promoted from Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed...
to Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
by Lt. General John F. Goodman
John F. Goodman
Lieutenant General John Floyd Goodman is a retired United States Marine Corps general. He is currently Director of the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance , United States Pacific Command having assumed the directorship on October 17, 2008.-Early life:John...
. The Hawaii Pacific University
Hawaii Pacific University
Hawaii Pacific University, also known as HPU, is a private, Nonsectarian, coeducational university located in Honolulu, Hawaii and Kaneohe, Hawaii. HPU founded in 1965 as Hawaii Pacific College by Paul C.T. Loo, Eureka Forbes, Elizabeth W...
awarded Nabors the Fellow of the Pacific Award for his "outstanding leadership, service, and dedication to the community". In 2006, he was inducted into the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame
Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame
The Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame was founded in 1998 for the purpose of honoring Alabamians who have made significant contributions to film, television or theatre...
. He received honors from the University of Alabama on September 2, 2006, before a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game against the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
. Nabors, along with U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye
Daniel Inouye
Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. Inouye is the chairman of the United States Senate...
, was honored on January 19, 2007, at "A Night of American Heroes," a yearly dinner held in benefit of the Battleship Missouri
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
Memorial at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
. U.S. Highway 280 in Talladega County, Alabama
Talladega County, Alabama
Talladega County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Talladega is a Muscogee Native American word derived from TVLVTEKE, which means "border town." As of 2010, the population was 82,291...
, was named "Jim Nabors Highway" in honor of the Sylacauga native.
As he was "never without a job" for four decades, Nabors has never married: according to him, he was "really more married to his career". Consequently, he has been the target of rumors alleging he is gay
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
. In the 1970s, a rumor began circulating that Nabors and then-closeted
Closeted
Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...
actor Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
were to marry. Though supposedly intended as a joke (with the punchline being that Hudson would then be known as "Rock Pyle"), the rumor was picked up by media and spread across the country. Nabors was "horrified" by the rumor, as he felt that it hindered his ability to portray himself as something other than a comedic character.
Nabors began vacationing in Hawaii in the 1960s, and in 1976, moved from Bel Air, California to Honolulu, Hawaii. For 25 years, he owned a macadamia nut plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
on Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
before selling it to the National Tropical Botanical Garden
National Tropical Botanical Garden
The National Tropical Botanical Garden is a group that sponors preservation of plants native to the tropics in a network of botanical gardens and preserves.-History:...
, a conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
organization (he still retains farming rights to the land and owns a second home on the property).
Selected discography
Nabors has recorded twenty-eight albums and numerous singles; the albums listed have either been certified gold or platinum by the RIAA.- 1966: Jim Nabors Sings Love Me With All Your Heart (Gold)
- 1968: Jim Nabors Sings The Lord's Prayer (Gold)
- 1980: The Heart Touching Magic Of Jim Nabors (Platinum)
- 1990: Jim Nabors Christmas Album (Gold)
Partial filmography
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1961 | The Steve Allen Show The Steve Allen Show The Steve Allen Show is an American variety show hosted by Steve Allen from June 1956 to June 1960 on NBC, from September 1961 to December 1961 on ABC, and in first-run syndication from 1962 to 1964.... |
Himself | |
| 1963 | The Danny Kaye Show The Danny Kaye Show The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts... |
Himself | |
| 1962-1964 | The Andy Griffith Show The Andy Griffith Show The Andy Griffith Show is an American sitcom first televised by CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968. Andy Griffith portrays a widowed sheriff in the fictional small community of Mayberry, North Carolina... |
Gomer Pyle Gomer Pyle Gomer Pyle is a bubbly, gentle, rural auto mechanic character played by American singer/ television actor Jim Nabors. Gomer Pyle became a character on the TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show, when actor Howard McNear, who played Floyd the barber, suffered a stroke and took a respite from acting. Jim... |
27 episodes |
| 1964-1969 | Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.The show renders the title as Gomer Pyle - USMC. is an American situation comedy that originally aired on CBS from September 25, 1964, to May 2, 1969. The series was a spinoff of The Andy Griffith Show, and the pilot was aired as the finale of the fourth season of The Andy... |
Gomer Pyle | |
| 1966 | The Lucy Show The Lucy Show The Lucy Show is an American situation comedy that aired on CBS from 1962 until 1968. It was Lucille Ball's follow-up to I Love Lucy. A significant change in cast and premise for the 1965-66 season divides the program into two distinct eras; aside from Ball, only Gale Gordon, who joined the program... |
Pvt. Gomer Pyle | One-shot role |
| 1969 | The Jim Nabors Hour The Jim Nabors Hour The Jim Nabors Hour was a variety television series hosted by Jim Nabors that aired on the CBS television network from 1969 to 1971.Fresh from his success with Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., which put his backwoods "Gomer Pyle" character from The Andy Griffith Show in a military context, the show not only... |
Himself (host) | Was nominated for a Golden Globe (Actor In A Television Series – Musical Or Comedy) |
| 1976 | The Carol Burnett Show The Carol Burnett Show The Carol Burnett Show is a variety / sketch comedy television show starring Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. It originally ran on CBS from September 11, 1967, to March 29, 1978, for 278 episodes and originated from CBS Television City's Studio 33... |
Himself | |
| The Lost Saucer The Lost Saucer The Lost Saucer is an ABC network television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. It first aired September 6, 1975.-Premise:The Lost Saucer was about two time-travelling futuristic androids named Fi and Fum who land their flying saucer on present day Earth... |
Fum | ||
| The Muppet Show The Muppet Show The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes... |
Himself | Episode number 1.06 originally aired 27 September in New York, and 2 October in L.A. | |
| 1978 | The Jim Nabors Show | Himself (host) | Nominated for a Daytime Emmy (for Outstanding Host or Hostess in a Talk, Service or Variety Series) |
| 1986 | Return to Mayberry Return to Mayberry Return to Mayberry is an American television reunion movie for the 1960s American sitcoms The Andy Griffith Show and, to an extent, Mayberry R.F.D. as well. The movie premiered on April 13, 1986 on NBC, and was the highest-rated telemovie of 1986. Sixteen of the original cast members reunited for... |
Gomer Pyle | Television movie |
| Films | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (film) The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a 1982 film adaptation of the musical of the same name released by Universal Pictures, which was co-written and directed by Colin Higgins... |
Deputy Fred | Feature-film debut |
| 1983 | Stroker Ace Stroker Ace Stroker Ace is a 1983 action comedy film, filmed in North Carolina and Georgia, about a NASCAR driver, the eponymous Stroker Ace, played by Burt Reynolds.... |
Lugs Harvey | Won a Golden Raspberry Award for his role. |
| 1984 | Cannonball Run II Cannonball Run II See also Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy DashCannonball Run II comedy film featuring Burt Reynolds and an all-star cast, released by Warner Bros. and Golden Harvest... |
Pvt. Homer Lyle | |