Frances Yarborough: Bio, Parents, Career, Husband, Children

Frances Yarborough, sometimes known as Francey Yarborough, is the late actor Don Knotts’ wife.

Her late husband was a five-time Emmy-winning actor and comedian best remembered for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on the 1960s sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.

Knotts’ third and final wife before his death in 2006 was Yarborough. They first met in the late 1980s. The couple, on the other hand, had been on a marital roller coaster for a few years.

Francey and Knotts have been friends for nearly two decades. Despite their considerable age difference, they formed a deep friendship in between. Relive their first meeting, their path to becoming husband and wife, and learn more about Francey Yarborough.

In the 1960s, Frances Yarborough was born.

Frances Yarborough was born to father Donald Howard Yarborough and mother Charity O’Connell Yarborough. She was born in the 1960s, thus she is in her late 70s.

Donald Howard Yarborough, her father, was a liberal Texas Democrat who ran for governor in 1962 and supported John F. Kennedy.

Furthermore, her father was a Marine Corps officer who served as a company commander in China towards the conclusion of WWII. Francey’s father passed away from Parkinson’s illness in September 2009. In addition to these, Yarborough’s father was a lawyer who advocated for the rights of Mexican immigrants and blacks. He ran his own law practice.

Donald, Francey’s father, was born on December 15, 1925, in New Orleans. Similarly, her paternal grandpa was the president of a bank that failed during the Great Depression.

When Donald was 12, his family relocated to Houston.

Siblings of Frances Yarborough

Sophie is her sister. Francey is the sister-in-law of Daniel de Visé, a 23-year veteran writer and journalist for The Washington Post, the Miami Herald, and three other publications. De Vise also wrote Yarborough’s late husband’s biography.

Inez Vanderburg of Austin, Texas, Leverett Yarborough of Bend, Oregon, Danny Yarborough of Los Angeles, Donald Arthur Yarborough, and Mollie O’Connell Yarborough are some of Yarborough’s siblings from her father’s earlier relationships.

She has appeared in several films.

While her full-time occupation remains unknown, according to IMDb, Frances’ only film credit was in the 1976 crime drama ‘The Electric Chair.’

In one of her husband, Knotts’ plays, Yarborough once played one of the third women (a 1960s hippie who wants to be an actor).

Frances Yarborough met her husband, Don Knotts, in what way?

Frances Knotts was married to Don Knotts. The couple reportedly married in 2002. But how and when did the husband and wife first meet?

What a Country!, her husband Don’s syndication comedy, had just terminated unexpectedly. Francey worked as a production assistant on the show. She had played the character on the show since early 1987. And it was during this time that Don and Yarborough met.

In his book, Andy and Don: the Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show, Knotts characterized Francey as a “beautiful, kind-hearted actress, who had settled in Hollywood to pursue improvisational comedy.”

Her primary responsibility at the time was to assist her future husband, Don, with memorizing his lines.
They were over 30 years apart in age.

As previously stated, Yarborough was in her twenties and The Andy Griffith Show actor was in his fifties when the couple first met.

The book, Andy and Don, explains that they were kindred spirits.

“We had an instant rapport,” the wife of a multiple Emmy winner recalls of their early loves.

“I was living a wacky life, and he was as well. We’d simply keep talking and talking. He enjoyed hearing about my family. He came from a weird family, and I came from a crazy family. He was fascinated by people’s nuances.”

added the previous production assistant.

Yarborough went on to say, “My first thoughts about the comic actor were…”

“‘My first impression of him was that he seemed so defenseless. I’d never met somebody so vulnerable before.”

Don and Francey began going out to La Scala in Beverly Hills soon after meeting, sharing stories and making each other laugh.

They were a couple after a few months, and Francey moved into Don’s Century City condo. They married in 2002 and remained husband and wife until Knotts’ death in 2006.

Before meeting Frances Yarborough, her husband was an alcoholic.

Don was living a mostly nocturnal existence when he met Francey, drinking too much and eating too little. He had become a chain smoker, stayed up too late, and could only sleep with the help of medicines.

However, soon after meeting Yarborough, the star of The Incredible Mr. Limpet unexpectedly stopped smoking.

Francey described how, one day, he heard a wheeze and dropped his cigarette, never to be seen again.

Don Knotts had married twice before Frances.

Knotts’ first wife was Kathryn Metz, whom he married in 1947. They had two children: a son, Thomas Knotts, and a daughter, Karen Knotts. Metz and Don’s marriage terminated in 1964.

Yarborough’s late husband then married his second wife, Loralee Czuchna, in 1974, and they were married until 1983.

Don Knotts and Francey were residing in the Los Angeles area of Century City at the time of his death. During this period, Don was diagnosed with cancer, as well as severe hypochondria and a degenerative eye ailment known as macular degeneration.

Don implored Francey not to inform anyone about his condition, let alone the media. The reason, according to reports, was that the West Virginia-born actor still wanted to work, and a sick actor couldn’t.

Francey and Don decided not to tell Don’s children that dad was dying. They even didn’t notify Knotts’ best friend, Andy Griffith.

The Death of Don Knotts

Don had stated in his will that he did not wish to be kept alive by artificial means. As a result, doctors unplugged the equipment. Francey’s husband, Don Knotts, died on February 24, 2006, a Friday, at 11:00 p.m., with her, Karen, and Tom holding him.

The complications from pneumonia in relation to lung cancer were the primary cause of death for the former ventriloquist. The funeral was held at Westwood Memorial Park, next to the graves of Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin, and Truman Capote.

He recognized the poignancy in people’s pride and pain and transformed it into something amusing and endearing.

The plaque was written by widow Francey Yarborough Knotts.

Yarborough claimed after Knotts’ death that her late husband “saw poignancy in people’s pride and pain” and found a way to turn it into lovable humor.

Don Knotts’ final performance was as Mayor Turkey Lurkey in the 2005 film Chicken Little.

Frances Yarborough Following Her Death

Following her husband’s death, Knotts’ last wife, Francey, eventually became a has-been. As a result, it is unknown what else she is up to at the moment. Given that she never pursued acting professionally, there are few titles that describe Francey on her own.

Furthermore, Yarborough’s aversion to modern-day communication platforms complicates the situation.

Did she inherit Don Knotts’ fortune?

There was no full revelation of the veteran comedian’s money after his death, nor will it ever be made public.

While he had a net worth of around $20 million at the time of his death, members of the Knotts’ family did not reveal where the money went.

In any case, Francey is likely to have inherited a sizable fortune following the death of her rich husband.

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