Character | Portrayer | Position | Seasons | Seasons |
Pilot | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Ben Matlock | Andy Griffith | Lawyer | Main | Main |
Charlene Matlock | Lori Lethin | Assistant | Main | |
Charlene Matlock | Linda Purl | Assistant |
Character | Portrayer | Position |
---|---|---|
Ben Matlock | Andy Griffith | Lawyer |
Charlene Matlock | Lori Lethin | Assistant |
Linda Purl |
Charlene Matlock. Charlene is Ben's daughter and is also a lawyer. She assists her father at his law practice in Atlanta for a short time, appearing only in the first season of the series. Purl replaced Lori Lethin who appeared as Charlene in the pilot "Diary of a Perfect Murder".
Young Ben Matlock (Steve Witting) in episodes "The Dame" and "The Diner" Lt. Bob Brooks (David Froman; 58 episodes), Atlanta PD detective and friend of Ben Matlock's (seasons 1-6 and one appearance in season 9, where he was murdered) Lloyd Burgess (Michael Durrell; 54 episodes), district attorney, seasons 1-6
Hazel is Matlock's secretary. Diana Huntington ( Christina Pickles) in the "Picture" (6.12-13) is Matlock’s annoying cousin. Harvey Chase ( Milton Berle) is favourite comedian of Matlock who Matlock defends when he is accused of murdering a younger rival. ^ "Lori Lethin".
Diana Huntington ( Christina Pickles) in the "Picture" (6.12-13) is Matlock’s annoying cousin. Harvey Chase ( Milton Berle) is favourite comedian of Matlock who Matlock defends when he is accused of murdering a younger rival. ^ "Lori Lethin".
In 2021 Julie lives in California with John Karns, her husband of 38 years. Between them they have three children, Jacey Erwin, Mike Karns, and Bill Karns.
She left Matlock in 1992 – and acting entirely – after her single and final appearance on the show in 1994.
Beginning with Nancy Stafford's second season in 1988, she missed several episodes, due to her busy scheduling. She left the show in 1992.
I saw at least three different actresses play it. Answer: There were two daughters, by my count, Steve, but three different actresses did indeed carry the role. When Diary of a Perfect Murder, the Matlock pilot film, first aired in early 1986, lawyer daughter Charlene Matlock was played by Lori Lethin.
Andy Griffith net worth: Andy Griffith was an American actor and singer who had a net worth of $60 million at the time of his death....Andy Griffith Net Worth.Net Worth:$60 MillionDate of Birth:Jun 1, 1926 - Jul 3, 2012 (86 years old)Gender:MaleHeight:6 ft (1.83 m)2 more rows
RESPECTED NEO A&M TEACHERDavid Froman: The longtime theater instructor at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in Miami took a two-decade break to pursue his dream of acting. He appeared on "Matlock," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Cheers," "Simon and Simon," "Hill Street Blues" and in films and other television shows.
Brynn Thayer: Leanne McIntyre, Leanne Lewis, Roxanne Windemere. Jump to: Photos (33)
Actress Brynn Thayer and her husband, award-winning manager-writer-producer David Steinberg, have sold their longtime Pacific Palisades home for $2,995,000.
Gerald AnthonyBrynn Thayer / Husband (m. 1981–1983)Gerald Anthony Bucciarelli was an American actor. Wikipedia
MainCharacterPortrayerPositionBen MatlockAndy GriffithLawyerCharlene MatlockLori LethinAssistantLinda Purl10 more rows
Betty LynnFinal appearance of Betty Lynn as Sarah, Matlock's secretary.
She had a family in California that she didn't want to leave, and Griffith confirmed in an interview that there were no hard feelings when she decided not to continue on the show or make the move to Wilmington to do so. This decision ended up ending her entire acting career.
Matlock also has conspicuously finicky fashion sense (wearing nothing but grey suits) and an insatiable appetite for hot dogs (an explanation for this is featured in the Diagnosis: Murder cross-over double episode "Murder Two", which also marked the last appearance of Matlock on television).
Charlie Matlock (Andy Griffith), father of Ben Matlock, is a gas station owner; his only appearances are set in flashbacks before the series timeline began. (appears in the episodes: "The Dame", season 6; "The Legacy", parts 1 and 2, season 7; and "The Diner", season 8)
In "The Secret", when Matlock sends him to Chicago to talk to Sherry Brown in questioning her about the negatives he is supposed to find, he receives word that she died from jumping off the apartment building.
Before working for Matlock, Tyler was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He is interested in cooking and investing in venture capital projects on the side, such as in pecans. In the episode "The Chef", he says that he entered the Junior Chamber of Commerce Chili Cook-Off, which he wins $2,000 for his chili.
In "Mr. Awesome", when Anne Johnson's ex-boyfriend, Dwayne Meeks, is murdered, he sought Matlock out to represent the hard-working waitress and mother accused of killing Dwayne. Matlock and Conrad both found out that Dwayne was a liar, jerk, and a cheater towards the many women who were afraid of him.
In "The Star", while getting goosebumps, Conrad hid himself at the front door and accidentally scared Catherine's daughter, Susan McKay. She was sent to Matlock, about the afternoon her mother was murdered for real, and said she was doing research for her book about her mother, being the vain, cruel, parent that she was; the culprit turned out to be Jack Burns, who represented Catherine's career.
Lewis is an attorney, but is described as Ben Matlock's friend in the season-eight episode, "The Godfather". He lies once to the people from Mt. Harlan, saying that he is a full partner with Ben, but he later confesses that Ben Matlock does not have any partners.
She and Andy would go on to have a great relationship up until his death. After spending three years on the series, Nancy had to leave the show when they wanted to move locations .
Describing a time in her life where she abandoned God and made her career the center of her life, she had an epiphany that made her return to God and consider changing her life for the better.
Over the years, Nancy has had issues with casting directors because she felt the roles were not something she wanted to be a part of and only looked to take positions that had inspiring messages.
According to Nancy, it was what she had always wanted, to get married in her parents' house surrounded by friends and family. An intimate and cozy ceremony, the guests were treated to watercresses, handmade mints, and sandwiches while the couple said their vows.
As a teenager, Nancy was sheltered and did not have the adventurous spirit most teenagers had. She preferred to stay in her house and live life as amicably as possible.
And it is no wonder she says that asides from acting, her favorite thing to do is be an amazing mother to their daughter and lovable grandmother to her grandson.
Nancy Stafford attends the 28th Annual Movieguide Awards Gala at Avalon Theater on January 24, 2020 | Photo: Getty Images.
Julie Sommers played district attorney Julie March on the hit courtroom drama Matlock. The lovely ginger first caught Ben Matlock’s eye while the two shared an elevator early on in the series’ first season.. Later on, in that same episode, she bursts into the hearing late – foreshadowing that she’s about to play a significant role in Matlock’s life.
Keep watching to find out why Charlene, Matlock’s daughter was written out of the show. It seems like Andy Griffith was the only cast member to see the show through to the end.
She additionally got the chance to star in several films including Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, The Great Sioux Massacre, and Five Desperate Women. She also co-starred in 39 episodes of The Governor and JJ. Julie Sommars was completely content with having a simple life.
While doing Matlock he would often get frustrated with Dean Hargrove for not letting him explore the darker side of law practice. He wanted his character to be an alcoholic or to spend a stint in jail for some kind of transgression but Hargrove wasn’t having it.
We already briefly touched on how Matlock’s producers were willing to do almost anything to keep Andy around. The main reason for their insistence on him staying with the cast was that the show was designed with him in mind from the get-go.
Julie Sommars was completely content with having a simple life. By the time she left the cast of Matlock, in 1992 she had been acting for 32 years. When she retired, she redirected her attention to her family life. She did make one last appearance in Matlock in 1994 during the ninth season where it was hinted that she and Ben had broken up a couple of years ago – so at least there was some kind of explanation for her departure eventually and fans got to say their goodbyes.
Sommars did however have a pretty good run as an actress. She got her start on TV at the age of 18 playing Loretta Young’s daughter on The Loretta Young Show in 1960. She continued her career making numerous appearances in shows like Bonanza, Perry Mason, Gunsmoke and Get Smart. She almost always was typecast as the pretty redhead love interest but that didn’t bother her in the least bit.
Purl then took over the part of Charlene once the weekly version began, but she left after the first season and was replaced by Nancy Stafford ; the latter actress portrayed Matlock's associate, not his daughter. When the program switched from NBC to ABC, "One Life to Live" alumna Brynn Thayer came aboard as a different Matlock daughter, Leanne; now, the lawyer has yet another female cohort in Jerri Stone, played by Carol Huston. (However, Thayer pops up again in this Thursday's scheduled ABC episode, since it's a repeat from last season.)
When the program switched from NBC to ABC, "One Life to Live" alumna Brynn Thayer came aboard as a different Matlock daughter, Leanne; now, the lawyer has yet another female cohort in Jerri Stone, played by Carol Huston.
Benjamin Leighton Matlock is a fictional character from the television series, Matlock, played by Andy Griffith. Matlock is a renowned, folksy yet cantankerous defense attorney who is worth every penny of his $100,000 fee. Known for visiting the scene of the crime to discover clues otherwise overlooked and his down-home style ...
Ben Matlock had several assistants over the years, both as lawyers and private investigators. His lawyer assistants were his daughters Charlene Matlock and Leanne MacIntyre as well as Michelle Thomas and Cliff Lewis. His private investigators were Tyler Hudson, Conrad McMasters, Cliff Lewis, and Jerri Stone. His associates often walked into his house without knocking, eating with Ben, and having barbecue with him ( The Confession ).
Five years afterward, Carla was charged with murdering her ex-husband, and Matlock took the case pro bono as a way of apologizing to Carla ( The Stripper ).
His retainer is $100,000. Ben Matlock had several assistants over the years, both as lawyers and private investigators.
Another one he lost was when Ken Wilson was arrested for killing his wife ( The Black Widow ). It took Matlock's client seven years for him to get out of custody. After his release, he was accused a second time, hence, his lawyer traveled to Los Angeles to reopen the case, a second time. He was found innocent.
TV Actor Andy Griffith portrayed Ben Matlock for the duration of the Matlock television series. He also portrayed Charlie Matlock, Ben's father, in flashbacks.
His father, Charlie Matlock, was an auto repairman in Ben's hometown.
Benjamin Leighton "Ben" Matlock is a renowned, folksy yet cantankerous defense attorney who charges a fee of $100,000 to take a case. He is known for visiting crime scenes to discover overlooked clues, as well as his down-home style of coming up with viable, alternative theories of the crime in question (usually murder) while sitting in his office playing the banjo or polishing his shoes. Matlock also has conspicuously finicky fashion sense (wearing nothing but grey suits) an…
• Charlie Matlock (Andy Griffith), father of Ben Matlock, is a gas station owner; his only appearances are set in flashbacks before the series timeline began. (appears in the episodes: "The Dame", season 6; "The Legacy", parts 1 and 2, season 7; and "The Diner", season 8)
• Young Ben Matlock (Steve Witting) in episodes "The Dame" and "The Diner"
• Carter Addison (Dick Van Dyke), in "The Judge" (1.2), a judge who murders his lover and then presides over the murder trial in which Ben is trying to clear someone else's name for.
• Laura Miller (Laura Robbins), who appeared in "The Godfather" (8.19), is the goddaughter of Ben Matlock. The last time she saw her godfather was 11 years before her wedding, when he was at her mother’s funeral. She no longer lived in Mt. Harlan at this point; instead, she was working in an
• List of Matlock episodes
• Full Cast and Crew for "Matlock" (IMDb)