Transition: Don Knotts, 81

In recent years, much of actor Don Knotts's Hollywood work had been in voice-overs for animated movies. But in 1998, Knotts made one of his last on-screen appearances in "Pleasantville," playing a mysterious TV repairman who transports two Generation Y teens into a 1950s black-and-white sitcom. "We wanted someone who was an icon from the golden age of TV," explained director Gary Ross. Smart choice. Along with "Gunsmoke" and "Bonanza," "The Andy Griffith Show" was one of the programs that defined television's early years. And that was due in no small part to Knotts, who died last Friday at the age of 81 from pulmonary and respiratory complications. He was already a household name from turns on Steve Allen's "The Tonight Show," but it was his high-strung performance as the geeky Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife that made him a star. The role also earned him five Emmys, which he parlayed into a series of big-screen slapstick comedies for Universal Pictures. In 1979, he brought his bug-eyed shtik back to television--replacing Norman Fell as the easily shocked landlord on "Three's Company"--where he did the bulk of his work during the '90s. Mayberry won't quite be the same without him.