Here's how Howard McNear developed Floyd the Barber's mannerisms

McNear reveals how much of himself is in Floyd.

CBS Television Distribution

A common question asked of creatives is "Where do you get your ideas?" Despite the question's popularity, it comes up time and again during press junkets and interviews. The public wants to know what makes this person special. What makes them different from you and me? How do they come up with the stuff they're famous for?

Some actors base their work on real people. Maybe a neighbor has some interesting quirk or physical particularity. They take those traits and wear them like a costume. Other actors might just mine their personal experience, mapping past traumas to current scripts to embody their characters.

In an interview with The Bangor Daily News, Howard McNear told the Maine publication that he inhabited his most famous character by stretching out truths about himself and how he acted in his daily life.

"He's a sort of nervous wreck and you can't be on too much with it," said McNear.

While he had a ton of acting experience before setting foot in Mayberry, Howard McNear became globally famous for playing the barber, Floyd, on The Andy Griffith Show. His jittery way of leaving sentences hanging made him a lovable goofball. McNear's characterizations were unique and proved to be one of the funniest parts of the show.

"I think they evolve from the person himself," he said of actors' choices. "I think perhaps it's my own mannerisms— exaggerated, of course. I've often wondered if such portrayals aren't built up from the subconscious. I've worked with practically all the big comics and have arrived at that conclusion after analyzing their techniques...

"As a young fellow, I was painfully shy. I'm still shy. I really feel perfectly at home only when I'm on stage. Meeting people is far harder for me than being behind the footlights; perhaps that's because I can feel I'm someone else when I'm acting. I was trained for an architect because my father was an architect and bank vault engineer."

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22 Comments

KirwoodDerby 12 days ago
I think Floyd the barber is my all time favorite tv character. His nervous mannerisms and folksy kindness make me wish I’d have had a Friend like him in my life. I try to watch Andy during scenes with Floyd and I often catch him fighting back a laugh. The show just makes me feel good. I think that’s why any source that airs TAGS winds up a winner.
obectionoverruled 12 days ago
howard mcnear was an old time radio character voice actor for years before he landed on andy griffith. his best renditions imo were on several week-long serials aired every weekday known as ‘yours truly, johnny dollar’, the insurance investigator with a quick wit, charming to the ladies and always, always on target to get his target - usually some 1940’s-1950’s era scam artist turned murderer. his excitable demeanor and delayed, stuttered reaction to a surprising fact zinged his way usually got a smile out of me. of course he was chester on radio gunsmoke, too. his funniest role on should be known as the barney fife tv show was when sheriff andy had his deputy in turn deputized floyd, goober and gomer for an episode, one of the best of the long series. floyd was sui generic, and forever became the butt of barber jokes and his cast picture still hangs in my barber’s shop in florida.
Several actors played Johnny Dollar. Bob Bailey was best known for the part. Howard was a fine radio actor, but never played Johnny Dollar. https://www.google.com/search?q=yours+truly+johnny+dollar+actor&rlz=1C1MSIM_enUS916US916&oq=yours+truly+johnny+dollar+actor&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCjIyMDYwajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Wasn't Howard McNear also on the ol' "Gunsmoke" radio show back then also? I think he was. 🤔
MichaelPowers 12 days ago
Don Knotts said that of all the regular cast members on TAGS, Howard was the most like his character in real life.
ValpoPJ 13 days ago
My favorite episode featuring Floyd was the one where he met a woman through a lonely hearts club and pretended to be wealthy to impress her. The episode had a very poignant ending.
JohninND ValpoPJ 6 days ago
That was very touching, when Andy chose to not ruin Floyd's vision of the meeting showed a level of care we'd do well to revisit.
Jon 13 days ago
Howard McNear also appeared as the barber who gave Wally Cleaver his first shave in LEAVE IT TO BEAVER.
Art1957 13 days ago
Howard McNear played Elvis Presley's boss Mr. Chapmen in "Blue Hawaii"
Mr. Chapmen was basically Floyd the Barber in that movie but this time he owned a Travel Agency. He was hysterical in that as well!
pony 13 days ago
I didn't really appreciate the character of Floyd when I was a kid, but watching TAGS now as an adult, he is one of the most hilarious characters of all. He is so bumfuzzled and gives the impression he might just wander off stage at any moment. LOL!
tootsieg 14 days ago
Floyd was one of the funniest characters on TV. He just says things and does things that come out of nowhere. Howard McNear was so wonderful in that role.
RS1515 tootsieg 13 days ago
There was a Flintstone episode where he did the voice for one of the characters. And the animators actually made sure the character resembled him.
DisneyDreamer RS1515 12 days ago
Flintstones RULE😊
Robersot RS1515 12 days ago
I believe he did several characters on the Flintstones . I think one was a doctor. Howard Morris did a lot of voice work on there as well.
DZee Robersot 12 days ago
Hal Smith too.
MrsPhilHarris 14 days ago
Howard McNear was on all kinds of old time radio shows, including his role on Gunsmoke as Doc.
samseal MrsPhilHarris 12 days ago
I’m sorry, but that was Milburn Stone that played the part of Doc (Dr. Galen Adams) on Gunsmoke)!
DisneyDreamer samseal 12 days ago
It was Howard, not Milburn on the radio series
MichaelPowers samseal 12 days ago
Howard played Doc Adams on the Gunsmoke radio series from 1952 until 1961 for a total of 480 episodes.
MrsPhilHarris samseal 10 days ago
Howard McNear played Doc on the old time radio show. 😃
John111911Smith 14 days ago
Floyd was a one of a kind barber. It always seemed like while he talked, he was thinking about something else. Mr. McNear, like the other cast members, was a big part of the success of the show.
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