It's never too late to start a legendary career in television. Just think of how many Golden Girls there could have been if nobody ever thought they were too old to give acting a try. Barnaby Jones could have his septuagenarian squad. Matlock could've been its own genre.

You're never too old. Don't take our word for it. Just take a look at the life and career of Burt Mustin, The Andy Griffith Show's Jud Fletcher. For ol' Burt, fame and fortune were a retirement plan. He had a rich and interesting 67-year-long life before beginning his Hollywood career.

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Mustin was born in 1884. Mayberry is a slow, old-fashioned place, but the nineteenth century is ancient even by Aunt Bee's standards. Prior to trying his hand at acting professionally, Mustin was a Pittsburgh resident. The Pennsylvania town is where he was born, raised, and spent the majority of his professional life. In Pittsburgh, Mustin was a car dealer, a board member of the Chamber of Commerce, and a singer in a barbershop quartet. 

"I always had the fever for this [acting] business," said Mustin. "I played lead character types in Pittsburgh and gradually went into musical comedy — Gilbert and Sullivan, and Victor Herbert things."

However, life and the times intervened and, for the time being, Mustin was unable to make a living of it. "I would have pursued acting, but life then was stage work. The best you could hope for was either jumping around or a New York run. And New York was no life for my dear wife — I just don't love the field enough to do that to her. She always wanted a home, and that's what we had."

Instead, the actor focused on his family and his place in his community. He was a recognizable resident in Pittsburgh even before he stepped onto the silver screen. But when the time was right, Mustin and his wife packed their bags and headed west for California. 

There he found that there was quite a demand for character actors. Over the next 20 years, Mustin found roles in 63 movies and appeared on television over 400 times. The busy schedule, though, didn't tire him out. To hear Burt Mustin put it, his business was good for him.

"Undoubtedly, it's being so active that's kept me from being senile."

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