Thelma Lou, or Thel by boyfriend Barney Fife, was a character on the American television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968). The character appeared in 26 episodes, starting with the first-season episode, "Cyrano Andy". Thelma Lou was portrayed by Betty Lynn.
Thelma Lou lived in the community of Mayberry, North Carolina. She was Mayberry Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife's love interest. Thelma Lou appeared as a semiregular character in The Andy Griffith Show from 1961 until 1966, when the character was dropped from the show following the departure of Don Knotts and his Barney Fife character. She appeared in the 1986 reunion made-for-television movie, Return to Mayberry.
Betty Lynn was born in Kansas City, Missouri on August 29, 1926.
She never married, although she stated she was once engaged. By July 2019, she was residing in Mount Airy and she continued to make monthly personal appearances in town at the Andy Griffith Museum, signing autographs and meeting with her fans. Betty Lynn once commented, "The longer I live here, the more I see things [Griffith] took from his hometown."
Lynn died after a brief illness on October 16, 2021, at the age of 95. At the time of her death, she was working on her autobiography, which is set to be released posthumously.
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