Andy Griffith was a North Carolina icon, actor, musician, writer, and lifelong advocate of the arts. Born in Mount Airy, North Carolina, on June 1, 1926, to Carl Lee Griffith and Geneva Nunn Griffith, he grew up in a humble small town and spent much of his time performing on stage at Grace Moravian Church and Mount Airy High School, where he graduated in 1944. In 1949, he earned a Bachelor of Music from UNC Chapel Hill. After graduation, he taught high school music classes in Goldsboro for three years while developing his storytelling and acting skills, including a notable role as Sir Walter Raleigh in the long-running production of The Lost Colony on Roanoke Island. His 1953 comedy recording "What It Was, Was Football" led to a breakthrough appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, and in 1955 he starred in "No Time for Sergeants" on TV. In 1960, "The Andy Griffith Show" began an almost eight-year run that brought him immense critical and commercial success. Griffith said its basic theme was love, understanding one another, and hoping the best for one another, and his portrayal of a small-town sheriff left an enduring impression on people who continued to long for a slower-paced life where neighbors care about each other. When people said the fictional town of Mayberry was based on Mount Airy, Griffith remarked, "It sure sounds like it." He later had further success on "Matlock," which ran for nine seasons beginning in 1986. In 2005, President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and he was also one of the first three recipients of the Carolina Performing Arts Lifetime Achievement Awards. Griffith died in 2012 at age 86 and was buried on Roanoke Island. In April 2022, five hyper-realistic portraits by Greensboro street artist Jeks were completed, painted primarily with spray paint and spanning Griffith's career, including images from the 1958 film "Onionhead," "The Andy Griffith Show," a 1960s headshot, and a 1987 interview photo taken in Toluca Lake, California.