Jack Dodson, who played officious egghead Howard Sprague on "The Andy Griffith Show" and "Mayberry R.F.D.," has died at 63.
Dodson died Friday at a suburban hospital after a yearlong illness, daughter Cristina Dodson said Monday.A veteran of Broadway, film and television, his best-known role was the county clerk in "The Andy Griffith Show" and its offshoot series.
A quasi-intellectual living in a rural town, Sprague often talked over his neighbors' heads. Just as often he was tripped up by his own flawed logic.
He began appearing on "Andy Griffith" in 1967, the year before the star left the show. He continued on "Mayberry R.F.D." until it ended in 1971.
He made more than 150 guest appearances on shows including "The Fugitive," "Hawaii Five-O," "Newhart," "Barney Miller," "Cagney and Lacey," "St. Elsewhere," "Matlock" and "L.A. Law."