Ben Matlock | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Matlock character | |||||||||||||
Portrayed by | Andy Griffith Steve Witting (young) | ||||||||||||
First appearance | Diary of a Perfect Murder (1986) Matlock | ||||||||||||
Last appearance | "Murder Two: Part 2" (1997) Diagnosis: Murder | ||||||||||||
Created by | Dean Hargrove | ||||||||||||
|
Benjamin Leighton Matlock is a fictional character from the television series, Matlock , played by Andy Griffith. Matlock is a renowned, folksy yet cantankerous defense attorney who is worth every penny of his $100,000 fee. Known for visiting the scene of the crime to discover clues otherwise overlooked and his down-home style of coming up with viable, alternative theories of the crime in question (usually murder) while sitting in his office playing the banjo ukulele or polishing his shoes. Matlock also had conspicuously finicky fashion sense, and an insatiable appetite for hot dogs. Despite his high fees and apparent wealth, he is something of a cheapskate. Andy Griffith initially did not like the character due to his vanity and cheapness. [1] Matlock is reported to be based on Georgia defense attorney Bobby Lee Cook. [2] Steve Witting played a young Matlock in two episodes, with Griffith playing his father.
In high school, Ben played baseball, and hit a home run in the 9th inning (The Umpire). Ben worked for nine years prior to attending Harvard Law School, and accordingly was significantly older than his law school classmates. As such, Ben was not treated exceptionally well by his classmates, and one classmate purposely kept him out of Harvard's Law Review. (The Reunion) He ultimately graduated from Harvard Law in 1957. (The Reunion)
While attending Harvard Law School, Ben tried to quit law school. His professor, Erskine Tate, threatened to beat him up. Later Ben recalled that Tate was his favorite professor and that he owed the professor a lot. (The Professor)
Ben Matlock's first big case was defending a black cook, Cyrus Jordan (portrayed by Stan Shaw) in 1962, who was accused of murdering the sheriff in Mt. Harlan. Ben had become dissatisfied with being a D.A., and wanted to defend people, and decided to take Cyrus' case.
Ben Matlock is a widower who had two daughters, Charlene and Leanne, who both became lawyers in their own right and who both worked alongside their father at one point or another. His father, Charlie Matlock, was an auto repairman in Ben's hometown.
He also had a goddaughter, Laura Miller (portrayed by Laura Robbins), whom he had not seen for the last 11 years since her mother's funeral. She worked at a clothing store at an Atlanta mall (The Godfather).
Ben also has a nephew Erwin Bruckner, who, in the episode The Genius, was accused of murdering his boss.
This section needs additional citations for verification .(February 2021) |
Ben Matlock had been in practice since the early 1960s, has represented over 400 criminal cases (Diary of a Perfect Murder), and chose his cases based on the belief that his client was innocent. His retainer is $100,000. [3]
Ben Matlock had several assistants over the years, both as lawyers and private investigators. His lawyer assistants were his daughters Charlene Matlock and Leanne MacIntyre as well as Michelle Thomas and Cliff Lewis. His private investigators were Tyler Hudson, Conrad McMasters, Cliff Lewis, and Jerri Stone. His associates often walked into his house without knocking, eating with Ben, and having barbecue with him (The Confession).
At times, Matlock has taken divorce and custody cases. One such case, concerning Carla Evans and her husband, was an unusual case for Matlock because he lost. Five years afterward, Carla was charged with murdering her ex-husband, and Matlock took the case pro bono as a way of apologizing to Carla (The Stripper). Losing a case was a rarity for Matlock, but he has had the occasion to correct that, as with Lester Matthews (The Convict), when Lester was tried for murdering a fellow inmate. Another one he lost was when Ken Wilson was arrested for killing his wife (The Black Widow). It took Matlock's client seven years for him to get out of custody. After his release, he was accused a second time, hence, his lawyer traveled to Los Angeles to reopen the case, a second time. He was found innocent. The third case he lost was to Dave Travis (The Pro), who was then convicted for killing Victor Tomasio. There was also (The Brothers) where Matlock lost the case when he got the other brother to admit to being involved in the murder and subsequently telling where the defendant was and his involvement. Matlock won in that he caught the killers but albeit in a different way that wouldn't break client-lawyer privilege as well as living up the agreement he'd made earlier to his client to defend him.
A case he had won where Drew Carey (The Fugitive), was found innocent for not killing Uncle Edwin. Although he did not do it, the judge recommended Drew perform an indefinite community service, despite his volatile behavior, inside and outside of court.
TV Actor Andy Griffith portrayed Ben Matlock for the duration of the Matlock television series. He also portrayed Charlie Matlock, Ben's father, in flashbacks.
Matlock is an American mystery legal drama television series created by Dean Hargrove and starring Andy Griffith in the title role of criminal defense attorney Ben Matlock. The show, produced by Intermedia Entertainment Company, The Fred Silverman Company, Dean Hargrove Productions and Viacom Productions, originally aired from March 3, 1986, to May 8, 1992, on NBC, then on ABC from November 5, 1992, to May 7, 1995.
Andy Samuel Griffith was an American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy-friendly personality, as well as his gruff but friendly voice, Griffith was a Tony Award nominee for two roles. He gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd (1957) and No Time for Sergeants (1958) before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead roles of Andy Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock (1986–1995).
Mayberry is a fictional community that was the setting for two popular American television sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Mayberry R.F.D. (1968–1971); Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reunion television film titled Return to Mayberry. The town is also frequently mentioned in the spin-off program Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and is seen when Pyle returns to visit his home town. Mayberry is said to be based on Andy Griffith's hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina. Mount Airy is also known as Mayberry and called by both names by its residents.
Johnnie Lee Cochran Jr. was an American attorney from California who was involved in numerous civil rights and police brutality cases throughout his 38-year career spanning from 1964 to 2002. Noted for his skill in the courtroom, he is best known for leading the so-called "Dream Team" during the murder trial of O.J. Simpson.
Innocence Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal organization that works to exonerate the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and other forms of post-conviction relief, as well as advocate for criminal justice reform to prevent future injustice. The group cites various studies estimating that in the United States between 1% and 10% of all prisoners are innocent. The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 by Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld who gained national attention in the mid-1990s as part of the "Dream Team" of lawyers who formed part of the defense in the O. J. Simpson murder case.
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor and director. He was well known for a number of TV roles from the 1960s through the 1980s, including his portrayal of Briscoe Darling in several episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, as Jesse Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979 to 1985, as Mad Jack in the NBC television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and as the titular character's father, Buck Webb, in CBS's The Doris Day Show. In many of his roles, he portrayed either authority figures, or gruff, demanding father figures, often as comic relief. Perhaps his most memorable film role was that of Texas Ranger Frank Hamer in the movie Bonnie and Clyde (1967), as the lawman who relentlessly chased down and finally killed the notorious duo in an ambush.
Survivor's Law is a 25-episode TVB drama broadcast between July 14, 2003 to August 15, 2003. It is the direct prequel to 2007's Survivor's Law II.
The Darlings are a fictional family of musically inclined hillbillies in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show.
Love Story in Harvard is a 2004 South Korean television series starring Kim Rae-won, Kim Tae-hee and Lee Jung-jin. It aired on SBS from November 22, 2004 to January 11, 2005 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.
Justice is an American legal drama produced by Jerry Bruckheimer that aired on Fox in the US and CTV in Canada. The series also aired on Warner Channel in Latin America, in Brazil also was aired on Rede Globo, Nine Network in Australia, and on TV2 in New Zealand.
Peter Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Chris Gascoyne from 2000 to 2023. The character of Peter was born on screen during an episode broadcast on 5 April 1965, he was born along with his twin sister Susan to parents Ken and Valerie Barlow. Gascoyne made his first appearance in the role during the 40th anniversary live episode airing on 8 December 2000. Gascoyne left the role in 2003 and returned in 2007 for a brief stint before returning full-time in 2008. In January 2014 it was confirmed that Gascoyne would be leaving once again. His final scenes aired on 14 November 2014. In April 2015, it was announced that Gascoyne would reprise the role for two episodes for the funeral of Deirdre Barlow and Peter returned on 15 July 2015 and left once again the following day. In July 2016, it was announced that Peter would be returning as a regular character, with his return airing on 17 October 2016. Peter departed the series again on 26 December 2023. Peter made a voice appearance on 24 January 2024. Peter's storylines have included a number of affairs, alcoholism and a custody battle involving his son Simon Barlow. Peter became involved in a bigamy storyline when he married Rovers barmaid Shelley Unwin and florist Lucy Richards. Having been discovered, Peter was left alone and fled Weatherfield. He returned briefly in 2007 when his adoptive sister Tracy Barlow was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Charlie Stubbs. He returned for good in 2008 with five-year-old Simon, whom he had by Lucy; who had since died from breast cancer. Peter began a relationship with Leanne Battersby and they married during the 50th anniversary episode; however, they divorced in 2012 after Peter's affair with Carla Connor was discovered. Peter later went on to marry Carla, and then had an affair with much younger Tina McIntyre. Peter was framed for Tina's murder by Rob Donovan and upon his release from prison, his marriage to Carla broke down and he left Weatherfield.
Liam Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rob James-Collier from 2006 to 2008.
Paul Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sean Gallagher, the character arrives with the rest of his family as one of Michelle Connor's two brothers, first appearing during an episode that aired on 6 September 2006. He was later killed off on 6 June 2007, following the actor's decision to leave the cast after only nine months.
Danielle Rose Melnick is a fictional character on the NBC crime drama Law & Order. She is portrayed by the actress Tovah Feldshuh. She made her first appearance on the show as Melnick in 1991, although Feldshuh had already appeared in an earlier 1991 episode entitled "Aria", where she plays a character very similar to Melnick but is a probate lawyer, not a litigator, and is unnamed.
Lawrence Ang Boon Kong is a Singaporean lawyer who specialises in corporate offences and criminal law.
John White Webster was an American professor of chemistry and geology at Harvard Medical College. In 1850, he was convicted of murder in the Parkman–Webster murder case and hanged.
Bobby Lee Cook was an American defense attorney from Summerville, Georgia, in Chattooga County. He had practiced law since the late 1940s, and is known for combining a sharp legal mind with a folksy demeanor. He had represented a wide variety of clients, from rural Southerners to international businessmen and corporations. He was reputed to have been the inspiration for the television series Matlock main character Ben Matlock, which starred Andy Griffith as a Georgia attorney.
Philip Joseph Shiner is a British former human rights solicitor. He was struck off the roll of solicitors in England and Wales in 2017 over misconduct relating to false abuse claims against British troops. He was Head of Strategic Litigation at Public Interest Lawyers (International) from 2014 until the firm's closure on 31 August 2016. He had previously been Principal at Public Interest Lawyers Ltd from 1999 to 2014.
On January 2, 2018, 19-year-old University of Pennsylvania sophomore Blaze Bernstein was killed after leaving home to meet an acquaintance at a park in California. Authorities later charged his former high school classmate Samuel Woodward with the murder, declaring that the incident was a hate crime.
{{cite web}}
: |last=
has generic name (help)