Emmett Forrest

William Emmett Forrest, Jr. (September 3, 1927 – January 12, 2013) was an American pop culture collector, museum founder, and longtime friend of actor Andy Griffith. Forrest was an extensive collector of memorabilia spanning Griffith's career. He persuaded Andy Griffith to donate set pieces and other items from the Andy Griffith Show. Forrest used his collection to found the Andy Griffith Museum in Mount Airy, North Carolina, which opened to the public on September 26, 2009.

Forrest was born in Gaston County, North Carolina, on September 3, 1927, William Emmett Forrest, Sr. and Margaret Haynes Forrest. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. The 2,500-square-foot museum, located less than a mile from Griffith's childhood home, cost approximately $500,000 to construct.

Emmett Forrest died from a long illness on the morning of January 12, 2013, at the Joan and Howard Woltz Hospice Home in Dobson, North Carolina, at the age of 85. He was predeceased by his wife, Barbara King Forrest, and survived by two daughters and a son.