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Actors and Actresses That Appeared on The Andy Griffith Show

One fascinating thing about the show is that some characters are so strong you think they were in scores of episodes, yet, in reality, they were in very few. Ernest T. Bass comes to mind. This character portrayed by Howard Morris was only on five episodes, although Morris appeared on one other as a television repairman. His voice was on two different episodes. The character was so strong people assumed he was on many more.

Of the 249 episodes (250 if you count the Pilot, which I do) filmed, only Andy himself appeared in all of them. Surprisingly, Ron Howard came in second with 202 (plus 41 credits only, plus the Pilot) appearances. Frances Bavier ("Aunt Bee") appeared on 175 (including the Pilot plus 13 credits only), while Don Knotts was on 142 (plus 21 credits only). Surprisingly, no other character reached the 100-show mark. George Lindsey, Howard McNear, and Aneta Corsaut were the only ones to appear in at least 50 episodes. Jack Dodson, Hope Summers, and Hal Smith made over 30 appearances. Betty Lynn made 26 and Jim Nabors 23 episodes. All others were fewer than 20 episodes, including "Emmett Clark," "Ellie Walker" and "Warren Ferguson." Even "Ernest T. Bass" and "The Darlings" made fewer than ten episodes. The writing, casting, and directing were so flawless that it makes you think they were on most of the episodes.

It all started as an episode of Make Room For Daddy with Danny Thomas in an episode entitled "Danny Meets Andy Griffith," which aired on February 15, 1960. This show introduced the world to Mayberry, North Carolina, widower Sheriff Andy Taylor, and his son Opie. Francis Bavier also appeared in this episode but not as "Aunt Bee." She was "Henrietta Perkins." Others later appearing on The Andy Griffith Show include Will Wright, Frank Cady, and Rance Howard. This pilot episode was the true beginning of the show.

During the shows run, many actors and actresses that went on to star in movies and television shows appeared, including Barbara Eden, Buddy Ebsen, Edgar Buchanan, Don Rickles, Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jr., Frank Cady, Alvy Moore, Sid Melton, Mary Grace Canfield, Hank Patterson, Howard Hesseman (credited as Don Sturdy), James Best, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, Gavin MacLeod, Julie Adams, Dabbs Greer, Rob Reiner, Denver Pyle, Bo Hopkins, Lee Van Cleef, Helen Kleeb, Mary Jackson, Dub Taylor, Richard Bull, Karl Swenson, Ellen Corby, Arte Johnson, Dick Haynes, Terri Garr, Elinor Donahue, and Ronnie Schell, George Nader and Casey Adams (aka Max Showalter). Even Jack Nicholson made two appearances on the show! Actors Howard Morris "Ernest T. Bass" and Richard Crenna directed eight TAGS episodes.

Barbara Griffith, Andy Griffith's first wife, appeared in one episode. Andy's father, Carl Lee Griffith, appears as "The man with the brown paper package" in the episode "The Farmer Takes a Wife." Ron Howard's father, Rance, and brother, Clint, appeared in some episodes.

My list only includes the announcer Colin Male for his appearance onscreen as a forest ranger on the show. Colin Male was the announcer for over 90 of the early episodes. I consider the announcer similar to a crew member, director, etc., but not a cast member. That is just my personal view, and others no doubt will disagree.

Over 600 actors appeared on the show, not counting "Dolly the Horse" or "Old Sam the Fish." Close to 500 had "credited" roles. Scores of "extras" would likely push the list up much higher. Many unknown extras are shown in various group scenes during the show, such as Barney returning and the class reunion show.

The names below with ** after them have exemplars shown herein. The following is a list of cast members on at least five episodes, excluding Colin Male. I thought about Thomas Jacobs and Joe Crehan since they were primarily extras, but I have left them on the list. Jacobs is listed with 72 episodes but credited in only two of those. Crehan was in at least 13 episodes, but like Jacobs credited only in two.

The number of episodes below are on screen only. For example, Don Knotts is credited with 162 episodes but was only seen in 141 of those. He was named in the credits of 21 episodes that he did not appear in. I have only used the 141 that he was actually seen. Ron Howard is more complicated since technically in the opening credits he and Andy appear in all the episodes. He is credited in 243 episodes but only appears on screen in 202. He is credit only in 41 episodes.

Andy Griffith "Andy Taylor" 249 episodes**(plus the Pilot)
Ron Howard "Opie Taylor" 202 **(plus the Pilot)
Frances Bavier "Aunt Bee Taylor" 175** (plus the Pilot)
Don Knotts "Barney Fife" 141**
George Lindsey "Goober Pyle" 86**
Howard McNear "Floyd Lawson" 80**
Tom Jacobs "Councilman" and "Mayberry Citizen" (72)
Aneta Corsaut "Helen Crump" 66**
Jack Dodson "Howard Sprague" 38**
Hope Summers "Clara Edwards" 32**
Hal Smith "Otis Campbell" 32**
Betty Lynn "Thelma Lou" 26**
Jim Nabors "Gomer Pyle" 23**
Paul Hartman "Emmett Clark) 16**
Mary Lansing "Martha Clark" 15
Burt Mustin "Jud Fletcher & others" 14**
Robert McQuain "Joe Waters & others" 14
Richard Keith "Johnny Paul Jason" 13**
Joseph Crehan "Mayberry Citizen" 13**
Elinor Donahue "Ellie Walker" 12**
Jack Burns "Warren Ferguson" 11**
Dick Elliott "Mayor Pike" 11**
Joseph H. Hamilton "Mayberry Citizen" 11**
Sheldon Collins "Arnold Bailey" 9**
Roy Engel "Mayberry Citizen" 8**
Allan Melvin "Various Parts" 8**
Dennis Rush "Howie Pruitt" 8 **
Howard Morris "Ernest T. Bass" 8**
Rhonda Jeter "Karen Burgess & others" 8
Parley Baer "Mayor Stoner" 7**
Charles P. Thompson "Old Asa" later "Doc Roberts" 7**
William Keene "Rev. Tucker" 6
Jack Prince "Rafe Hollister" 6**
Janet Stewart (Bernice and others) 6
Forrest Lewis (Cy Hudgins; Mayberry Citizen) 6**
Joy Ellison (Effie Muggins and others) 6
Cheerio Meredith "Emma Brand" 6**
Norman Leavitt ("Wally" and others) 6**
Maggie Peterson Mancuso "Charlene Darling" 6**
Denver Pyle "Briscoe Darling" 6**
Doug Dillard (Darling brother) 6**
Rodney Dillard (Darling brother) 6**
Mitch Jayne (Darling brother) 6**
Dean Webb (Darling brother) 6**
Olan Soule (Choirmaster John Masters/hotel clerk) 5**
Jason Johnson (Mr. Weaver & others) 5
Frank Ferguson (Mr. Foley, Sam Lindsey, Wilbur Pine) 5**
Amzie Strickland (Myra Tucker & others) 5**
Sherwood Keith (Sam) 5 **
Warren Parker (County Fair Judge) 5
George Cisar [NOT the baseball player with the same name] (Cyrus Tankersley) 5
Frank Warren (Art Crowley the grocer) 5
Ruth Thom (Ella Carson) 5
Maudie Prickett (Aunt Nora and Mrs. Larch) 5**
Clint Howard (Leon) 5**
Sam Edwards (Tom Bedlow & others) 5**

These figures change as I find other episodes. To make these autographs a bit easier for people to see, I will make a list of the autographs in the reply section below. That way, if you are looking for a particular individual, you can scroll down to find them in this discussion. The autographs below are people who were on at least two episodes of the show. There is another discussion for those that appeared on only one show and another for "extras."

1. Jack Dodson "Howard Sprague"
2. Hope Summers "Clara"
3. Sheldon Collins "Arnold"
4. Allan Melvin. Many roles.
5. James Best. "Jim Lindsey"
6. Joseph H. Hamilton. "Jase," "Choney," and "Chester Jones"
7. Mary Treen. "Rose" and "Clara Lindsey."
8. Jonathan Hole "Orville Monroe" in three episodes.
9. Richard Keith (aka Keith Thibodeaux)
10. Margaret Kerry
11. Ron Howard
12. Sam Edwards
13. Burt Mustin
14. Byron Foulger
15. Arthur Malet
16. Denver Pyle
17. Doug Dillard
18. Rodney Dillard
19. Mitch Jayne
20. Dean Webb
21. Maggie Peterson
22. Doodles Weaver (aka Red Marshall)
23. Joe Crehan
24. Parley Baer
25. Rance Howard
26. Emory Parnell
27. Joyce Jameson
28. Amzie Strickland
29. Jack Burns
30. Ken Lynch
31. Thomas Jacobs
32. Chubby Johnson
33. Arthur Hunnicutt
34. Richard Poston
35. Jon Lormer
36. James McCallion
37. Richard Collier
38. Paul Hartman
39. Dennis Rush
40. Sherwood Keith
41. Tod Andrews (AKA Michael Ames)
42. Robert Emhardt
43. Sylvia Lewis
44. Howard McNear
45. Dick Elliott
46. Charles P. Thompson
47. Aneta Corsaut

Tags: Andy, Bavier, Don, Frances, Griffith, Howard, Jack, Ken, Knotts, Lynch, More…Nicholson, Ron

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on March 25, 2024 at 3:03pm

PAUL HARTMAN aka Emmett Clark on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R. F. D. This is a link to a Paul Hartman card that Jamie shared with the group.

Paul Hartman Signature - Autograph Live (autographmagazine.com)

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on January 6, 2023 at 12:41pm

DUB TAYLOR (1907-1994) was a great western comic relief actor as "Cannonball Boggs" or sometimes Cannonball Taylor. Dub did scores of television shows such as Hazel, Perry Mason, The Wild, Wild West, The Odd Couple, Hawaii Five-O, and seven episodes of Gunsmoke. On TAGS, he appears four times as different characters, including two as the Mayberry postman. Dub was the father of Gunsmoke actor Buck Taylor. This is a 3x5 pale orange (the scan makes it look pink) index card from 1987.

Permalink Reply by Frank Johnson on February 13, 2023 at 12:08pm

Very detailed and informative information. I am sure many current and future collectors will use this quite often.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on February 13, 2023 at 5:50pm

Thank you Frank I appreciate it.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on March 6, 2024 at 9:30am

DENNIS RUSH (1952- ) was discovered by none other than James Cagney who had him play the young Lon Chaney in The Man of a Thousand Faces (1957). Rush would go on to do such television shows as Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wagon Train, The Lucy Show, My Favorite Martian and Perry Mason. He is best known as Opie's friend "Howie Pruitt" in 8 episodes of TAGS from 1963-65. This is a 3x5 card.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on March 8, 2024 at 7:00am

SHERWOOD KEITH (1912-1972) was a character actor whose name might not be familiar, but his face may be. He worked primarily in television but did appear as the doorman in the Barbara Streisand movie Funny Girl in 1968. He had been in the movie Dear Brigitte with Jimmy Stewart in 1965. In 1971 he appeared as "Stokes" in the Lon Chaney, Jr. and John Carradine horror film House of the Black Death. On television he appeared on The Donna Reed Show, Perry Mason, The Man from U. N.C. L. E., The Real McCoys, Bat Masterson, Have Gun Will Travel, among others. On The Andy Griffith Show he was in five episodes. If we assume he is playing the same man in each of the episodes he is called "Sam" in his first three appearances. In the fourth "Aunt Bee's Brief Encounter" (1961) he is Mr. Murray a travelling repairman, tinker, etc. In the fifth he is Merle a town councilman. Like many character and bit part players his autograph is rare in any form. This is from a document in 1958.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on April 1, 2024 at 6:49am

SHERWOOD KEITH from the TAGS episode "Aunt Bee's Brief Encounter."

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on April 3, 2024 at 5:42pm

SHERWOOD KEITH in Floyd's Barber Shop from left to right Frank Warren, Sherwood Keith and Howard McNear. This was from the episode "The Jinx" with John Qualen.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on March 14, 2024 at 11:16am

TOD ANDREWS aka MICHAEL AMES (1914-1972) was of cast in roles similar to Ronald Reagan. He appeared in It Came From Hell (1957), Between Heaven and Hell (1956), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), and two that came out after his death The Baby (1973) and The President's Plane Is Missing (1973). He appeared on television shows such as Gunsmoke, Suspense, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond and many more. He was in two episodes of The Andy Griffith Show in 1961 "The Inspector" and in 1968 "A Girl for Goober." This is a John Verzi in person card from 1966 signed as Michael Ames.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on March 14, 2024 at 2:56pm

ROBERT EMHARDT (1914-1994) the large man who resembled Sydney Greenstreet was often cast as a villain or authority figure. He appeared more in television than movies although he did his share of those. He was in an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Twilight Zone and The Brady Bunch among many others. Emhardt did two TAGS episodes playing Malcolm Tucker in the 1963 episode "A Man in a Hurry" and a 1966 episode as Willard Foster in "The Foster Lady." His is a scarce autograph to find.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on March 15, 2024 at 10:37am

SYLVIA LEWIS (1931- ) began her career in mostly small uncredited roles as a dancer. She was in a Three Stooges short called Bedlam in Paradise (1955) she began getting credited roles in such shows as The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show, The Bob Cummings Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, Gomer Pyle: USMC, and the Jerry Lewis movie Hook, Line and Sinker (1969). She appeared on two episodes of The Andy Griffith Show playing Flossie in "Banjo Playing Deputy" in 1965, and as a dancer in "A Singer in Town" in 1966. This is an illustrated 3x5 sheet.

Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on March 18, 2024 at 2:20pm

HOWARD MCNEAR (1905-1969) with the exception of Don Knotts perhaps no other TAGS character is as beloved as Howard McNear aka Floyd Lawson the barber of Mayberry. McNear was part of the radio show Gunsmoke where he played "Doc Adams." He was a character actor who appeared in numerous movies and television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. One credited role was in the Jimmy Stewart comedy Bell, Book and Candle (1958). In 1959 he was in another Jimmy Stewart movie this time the classic Anatomy of a Murder playing Dr. Dompierre. His was among the very controversial scenes in the movie since both he and Jimmy Stewart use the word "sperm." Jimmy showing a pair of lady's panties was another shocking scene. McNear played his role in a serious and realistic fashion proving he was not just Floyd the Barber.

McNear certainly will first and foremost be remembered for bringing to life Floyd Lawson. When McNear suffered a debilitating stroke, it was Andy Griffith who refused to give up on him. Andy made sure that when McNear returned his scenes would be shot so he was either sitting or was filmed sitting on a specially built stool that could not be seen. He also often had something in his left hand. He was featured in his last entitled "Goober's Contest" episode that aired April 10, 1967. Floyd then retired and Emmett Clark (Paul Hartman) buys his barbershop and makes it into "Emmett's Fixit Shop." Less than two years later just before his 64th birthday McNear died on January 3, 1969.

Of the dozen major actors/actresses who appeared in at least 20 episodes (not counting announcer Colin Male or extra Tom Jacobs) on The Andy Griffith Show his is the rarest autograph. This is my McNear a pre-stroke example.