Try telling viewers of a certain age about the immense popularity of “The Andy Griffith Show” back in the day and you’re likely to be met by blank stares, quite a number of follow-up questions, or both. Looking back, it may be surprising to realize that neither Andy Griffith nor the show itself garnered any major awards love throughout the eight seasons it was on the air, never resulted in much of any real merchandising profits during its run (which was a rarity at the time), and even met a somewhat ignominious end when Griffith was written out of the sitcom series and the entire production became rebranded as “Mayberry R.F.D.”
In between those extremes, however, “The Andy Griffith Show” maintained its status as a consistent ratings juggernaut throughout each and every year and vaulted its cast to stardom. Buoyed by Griffith’s “Aw shucks” small-town and square-jawed heroic appeal, an all-time classic opening theme song, and an overall tone suitable for all ages and especially kids, the hit show has managed to cast a very long shadow.
In the decades since its premiere in October of 1960, however, it’d be the understatement of the century to say that quite a lot has changed. While Griffith’s Sheriff Andy Taylor and his supporting cast of various friends and family in the fictional town of Mayberry, North Carolina will always rank among the best sitcom characters ever, the long years have left their mark on the stars and fans alike. By now, many of the actors have long since passed away, including Griffith himself in 2012, but there still remain a number of living links to the show — including a few very familiar faces. Here’s all the major actors still alive from “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Ron Howard
You recognize that rascally redhead with a spark in his eyes, don’t you? Long before he took the reins on “Willow,” blasted Tom Hanks into space on an ill-fated mission, and provided the perfect amount of deadpan comedy as the narrator on “Arrested Development,” Ron Howard got his first prominent role in the industry by landing the gig of a lifetime on “The Andy Griffith Show” at an incredibly early age. As Sheriff Taylor’s young son Opie, Howard appeared in the vast majority of episodes (well over 200 of them) and thoroughly put his widowed father’s parenting skills to the test. In essence, audiences were able to watch the fresh-faced Howard grow up right in front of their eyes throughout the eight seasons of the sitcom, getting a taste of all the nuances and complexities inherent in the idea of growing up into one’s teenage years alongside Opie.
In the decades since, Howard continued to act (most famously appearing in George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” in 1973) before ultimately returning to his clear passion: directing. By the early 2000s, the filmmaker had fully established himself as a supremely confident and capable journeyman with several box office hits and critically acclaimed films under his belt — from “A Beautiful Mind,” “Cinderella Man,” and “Frost/Nixon” to more recent efforts such as “Rush,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story” (which he famously took over mid-production and brought across the finish line), and last year’s “Thirteen Lives.” Now 69 years old, Howard shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. But for many fans, he’ll always be the freckled and surprisingly kind-hearted Opie.
Oh, and fun fact: his younger brother Clint also appeared in a few episodes of the show (without any lines) as a kid named Leon. Two Howards? In this economy?
Elinor Donahue
One of the recurring storylines in “The Andy Griffith Show” was that, as a widower, Andy Taylor was always on the lookout for a love interest. One of the earliest such characters intended to become a series regular was Ellie Walker, played by Elinor Donahue. A local pharmacist who only appeared in a handful of episodes in the first season, Ellie nonetheless made her presence felt on Mayberry. Beyond her flirty friendship-turned-romance with Andy, one significant storyline featured her running for town council. Facing fierce resistance due to the historically male-dominated position, the episode (titled “Ellie for Council”) follows her tireless efforts to prove such antiquated notions wrong and marks one of the rare instances of an episode aired in the 1960s that directly tackled the idea of equality between the sexes.
Donahue ultimately parted ways with the show for several reasons, among them a perceived lack of chemistry with Griffith, as she explained in an interview with Television Academy. “I had a three-year contract for that show, but at the end of the first year I asked to be let out of it, because I didn’t feel that I was playing the role properly. I just didn’t feel right about it. In retrospect, from things that people have said to me — very lovely things — I was doing okay. I was just not a happy camper and there was no point in my trying to continue with it.” To her credit, the actor leveraged her big breakout on the 1950s sitcom “Father Knows Best” and went on to have a long and successful career in television, with notable stops at “Star Trek: The Original Series,” “The Odd Couple,” “Get A Life,” and even the soap opera “Days of our Lives.” Currently retired, Donahue is now 86 years old.
Richard Keith
Even a kid as independent, mature, and well-adjusted as Opie needed a whole gang of friends to run around with while his dad was out on the town keeping the peace. One of his regular classmates, Johnny Paul Jason, was portrayed by actor Richard Keith for a total of 13 episodes between the third and sixth seasons. His first real moment to shine came in the classic episode “Andy Discovers America,” set predominantly in Opie’s school classroom where, thanks to a somewhat flippant comment made by Andy during breakfast about the subject of history, he and Opie’s entire class are taken to school (literally and figuratively) by their cranky old teacher Helen Crump (Aneta Corsaut). Throughout the years, Johnny and Opie and the rest of their group of friends would get up to all kinds of mischief together — though not without learning a few important life lessons along the way.
Keith, remarkably enough, already had plenty of television experience by the time he joined “The Andy Griffith Show.” He would be most recognizable to viewers for appearing in both “I Love Lucy” and its follow-up, “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour,” as the son of Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz). However, unlike many of his co-stars, “The Andy Griffith Show” would represent his last major acting role as he pivoted towards a career in music as part of the rock band David and the Giants. Although he would always hold his experiences on “The Andy Griffith Show” dearly, his deeper connection to Lucille Balle and Desi Arnaz would be made apparent after he published his autobiography “Life After Lucy” in 1994. At the age of 72, he remains the sole recurring cast member still living from “I Love Lucy.”
Dennis Rush
Another of Opie’s close friends, Howie Pruitt was played by Dennis Rush and was initially established as one of the more rambunctious kids in Opie’s class. Frequently seen joining Opie on adventures all around Mayberry and, on one memorable occasion, play-acting as one of Robin Hood’s men in the woods in an episode that deals with surprisingly complicated themes (titled “Opie and His Merry Men”), Howie stood out in the early going as one of the more prominent of the children in the series. Ultimately, the character would appear in only eight total episodes spread out between seasons 3, 4, and 5.
As for Rush, however, “The Andy Griffith Show” wasn’t the only high point in his brief acting career. Prior to joining the show, he had made appearances on such notable works as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” the original “Perry Mason” series, and, in an interesting coincidence with his co-star Richard Keith, an episode of “The Lucy Show.” During one of the “Mayberry Days” festival celebrations held annually in Mount Airy, North Carolina, Rush spoke to local outlet WRAL News about his opportunity to add just a small but vital contribution to “The Andy Griffith Show,” saying, “And I got to be in eight episodes over about a two-and-a-half-year period, and it was just the best of the best.”
Incredibly enough, he first got his start in showbiz by being in the right place at just the right time. While having lunch his film editor father at the age of 5, none other than James Cagney walked by them. On the lookout for someone to play his character’s son in a movie, Cagney realized that Rush looked exactly like himself and cast him in 1957’s “Man of a Thousand Faces.”
Sheldon Collins
Finally, the last of Opie’s friend group was bestie Arnold Bailey. Portrayed by Sheldon Collins, he has the rare distinction of appearing in nine episodes of the latter seasons of “The Andy Griffith Show” (seasons seven and eight, to be precise, which were aired in color) and in two additional episodes of the retooled “Mayberry R.F.D.” follow-up series, as well. Arnold’s first appearance came in “Opie Finds a Baby,” which involves Opie and Arnold stumbling across an abandoned baby and their efforts to find a new home for the infant. For his part, Collins similarly found early success as a child actor by snagging roles in productions that would go on to become all-time classics. He appeared in “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Star Trek: The Original Series,” and “I Dream of Jeannie” before he made his exit from acting by 1972. He’s since put together a new career as a dentist, which he’s done since 1986.
