List of The Andy Griffith Show characters

The following is a list of characters of The Andy Griffith Show, an American sitcom television series, starring Andy Griffith. The series ran for eight seasons on CBS between October 3, 1960, and April 1, 1968.

Main

Character Seasons No. of
episodes
Actor Brief description
Andy Taylor 1–8 249 Andy Griffith Sheriff of Mayberry; father (widower) of Opie
Opie Taylor 1–8 209 Ronny Howard Son of Andy Taylor
Barney Fife 1–5 141 Don Knotts Deputy Sheriff of Mayberry
Aunt Bee 1–8 175 Frances Bavier Andy's paternal aunt

Sheriff Andrew Jackson "Andy" Taylor is Sheriff and Justice of the Peace of Mayberry. He is genial, good-natured and endears himself to the townsfolk with an air of good will, polite charm and keeps the peace by using common sense. He refuses to wear a gun or formalize his uniform with a tie, as he feels a relaxed image makes him more approachable. Andy is a widower with a young son, Opie, and tries to raise him with good sense and good values. Also in his home is his paternal Aunt Bee who arrives in the home shortly after the previous housekeeper, Rose, marries and moves away. Although a widower, Andy has a steady string of girlfriends, but his longest-lasting relationship is with Helen Crump, Opie's teacher, whom he eventually marries, moves out of Mayberry with, becomes a U.S. Postal Inspector, and moves back to Mayberry and runs for Sheriff.

Opie Taylor is the son of Andy Taylor. A good-hearted, normal little boy (about six when the series began), most of Opie's lessons come from his close relationship with his father, and his Great Aunt Bee. He is not prone to get into trouble and that probably has to do with spending a great deal of time around the jail. At one point, Aunt Bee considers this to be a bad influence and when Opie runs away from home briefly, she relents and allows him to visit the jail after school on a conditional basis.

Barney and Gomer Pyle

Deputy Bernard P. "Barney" Fife is Deputy Sheriff of Mayberry. Thin, wiry and high-strung, Barney fancies himself an expert lawman even though—in reality—he is actually a bumbling goof. In episodes 001 and 002, Andy refers to him as "Cousin Barney". In episode 025, his middle name is said to be "Oliver"; in episode 082, his middle name according to his high school yearbook is "Milton", in episode 157 (season 5) his middle initial is repeated as "P". He considers his position to be essential to keeping Mayberry safe. Even though the town has very little crime, he dubs the town: "Mayberry, Gateway to Danger". Andy keeps Barney's crime-fighting shenanigans to a reasonable level, but tries to never step on his ego. For safety reasons, he only allows Barney to carry one bullet, which he keeps in his shirt pocket until needed. Often, when the bullet is employed, Barney accidentally shoots the bullet into the floor, narrowly missing his own foot. Like Andy, he has a steady stream of girlfriends, but his longest lasting relationship is with Thelma Lou. In episode 028, Barney has just met Thelma Lou at the "Junction Diner". In season five, he takes a job as a detective in Raleigh, leaving Mayberry, but returns in seasons six through eight for guest appearances.

Beatrice "Aunt Bee" Taylor is Andy's paternal aunt. Aunt Bee is a spinster in her late-50s who raised Andy. She was living alone in West Virginia when Andy invited her to come to live with him and Opie, after their housekeeper Rose got married and moved away. Aunt Bee is a motherly figure who takes the place of Opie's late mother and dotes over the boy, caring for his welfare and taking care of Andy as well. She is prominent in town, a respected lady who spends her time helping with social functions and church events. She is prone to spend time with her friends gossiping about the town's citizens.

Recurring

Name Seasons No. of
episodes
Played by Brief character summary
Goober Pyle 4–8 86 George Lindsey Auto mechanic and cousin of Gomer Pyle
Floyd Lawson 1–7 80 Howard McNear The barber
Helen Crump 3–8 66 Aneta Corsaut School teacher and Andy's girlfriend in later episodes
Howard Sprague 6–8 37 Jack Dodson The milquetoast county clerk
Otis Campbell 1–7 32 Hal Smith The town drunk who lets himself into the jail to sleep it off
Clara Edwards 1–8 31 Hope Summers aka Clara Johnson, Bertha Edwards; a widow who is Aunt Bee's best friend
Thelma Lou 1–6 26 Betty Lynn Barney’s girlfriend. Her last name was never revealed.
Gomer Pyle 3–4 23 Jim Nabors Dim-witted mechanic at Wally's Filling Station; a deputy when needed; joins the United States Marine Corps
Emmett Clark 8 16 Paul Hartman Fix-it shop owner/operator
Ellie Walker 1 12 Elinor Donahue Andy's first girlfriend of the series; pharmacist at drug store
Johnny Paul Jason 3–6 11 Richard Keith Opie's best friend
Deputy Warren Ferguson 6 11 Jack Burns Floyd's nephew; replaces Barney
Mayor Pike 1–2 11 Dick Elliott Mayor of Mayberry
Jud Fletcher 1–7 8 Burt Mustin Elderly citizen of Mayberry
Mayor Roy Stoner 3 7 Parley Baer Mayor of Mayberry
Briscoe Darling 3–7 6 Denver Pyle Head of The Darlings
Charlene Darling 3–7 5 Maggie Peterson Briscoe Darling's daughter. Had a crush on Andy.
Reverend Hobart M. Tucker 3–8 6 William Keene Pastor of All Souls Church
The Darling Boys 3–7 6 The Dillards Musical brothers played by real-life bluegrass band
Ben Weaver 1–8 6 Will Wright/Tol Avery Miserly old landlord and department store owner
Emma Watson 1–2 6 Cheerio Meredith aka Emma Brand
Ernest T. Bass 3–6 5 Howard Morris A troublemaking mountain man
Asa Breeney 3–5 5 Charles P. Thompson The elderly (always sleeping) Mayberry Bank guard
John Masters 2–5 5 Olan Soule Choir director and hotel manager
Leon 2–4 5 Clint Howard Toddler in a cowboy outfit
Peggy McMillan 3 4 Joanna Moore Andy's girlfriend and nurse
Sam Jones 8 4 Ken Berry Widowed farmer
Rafe Hollister 2–3 3 Jack Prince Local farmer and moonshiner
Wally 3
4
6
7
5 Trevor Bardette
Norman Leavitt (2)
Cliff Norton
Blackie Hunt
Owner of the filling station where Gomer and later Goober work
Martha Clark 8 3 Mary Lansing Emmett's wife
Trey Bowden 4 3 David Alan Bailey Opie's friend
Daphne 3–5 3 Jean Carson One of “The Fun Girls
Skippy 3–5 3 Joyce Jameson The other “Fun Girl”
Malcolm Merriweather 3–6 3 Bernard Fox English valet
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