One of the great classic sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show, followed the life of Sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) in his small southern town of Mayberry, with all of its delightfully kooky residents.
Many of the show’s stars, like Griffith, Ron Howard and Don Knotts, had families outside of the show, or grew them after it went off the air. The cast also felt like family, as they’ve said since the show ended in 1968. For his role, Griffith was named one of the “50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time” by TV Guide.
“Andy was like a wonderful uncle to me,” Howard told PEOPLE after Griffith and Knotts visited him on the set of a movie he was directing. “He created an atmosphere of hard work and fun that I try to bring to my movies.” Griffith even attended Howard’s 1975 wedding to his wife, Cheryl.
Howard, who went on to become a director of films like Apollo 13 and The Da Vinci Code, credits the majority of his personal growth to his own four children. “I think I’ve probably learned more and grown more because I’m a father than for any other reason,” he told Parade in 2010.
Here’s everything to know about the kids of The Andy Griffith Show cast.
01 of 07
Andy Griffith’s 2 Children
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Andy Griffith with his first wife Barbara Edwards in the 1960s.
On The Andy Griffith Show, Griffith played Sheriff Andy Taylor, the straight-laced peacekeeper in the tiny town of Mayberry. Off camera, Griffith was married to fellow performer Barbara Edwards from 1949 to 1972, to Solica Cassuto from 1973 to 1981 and to Cindi Knight from 1983 until his death in 2012.
Griffith and Edwards adopted two children: Andy Samuel “Sam” Griffith Jr., born in December 1957, and Dixie Nann Griffith, born in September 1959. The family lived between California, where Griffith worked, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
When they were young, both Sam and Dixie appeared in The Lost Colony, a longstanding summer play on the Outer Banks; Griffith and Edwards had also performed in it for several seasons when they were younger.
“In 1972, I started out as a ‘colonist child’ making a whopping $10 a week,” Dixie told Carolina Country in 2020. “My dad was fully supportive and delighted that we were in the show.”
In his adult life, Sam worked as a real estate developer in Los Angeles. He struggled with substance abuse and legal trouble before dying in 1996, at age 38.
“It affected my dad on a very, very deep level,” Dixie told Fox News in 2018. “I went to my brother’s funeral service, but my dad wasn’t able to go. There would be too many magazines and cameras, and it just wasn’t a good place for him to be.”
Dixie also chose a life out of the spotlight, eventually moving to Colorado and having three daughters of her own. “My dad was fiercely protective of us,” she told The Denver Post in 2012. “I respected his privacy all my life. I have kept a pretty low profile, which I still plan on doing.”
After Griffith’s death, Dixie has been more involved in his legacy, executive producing the 2021 film Mayberry Man and working on the 2024 series of the same name. She has also appeared at fan events.
02 of 07
Don Knotts’ 2 Children
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Don Knotts with his family on March 2, 1961.
On the show, Don Knotts played Deputy Barney Fife, the comic sidekick to Sheriff Andy Taylor. Knotts was married three times: to Kathryn Metz from 1947 to 1964, Loralee Czuchna from 1974 to 1983 and Frances Yarborough from 2002 until his death in 2006.
Knotts and Metz had two children, Thomas Knotts and Karen Knotts. Their daughter is an actress and stand-up comedian. She has toured with her one-woman show Tied Up in Knotts and published a memoir of the same name, both about her father’s career.
“We didn’t see him a lot, because he worked 10, 12 hours a day,” Karen told Woman’s World in January 2025. “When he was home, he was always holed up in his room working on his lines and stuff like that, but he did take us down to the set quite a few times. I remember just walking around and seeing how interesting it was, because I had never been on a set before.”
“He was also a very loving father, though he was a very internal kind of person,” she added. “He liked to tell stories and talk; he talked a lot about other celebrities, like Jackie Gleason. He was a showbiz person through and though. We talked about show business a lot.”
Both Karen and Dixie have appeared at Mayberry Lucy Days, a fan celebration of The Andy Griffith Show and I Love Lucy.
03 of 07
Ron Howard’s 4 Children
Ron Howard was only 5 years old when he first appeared on the show, credited as “Little Ronnie Howard” in the opening titles. He played Opie, the young son of Andy, whose mother had died when he was just a baby, which is why Aunt Bee (Frances Bavier) comes to live with the family.
Howard was 14 when The Andy Griffith Show ended, and he met wife Cheryl Howard shortly after, when the two were in high school. They married in 1975, just a year into his starring role on Happy Days.
“I met her, and there was never anybody else,” Howard told PEOPLE in 2019, shortly after they celebrated their 44th anniversary. “She’s unbelievably supportive and always has been. Our compatibility has endured through all kinds of experiences.”
The couple have four children: daughter Bryce, twin daughters Paige and Jocelyn and son Reed.
Bryce, who was born on March 2, 1981, has become a movie star in her own right, starring in films like The Help and the Jurassic World franchise. If she had had her way, Bryce would have started her career even earlier.
“I think if I had the chance to act younger, I would’ve taken it. But I wasn’t allowed to,” she told PEOPLE in February 2024. “My parents were very firm on that boundary, that they were not going to support anyone who wanted to be a child actor.”
Bryce married husband Seth Gabel in 2006, and they have two kids: son Theodore Norman and daughter Beatrice Jean.
Twins Paige and Jocelyn were born on Feb. 5, 1985. Paige is an actress who has appeared in movies like Adventureland and shows like Arrested Development, and is the author of the children’s book A Pigeon Takes Flight: Petite in Paris. She married actor Timmy Abou Nasr in 2022.
Jocelyn lives a private life; she isn’t active on social media and prefers to stay out of the spotlight, though she does sometimes make red carpet appearances with her family.
Reed was born on April 12, 1987, and like Jocelyn, Reed chose not to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Instead, he became a golfer.
In Bryce’s 2019 documentary Dads, Reed talked about their Hollywood childhood.
“Instead of my mom just staying at home with the family and my dad traveling around, she knew my dad was a big time family guy, so every time we moved … she would find a house to rent and new schools for us,” he said.
Reed is married to Ashley Howard, and they have a daughter named Aspen Leigh.
04 of 07
George Lindsey’s 2 Children
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George Lindsey at the 12th Annual Golden Laurel Awards March 3, 2001 in Century City, CA.
George Lindsey played lovable Mayberry resident Goober Pyle, cousin to the town’s resident mechanic Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors), who became one of the show’s standout characters for his comic relief catchphrases like “Shazam!”
Lindsey was married to Joyanne Herbert from 1955 to 1991, and the couple had two children: son George Jr. was born in 1962, and daughter Camden was born in 1964.
George Jr. became an actor and appeared most recently in 2024’s Mayberry Man. Camden lives a private life with her husband, Russell Gardner, and their sons Carson and Andrew.
05 of 07
Howard McNear’s Son
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Howard McNear as Floyd Lawson on The Andy Griffith Show.
Howard McNear played Floyd Lawson, the town barber, on The Andy Griffith Show.
McNear was married to his wife, Helen, until his death, and they had one son together, Christopher McNear.
06 of 07
Hal Smith’s Son
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Hal Smith.
Hal Smith played Otis Campbell, the town’s “drunk,” who would often spend the night in Mayberry’s tiny jail.
Smith was married to his wife, Louise Smith, from 1947 until her death in 1992. They had one son, Terry Jay Smith, born in 1950.
Terry was a makeup and special effects artist. He died in 1998.
07 of 07
Jack Dodson’s 2 Daughters
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Jack Dodson as Senator Wayne Joplin in All’s Fair.
Jack Dodson played the county clerk on The Andy Griffith Show. Until his 1994 death, he was married to Mary Dodson, who worked as an art director on film and television productions.
They had two daughters: Amy and Cristina Dodson. Amy works in the entertainment industry in costume departments, and Cristina lives a private life.