Who played Aunt Bee Taylor?

Frances Bavier played Aunt Bee Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. Her character, Aunt Bee, was Andy Taylor's aunt and the warm-hearted housekeeper who helped anchor the Taylor household in Mayberry.

Aunt Bee first appeared in the show's premiere episode, “The New Housekeeper,” in 1960. She returned to Mayberry after Andy's previous housekeeper married and left, taking responsibility for the home and helping care for Andy's young son, Opie.

Bavier brought a theatrical background to the role. She had worked in New York theater and appeared in films and television before becoming nationally known as Aunt Bee. Although the character was associated with traditional domestic warmth, Bavier's performance also gave Bee a firm personality and comic exasperation.

Bavier remained with The Andy Griffith Show for all eight seasons and continued as Aunt Bee for the first two seasons of the spin-off Mayberry R.F.D. She won the 1967 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy. Ellen Corby, Margaret Hamilton, and Hope Summers were other actresses, but none played Aunt Bee on this series.