Who played Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show?

Ron Howard played Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. Opie was the young son of Sheriff Andy Taylor, played by Andy Griffith, and lived with his father in the fictional North Carolina town of Mayberry.

Howard joined the sitcom as a child actor when it premiered in 1960 and appeared throughout all eight seasons. He was credited as “Ronny Howard” during the show’s original run. Opie’s storylines often focused on childhood lessons, friendship, honesty, responsibility, and his relationship with his widowed father.

The role made Howard nationally famous, but it was only the beginning of his career. He later played Richie Cunningham on Happy Days and became an acclaimed film director, winning Academy Awards for A Beautiful Mind. A common mix-up is confusing Howard with Andy Griffith, who played Opie’s father, or Don Knotts, who played the comic deputy Barney Fife.