Sheriff Andy Taylor
Sheriff Andrew Jackson Taylor is the main character on
The Andy Griffith Show, an
American sitcom of the
1960s. He was played by
Andy Griffith.
Andy Taylor is a widowed father to his son
Opie Taylor and lives with his
Aunt Bee who helps take care of Opie. He is also the Sheriff and
Justice of the peace of a fictional small town called
Mayberry which is in
North Carolina. He has a bumbling deputy named
Barney Fife and later one named Warren.
The character of Sheriff Taylor was first introduced on an episode of
Danny Thomas's TV show,
The Danny Thomas Show, in which Thomas's character was stopped by Sheriff Taylor for speeding through the small North Carolina town where Taylor served.
Andy Taylor had a laid-back approach to law enforcement, making him an ideal sheriff for the sleepy town of Mayberry. He seemed to have an understanding of the people of Mayberry, and regularly made exceptions to the rules. Under his jurisdiction, Mayberry rarely saw much crime, with the notable exception of
moonshining which seemed to be quite prevalent. His law enforcement style often contrasted with his overzealous deputy, Barney Fife, who took law and order much more seriously. Often, Andy served as
straight man to Barney's antics. Andy regularly used
reverse psychology on people when it was for their own good. Andy seemed to have a keen eye for dubious situations, and often tricked people into making the right decision or seeing their own mistakes.
Andy had several love interests throughout the show's run, but his first main girlfriend on the series was Ellie Walker, the town druggist (
Elinor Donahue). However, producers didn't like the chemistry between Andy and Ellie, and the character was dropped from the series at the conclusion of the first season. In Season 2 the producers tried again to give Andy a steady girlfriend in Mary Simpson, the County Nurse, but this love interest was dropped from the show as well. The producers later discovered a long-term love interest in his son Opie's school teacher,
Helen Crump. Helen remained Andy's girlfriend throughout the rest of the series, and the two were eventually married at the series end.
Andy Taylor left Mayberry following his marriage to Helen Crump at the end of the eighth season, whereupon the show became
Mayberry RFD.
