One of the most beloved Hollywood stars in the history of television, in particular, was actress Frances Bavier, who died in 1989 at age 85. The likable actress became best known for her compassionate and nurturing role as Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show (CBS, 1960-1968). Technically, Bavier’s Bee wasn’t a mother, but she might as well have been. As an aunt to Griffith’s widowed and single-parent Sheriff Andy Taylor, and a grant aunt to Andy’s young son, Opie, played by Ronny Howard, Bee was just as kind and maternal to both characters as any mother would have been.
