On Oct. 3, 1960, The Andy Griffith Show aired its very first episode. The series followed Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor, Don Knotts as his sleepy deputy Barney Fife and Ron Howard as Andy’s son ...

The two-time Oscar winner has since helmed over 30 projects, but says fans calling him Opie or Richie doesn’t bother him anymore Howard, 71, began his career in Hollywood as a child star, famously ...

Howard also reflected on the show’s legacy in a September interview with PEOPLE In 1986, the surviving cast from the show reunited for a TV film, Return to Mayberry. In it, Andy — who married Aneta ...

Ron Howard tells PEOPLE how he and Paul McCartney connected and helped give him new perspective on his acting career Howard starred on two hit TV shows, The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, before ...