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Father knows best \u2014 on television, at least, where there are fabulous dads galore<\/a>, appearing in dramas, sitcoms and even teen murder mysteries. (F.P. Jones, that last one is for you and the constantly-in-peril kids of Riverdale<\/em><\/a>.)<\/p>\n Since the earliest days of TV, the wise and loving father<\/a> has been a programming staple, especially in classic comedies like Leave It to Beaver<\/em> (1957 to 1963) and The Andy Griffith Show<\/em> (1960 to 1968).<\/p>\n In the latter, Andy Griffith starred as Andy Taylor, father of Opie (Ron Howard<\/strong><\/a>) and sheriff of the small town of Mayberry, North Carolina. Howard was just 6 years old when he landed the role of Opie, a fact that Griffith took into account while working with the young actor.<\/p>\n \u201cHe treated me really well, but he made it a learning experience, not in a stern, taskmaster kind of a way, but I was really allowed a real insight into creativity and how things work and why some scenes were funny and others weren\u2019t,\u201d the Apollo 13<\/em> director said in 2010. \u201cThat insight has served me really well over the years. Andy was really kind to me, always playful and fun, but, by the same token, he wanted to get the work done.\u201d<\/p>\n No discussion of TV dads<\/a> is complete without the \u201990s, however, which gave the world beloved characters like Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson<\/a><\/strong>) from Family Matters<\/em> and Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller<\/a>) from Seinfeld<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cMy years on Family Matters<\/em> were precious to me,\u201d VelJohnson told The Hollywood Reporter<\/em><\/a> in 2015. \u201cDuring the run of the show, I saw many births, deaths, weddings. \u2026 The actual family on the show became my family. We still talk to each other to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n Stiller, another giant of the TV dad kingdom, at first passed on the role of George\u2019s father<\/a>, claiming that he had never heard of Seinfeld<\/em>, which was already a huge smash when he joined the show. Once he did take the part, though, his portrayal of Frank became an instant hit with fans.<\/p>\n \u201cWe never gave Jerry Stiller a note,\u201d Jerry Seinfeld<\/strong><\/a> said during a 2020 appearance<\/a> on the \u201cWhat a Joke With Papa and Fortune\u201d radio show. \u201cI never adjusted his performance once. Whatever he did, that\u2019s it. We\u2019re putting that out there. I don\u2019t know why he did it like that. I don\u2019t know why he screamed on that line. It doesn\u2019t matter. It\u2019s funny. So funny.\u201d<\/p>\n