What ever happened to the kids from The Andy Griffith Show?

Catch up with Johnny Paul Jason, Arnold Bailey and more from Mayberry.

Ron Howard is arguably the most successful child star of all time. Following The Andy Griffith Show, he went on to another iconic television role as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days, and then, of course, became one of Hollywood's most reliable directors of blockbusters. 

We're guessing you already knew what happened to Opie.

But what about Opie's friends, girlfriends, schoolmates and bullies? The Andy Griffith Show featured many memorable young actors. Some, like Ronda Jeter, who portrayed a few of Opie's crushes, were hard to find. In fact, she had no other acting credits outside of Mayberry. But we were able to catch up the following Mayberry kids.

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1. Sheldon Collins, Opie's good pal Arnold

In "Opie's First Love," Opie is crushing hard on Mary Alice Carter. He can barely muster the courage to ask her to Arnold Bailey's 13th birthday part. "Even when I ask her for an eraser, my mouth gets all dry," Opie confesses to his friend. "So what's the difference?" Arnold says. "So you'll have a dry mouth when you ask her." Turns out, Sheldon Collins, real name Dr. Sheldon Golomb, would know a lot about dry mouth. Years after playing Opie's best friend in dozen episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Golomb became a dentist. He even hung a signed photo from Andy Griffith in his office.

2. Morgan Brittany, "Opie's First Love"

So what about Mary Alice Carter? Well, Morgan Brittany went on to one many recurring role on television, playing Katherine Wentworth in 50-plus episodes of Dallas. More recently, Brittany has become a conservative voice for right-wing women as one of the "PolitiChicks."

Image: The Everett Collection

3. Ronnie Dapo, "The Spoiled Kid"

You might remember Dapo best as Arnold Winkler, the titular kid in the episode "Opie and the Spoiled Kid." He threw a tantrum in the police station when Andy refused to release his $75 bicycle from the impound. In 2016, The Mount Airy News caught up with the retired 64-year-old actor, who reflected on his career and time in Mayberry. After he delivered his famous fit on the set, "The whole place stood up and applauded me," he recalled. "Parts like that were great." He left showbiz at the age of 14 and would go on to work in music, steel and printing.

Image: Terri Flagg / Mt. Airy News

4. Scott McCartor, the bully

McCartor played the bully Steve Quincy in "One Punch Opie." You know, the immortal episode with "Nip it!" This bad influence tried to convince other Mayberry boys to go steal apples. Scandalous! Opie got into a scrap with the more mature brat. McCartor made his final acting appearance in the low-budget 1976 horror film Rattlers. His character, Rick, climbs into a hayloft, where he is bitten on the face by a killer snake. He falls to the barn floor and catches fire.

5. Kay Lenz, fan of Opie's group

"To think that I know a real rock 'n' roll musician!" Kay Lenz's character gushes to Opie on "Opie's Group." The young Taylor is playing guitar in a beat combo called the Sound Committee. Funny enough, Lenz would go on to indeed know a real rock 'n' roll musician — she married David Cassidy in 1977. Lenz went on to acting acclaim in her own right, starring as the lead character in the Clint Eastwood directed Breezy and earning an Emmy nomination for her work in the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. Here she is a bit later, in the Eighties horror-comedy House.

Image: The Everett Collection

6. Flip Mark, head of the Wildcats

Born Phillip Goldberg, "Flip Mark" made his last acting gig on Streets of San Francisco. You might remember him as the leader of the Wildcats, the secret boys' club that Opie joins in "The Keeper of the Flame." Goldberg also had regular roles on Lassie and Guestward Ho! After leaving the acting profession, Goldberg worked in the travel industry and eventually became a 9-1-1 operator, according to an interview with jewishaz.com. "I’ve been fortunate," he reflected. "I’ve got three very defined stages of my life, each of them with some excitement and some very good memories."

7. Buddy Foster, Mike Jones

In "Opie and Mike," Opie plays mentor to young Mike Jones, played by Buddy Foster. The little brother of Jodie Foster would go on to star in the spin-off, Mayberry R.F.D. In 1997, Foster penned a biography of his famous older sister, titled Foster Child. Jodie Foster was no fan, calling the book "hazy recollections." She added in a statement at the time, "I feel sad for him. Mostly, I feel sad for my 69-year-old mother, who has spent her life struggling to raise four children on her own."

Image: Dutton Books via abebooks

8. Kellie Flanagan, Claudia Campbell

In that episode "Opie and Mike," Opie is hanging around with a girl named Heather Campbell. Little Mike meets Heather's little sister, Claudia, played by Kellie Flanagan. She would go on to land a lead role in the sitcom The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, playing Candice Muir in all 50 episodes. In 2014, Flanagan talked with Madman Entertainment about her role on the show. She told the site she has been busy as a writer and mother, as well as "gardening [and] raising chickens."

9. Richard Keith, Johnny Paul Jason

By the time he landed the recurring role of Johnny Paul Jason on TAGS, young Richard Keith, a.k.a. Keith Thibodeaux, was an old pro at the whole child star thing. He had played Little Ricky on I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. "The Andy Griffith Show was a wonderful experience. The set was more laid back, more country…they (the actors) were basically like they were on the show," Thibodeaux recently recalled. He later played drums in a band called David and the Giants, who were signed to Capitol Records for a time. Their tune "Superlove" was a minor regional hit in the South. Later, Thibodeaux was born again and the group transitioned into Christian rock.

Image: Capitol Records

10. Clint Howard, Leon

Ron's young brother went on to dozens of acting roles as a distinctive character actor. Last year, he could be spotted in both the Star Trek (Discovery) and Star Wars (Solo) universes. Of course, who could forget him as Balok on the original Star Trek? And to think, it all began with eating sandwiches on the streets of Mayberry.

Image: The Everett Collection

SEE MORE: What ever happened to the cast of 'The Facts of Life'?

Find out what Blair, Tootie, Natalie and Jo are up to these days. READ MORE

Image: AP Photo/Charles Sykes

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19 Comments

kimmer 39 months ago
I love these articles...and the comments they bring....lol
OldTVfanatic 40 months ago
Kay Lenz also appeared in Rod Stewart’s 1984 music video “Infatuation.”
JeremyG 46 months ago
Ron Howard seems to take pretty good care of his little brother Clint, as he has had at least a cameo, and in some cases larger parts (notably in Apollo 13, which also featured their real-life mother as the mother of Tom Hanks' character) in just about every movie that Ron Howard has directed.
Diz 47 months ago
Seldom mentioned is Ron Howard's role between Griffith and Happy Days, as Henry Fonda's son on the short-lived "The Smith Family".
BobAnderson 47 months ago
So Brittany became a right-winger? Funny how when actors careers tank they become right-wingers
JohnMangum BobAnderson 47 months ago
You mean like Carl Reiner and Whoopi Goldberg ???
Sooner BobAnderson 47 months ago
True. Their minds leave la-la land and start actually functioning.
Krysanycer 55 months ago
What ever happened to the many guest actors of the Andy Griffith show?
Why do so many people call the show "The Andy Griffon show"?
What ever happened to Jerry Van Dyke? (The banjo playing cop want-a-be)
Bill Krysanycer 54 months ago
Jerry Van Dyke? Dick Van Dyke's brother? He starred in Coach as Luther van Dam. He was a very well-known actor. He died in January 2018.
KathyMcKinny Bill 46 months ago
hahaha......I guess they have never heard of Google
Don 62 months ago
Buddy Foster is not younger than his sister Jodie. He was born in 1957, and she was born in 1962.
Krysanycer Don 55 months ago
Interesting fact! :-)
Is it me or does Jodie seem like a snob?
ItalGal68 Krysanycer 47 months ago
Maybe it's more like the Julie Roberts-Eric Roberts sis-bro relationship.
JManSGV 62 months ago
Morgan Brittany was still being billed under her birth name--Suzanne Cupito--when appeared on "The Andy Griffith Show."
RottyAngel 62 months ago
Opie had a couple of crushes. One was Karen. I'd sure like to know what happened to her. She disappeared! Also that cute little girl in the beauty queen episode in the first season.
graceasher RottyAngel 62 months ago
Ronda Jeter, But I cant find very much about her
Krysanycer RottyAngel 55 months ago
It's strange to me, that she played a beauty queen, a first love or crush in her 1st episode on the "Andy Griffith" and was so easily forgotten or lost track of!
Makes you wonder if there was some sort of hush, hush situation with her personality concerning possible personal involvement with some of the other young actors. What could have intervened in such a promising first appearance and otherwise great plot for a child actor, especially for a female.
KathyMcKinny Krysanycer 46 months ago
or she could have a had a BOSSY stage mom like Brooke Shields did
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