Frances Bavier

Frances Bavier
Frances Bavier (1952), in The Lady Says No
Born	Frances Elizabeth Bavier December 14, 1902(1902-12-14) New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	December 6, 1989(1989-12-06) (aged 86) Siler City, North Carolina, U.S.
Other names	Hazel Howard
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1930–1974

Frances Elizabeth Bavier (December 14, 1902 – December 6, 1989) was an American stage and television actress. Originally from the New York theatre, Bavier worked in film and television from the 1950s. She played the continuing role of Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. from 1960 to 1970. Aunt Bee logged more Mayberry years (ten) than any other character. Miss Bavier won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Comedy Actress for the role in 1967.

Early life and career

Born in New York City, Bavier attended Columbia University and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts before embarking on a career in acting. She first appeared in vaudeville, later moving to the Broadway stage. Bavier had roles in more than a dozen films, as well as having played a range of supporting roles on television. Career highlights include the play Point of No Return, alongside Henry Fonda, and her turn as Mrs. Barley in the classic 1951 film The Day the Earth Stood Still. In 1957 she played Nora Martin, mother to Eve Arden in the short-lived series The Eve Arden Show.

Bavier had a love-hate relationship with her most famous role, Aunt Bee, during The Andy Griffith Show. As a New York actress, she felt her dramatic talents were being overlooked. At the same time, she played Aunt Bee for eight seasons and was the only original cast member to remain with the series in the spin-off Mayberry R.F.D., staying two additional seasons. In contrast to her affable character Aunt Bee, Bavier was easily slighted and the production staff would often appease her by "walking on eggshells." She won the Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy in 1967. Series star Andy Griffith addressed the fact that the two sometimes clashed during the series' run. According to Griffith (Larry King Live, April 24, 1998), Bavier phoned him four months before she died, and said she was deeply sorry for being "difficult" during the series' run.

Later years

In 1972, Bavier retired from acting and bought a home in Siler City, North Carolina. On choosing to live in North Carolina instead of her native New York, Bavier stated in an interview that, "I fell in love with North Carolina, all the pretty roads and the trees." She briefly returned to acting in 1974 in the family film Benji. Bavier never married or had children. Seemingly awkward in one-on-one relationships, she seemed to be charitable to the needs of organizations and fans. According to a 1981 article by Chip Womick, a staff writer of The Courier Tribune, Bavier enthusiastically promoted Christmas and Easter Seal Societies from her Siler City home, and often wrote inspirational letters to fans who sought autographs. Overly zealous fans however, often invaded both her property and privacy, and Bavier became reclusive.

Bavier's medical condition prevented her from taking part in the 1986 television movie Return to Mayberry.

Death

On November 22, 1989, Bavier was admitted to Chatham Hospital. She was suffering from both heart disease and cancer and was kept in the coronary care unit for two weeks. She was discharged on December 4, 1989, and died at her home two days later of a heart attack.

Bavier is interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Siler City. Her headstone includes the name of her most famous role, "Aunt Bee" and reads, "To live in the hearts of those left behind is not to die."

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1931	Girls About Town	Joy
1951	The Day the Earth Stood Still	Mrs. Barley
1952	Lady Says No, TheThe Lady Says No	Aunt Alice Hatch
1952	Bend of the River	Mrs. Prentiss	Alternative title: Where the River Bends
1952	Sally and Saint Anne	Mrs. Kitty "Mom" O'Moyne
1952	My Wife's Best Friend	Mrs. Chamberlain
1952	Horizons West	Martha Hammond
1952	Stooge, TheThe Stooge	Mrs. Rogers
1953	Man in the Attic	Helen Harley
1956	Bad Seed, TheThe Bad Seed	Woman in dinner party scene	Uncredited
1958	Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed, AA Nice Little Bank That Should Be Robbed	Mrs. Solitaire	Alternative title: How to Rob a Bank
1959	It Started with a Kiss	Mrs. Tappe
1974	Benji	Lady with cat

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	Racket Squad	Martha Carver	1 episode
1952– 1953	Gruen Guild Playhouse	Sarah Cummings	2 episodes
1953	Hallmark Hall of Fame	Lou Bloor	1 episode
1953– 1954	City Detective	Various roles	3 episodes
1953– 1954	Letter to Loretta	Various roles	3 episodes
1953– 1955	Dragnet	Hazel Howard	3 episodes
1954	Pepsi-Cola Playhouse, TheThe Pepsi-Cola Playhouse	Thelma	2 episodes
1954– 1955	Waterfront	Martha Amy	2 episodes
1954– 1956	It's a Great Life (NBC)	Mrs. Amy Morgan	62 episodes
1955	Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger	Aunt Maggie Sawtelle	1 episode
1955	Soldiers of Fortune	Amelia Lilly	1 episode
1955	Damon Runyon Theater		1 episode
1955	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	Mrs. Fergusen	1 episode
1956	Lux Video Theatre		1 episode
1956	Cavalcade of America	Mrs. Hayes	1 episode
1957	Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre		1 episode
1957	General Electric Theater	Miss Trimingham	1 episode
1957	Perry Mason	Louise Marlow	1 episode
1957– 1958	Eve Arden Show, TheThe Eve Arden Show	Mrs. Nora Martin	5 episodes
1958	Colgate Theatre		1 episode
1959	Ann Sothern Show, TheThe Ann Sothern Show	Mrs. Wallace	1 episode
1959	Thin Man, TheThe Thin Man		1 episode
1959	Sugarfoot	Aunt Nancy Thomas	1 episode
1959	Wagon Train	Sister Joseph	1 episode
1959	77 Sunset Strip	Grandma Fenwick	1 episode
1960	Danny Thomas Show, TheThe Danny Thomas Show	Henrietta Perkins	1 episode
1960	Rawhide	Ellen Ferguson	1 episode
1960– 1968	Andy Griffith Show, TheThe Andy Griffith Show	Aunt Beatrice "Bee" Taylor	175 episodes Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Comedy Series (1967)
1967	Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.	Aunt Bee Taylor	1 episode
1968– 1970	Mayberry R.F.D.	Aunt Bee Taylor	24 episodes

External links

• Frances Bavier at the Internet Movie Database
• Frances Bavier at the Internet Broadway Database
• Frances Bavier at AllRovi
• Frances Bavier at Find a Grave