Who Plays Ernest T. Bass On The Andy Griffith Show & What Other Roles Did He Have?

Howard Morris’ influence on “The Andy Griffith Show” didn’t stop with his iconic role as Ernest. He launched his directorial career on the show in 1964, ultimately helming eight episodes of the program. Among their number are iconic outings like “Aunt Bee’s Romance” and “The Darling Baby.” Morris would go on to direct four episodes of the series’ spin-off, “Gomer Pyle USMC,” and also put in work on iconic sitcoms from the 1960s through the 1980s on series like “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Get Smart,” “Bewitched,” “Hogan’s Heroes” and “Laverne and Shirley.” 

But no matter how many other roles Morris took on, Ernest remained an indelible part of his public persona. He told the Television Academy for their Foundation Interviews series in 2004 that in spite of being born a New Yorker, he managed to find his inner southerner fairly quickly. “He was a nasty little SOB from the hills who would come down from the hills, and when he didn’t get what he wanted, he’d throw rocks,” he said of Ernest. Even at the age of 84, just a year before he died, he could pull off some rapid Ernest-style patter, which just goes to show that there was always room for the holler in Morris’ heart.

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