Jack Nicholson Has Two Forgotten Guest-Starring Roles In A Classic Family Sitcom

Jack Nicholson may have disappeared from Hollywood, but his legacy never will. The screen legend reached true icon status during his decades-long career, which means Nicholson's filmography is full of truly iconic movie roles. Before he became the icon of cinema he is today, however, Nicholson spent years trying to break through, during which time he played two different characters in two episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show."

Even someone of Nicholson's stature had to start somewhere, and in his case, that somewhere was the low-budget 1958 teen drama "The Cry Baby Killer." Back then, Nicholson was working his way to becoming the legend we all know today, but it took many years of making due with similarly low-budget productions and B-movie ventures. Despite projecting an air of care-free charm and easy likability throughout his career, Nicholson was actually quite driven behind the scenes and ambitious enough to write several of his early films, including 1963's "Thunder Island" and 1964's "Flight to Fury." But it wasn't until 1969 that he got his big break by portraying the lawyer George Hanson in "Easy Rider." 

Prior to that, he wasn't just churning out B-movies and writing under-seen actioners. Though Nicholson was never a big presence on the small screen, he did have several notable TV roles, including guest spots on the NBC medical drama "Dr. Kildare," the ABC detective series "Hawaiian Eye," and the ABC Western show "The Guns of Will Sonnett." Between the latter two, he also appeared in easily the most popular of all those series: "The Andy Griffith Show." In fact, he showed up on the beloved sitcom twice, playing two completely different characters — though neither role really allowed him to show audiences the charisma that would go on to make him a star.

Today, even Hollywood legends are starstruck in Jack Nicholson's presence, but back in 1966, he was just a 29-year-old up-and-comer who was given a chance to play a guest role on one of the biggest shows on TV. Unlike Nicholson, "The Andy Griffith Show" might not enjoy much name recognition today, but during its eight-season run, it was a consistent ratings hit owing to its titular star and broad comedy stylings, which allowed it to appeal to all generations.

One of the best TV shows of the 1960s, "The Andy Griffith Show" is the kind of sitcom that simply couldn't exist today, showcasing a nostalgic, small-town American fantasy that appealed to audiences for whom the fractured nature of our modern culture was simply an incomprehensible state of affairs. The show starred Andy Griffith as Andy Taylor, a single father and sheriff who oversees the fictional North Carolina town of Mayberry. He's joined in his efforts to keep the town safe by his deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts), and when he's not on-duty, he tends to his young son Opie (a pre-"Happy Days" Ron Howard) alongside his aunt and housekeeper, Bee Taylor (Frances Bavier).

"The Andy Griffith Show" ran on CBS from 1960 to 1968, and hosted all-manner of guest stars during that time, from "Gilligan's Island" star Alan Hale Jr. to insult comic Don Rickles (who, incidentally, made Johnson lose his cool during his guest appearance on "Gilligan's Island" the same year that Nicholson first appeared on "The Andy Griffith Show"). When Nicholson made his debut on the series, he was nowhere near the level of fame exemplified by these other guest stars, yet he went on to become bigger than any of them.

Jack Nicholson's first appearance on "The Andy Griffith Show" came in 1966 with season 7, episode 10, "Opie Finds a Baby," in which Ron Howard's youngster, well, finds a baby. More specifically, Opie and his friend Arnold Bailey (Sheldon Collins) find an abandoned baby on the steps of the courthouse and, fearing the infant might be sent away to an orphanage, try to find him a new home. The pair then visit different houses throughout Mayberry, asking the occupants if they can take in the youngster. Nicholson played the baby's father, Mr. Garland, who along with his wife (Janie Kelly), shows up in search of his child. It's a fairly minor role that didn't allow Nicholson much room to flex his acting chops. But it also wasn't the last time he'd appear on "The Andy Griffith Show."

In 1967, Nicholson returned to the sitcom for season 8, episode 7 "Aunt Bee, the Juror." This time, his character was on-trial. After Aunt Bee is called for jury duty, she sits in on the trial of Marvin Jenkins (Nicholson), who's accused of breaking into a local store and stealing a TV set. All 11 male jurors vote to convict Jenkins while Aunt Bee remains unconvinced of his guilt. Eventually, they declare a hung jury, and Aunt Bee is ultimately proven right when it's revealed that a young man was actually responsible for the crime, and Jenkins is acquitted. The episode gave Nicholson a little more to do than with his first appearance, but it still wasn't exactly a showcase for the actor's considerable talent. Two years later, however, after "Easy Rider" convinced him to stick to acting, he wouldn't need a sitcom to show audiences what he could do.