Frances Bavier Frances Bavier ( December 14 , 1902 – December 6 , 1989 ) was an Emmy Award winning American character actress , best remembered for her role as Aunt Bee on The Andy Griffith Show in the 1960s . She played the same role on Mayberry R.F.D. ( 1968-70 ) . A convincing actress , nobody seemed to notice or care that the New York-born Bavier did not speak with a Southern accent , as some of the other characters did . Her role of Aunt Bee earned her an Emmy Award as Best Supporting Actress in 1967 making her one of only two cast members on the show to win an Emmy Award ( Don Knotts is the other } . In addition to her years in Mayberry , Bavier performed on Broadway and in more than a dozen films , as well playing 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 . Bavier 's career illustrates the paradox facing many strongly `` typed '' performers . Audiences took at face value her portrayal of a warm , nurturing matron , but co-workers and others who interacted with her reportedly often found her cool and distant . Bavier , who was born in New York City , bought a home in Siler City , North Carolina sight unseen in 1972 and lived the rest of her life there . `` I fell in love with North Carolina , all the pretty roads and the trees '' , she said in an interview . Bavier and Andy Griffith did not get along well , over which Bavier was reportedly regretful on her death bed . Her medical condition prevented her from taking part in the 1986 Return to Mayberry movie . Having suffered from both heart disease and cancer , Bavier died of a heart attack in 1989 at her home in Siler City , just eight days before her 87th birthday . Frances Bavier made her final acting appearance in the 1974 family film Benji , still wearing her trademark pearls . External links Frances Bavier at the Internet Movie Database http : //www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi ? page=gr & GRid=1457   This article about an American television actor is a stub . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it . Categories : American television actor stubs | American film actors | American stage actors | American television actors | The Andy Griffith Show | Emmy Award winners | People from New York City | People from North Carolina | 1902 births | 1989 deaths 0062592 Frances Bavier 