Nostalgic America
The Most Memorable Fathers in Television and Movie History
By Nostalgic America · June 15, 2024
These diverse and memorable characters have showcased the many facets of fatherhood, from the wise and nurturing to the quirky and unconventional. In this article, we explore some of the most beloved and influential TV and movie dads, examining how they have captured our hearts, made us laugh, and taught us valuable life lessons.
Join us on a nostalgic journey through the annals of pop culture fatherhood.
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Bill Bixby played widower Tom Corbett, Dad to Eddie, played by Brandon Cruz in the 1969 comedy TV Show The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. Here are more memorable TV Dads. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
The Andy Griffith Show debuted in 1960
The Andy Griffith Show starred Andy Griffith as Sheriff Andy Taylor of Mayberry, North Carolina. Andy’s TV son Opie was played by Ron Howard. The show depicted an ideal father/son relationship. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
All Kinds of Father/Son Relationships Came to Life On Bonanza
On the TV show Bonanza, Ben Cartwright (Lorne Greene), was a great role model for his three TV sons. Adam (Pernell Roberts), was the intellectual and somewhat brooding oldest son, a man more likely to use brains rather than brawn. Hoss (Dan Blocker), was the gentle giant, a man of incredible strength with a heart of gold, and Little Joe (Michael Landon), was the irrepressible youngest son, impulsive and a romantic at heart. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Who Shot J.R. was Just One of the Memorable Plot Lines in Dallas
Character actor Jim Davis played patriarch Jock Ewing on the TV show Dallas, a drama about drama in the family-owned oil business that debuted in 1978. Jock Ewing had three sons: J.R.; Bobby; and Gary and there was always some kind of family dysfunction going on among all of the characters. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Dennis the Menace Really Was One
Herbert Anderson played Dad Henry Mitchell to Dennis, a mischievous young boy, dressed in overalls and carrying a slingshot in his pocket in Dennis the Menace, a live-action adaptation of the Hank Ketcham comic strip of the same name. Everywhere he went, Dennis' wide-eyed curiosity, well-meaning attempts to help out, and his simply being a normal, red-blooded American boy growing up, always seemed to lead to trouble. Usually on the receiving end was the long-suffering Mr. Wilson. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Family Ties Was a Huge Hit and Launched Michael J. Fox’s Career
In the show, parents Steve (Michael Gross) and Elyse Keaton (Meredith Baxter) were politically liberal while their son Alex P. Keaton was conservative in the popular sitcom Family Ties, which debuted on NBC on September 22, 1982. Michael J. Fox played Alex P. Keaton and on September 21, 1986 won his first Emmy Award for his leading role in the show. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Family Affair Shined a Light on a “Swinging” Single Turned “Dad”
New York engineer and bachelor Bill Davis was not planning to be “a Dad” until he finds his life disrupted by the arrival of his newly-orphaned nieces and nephew -- young twins Buffy and Jody and their teenaged big sister, Cissy. Bill adjusts his lifestyle to accommodate his young charges, with a little help from his meticulous British butler, Mr. French. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Soap, was a Parody of Television Soap Operas
Soap aired from September 13, 1977 until April 20, 1981. The show's humor relied on exaggerating typical soap operas melodramatic plot lines. The stories centered around the parents and kids of thewealthy Tate family, and the blue-collar Campbells. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Dad of the Future George Jetson
George Jetson was one of the main characters in the animated sitcom The Jetsons, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions as a space age version of The Flintstones. Along with George Jetson, there was his wife Jane, daughter Judy, son Elroy, a robot maid named Rosie, and their dog Astro. The half-hour prime-time animated sitcom aired Sunday nights on ABC from September 23, 1962 to March 3, 1963. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
To Kill A Mockingbird
Gregory Peck played Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, who defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge. Finch tries to educate his young children, Scout (Mary Badham), and Jem (Philip Alford) about equality and morality. Peck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Atticus Finch. The Academy Award-winning screenplay was based off the 1960’s novel written by Harper Lee. It was a semi-autobiographical account of her upbringing in a socially and racially backwards town in the South. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Field Of Dreams
In the 1989 movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner played Ray Kinsella, a farmer who is almost forced to sell his land, until he sees a vision of Shoeless Joe Jackson who urges him to build a baseball field on his land. Kostner’s daughter Karin in the film was played by seven-year-old Gaby Hoffman. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Indiana Jones
In the third installment of the Indiana Jones movie series, released in 1989, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade included a special father—Sean Connery--who played Indiana’s father, a professor of medieval literature who cared more about searching for the Grail than having a relationship with his son. The film follows Indiana Jones in 1938, as he attempts to rescue his father, who was kidnapped while searching for the Grail, and is being held hostage by the Nazis. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
It’s a Wonderful Life
One of the most beloved movie fathers of all time is George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart in the 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. Karolyn Grimes played the role of Zuzu Bailey, the youngest daughter of George Bailey. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Kramer vs Kramer
Billy Kramer, played by Dustin Hoffman and Joanna Kramer, played by Meryl Streep battle for custody of their seven-year-old son Billy (Justin Henry) in the 1979 film that addressed issues around divorce, child custody, and work/life balance. Kramer vs. Kramer won five awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Robert Benton, Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman, and Best Supporting Actress for Meryl Streep. Nostalgic America / Getty Images
Wizard of Oz
Based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, MGM’s 1939 motion picture, The Wizard of Oz used groundbreaking, vivid Technicolor to tell the story of Dorothy Gale, her dog Toto, and their adventures in Oz. In the film, Dorothy learns the importance of family, and that there’s no place like home.The Wizard of Oz was MGM’s most expensive picture produced at the time. However, it was not a box office success when it was released. Directed by Victor Fleming, and starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, and Jack Haley as the Tinman, the film was nominated for six Academy Awards and won two, for Best Musical Score and Best Original Song, Over the Rainbow. Nostalgic America / Getty Images