Top 10 Inspiring TV Fathers

Charles Ingalls was definitely a great father-figure!!!

Leaving off Andy Taylor makes your list meaningless.

I totally agree that any list like this has to have Andy Taylor. The conversations between him and Opie are primers to this day in how to parent. Remember the one where Opie killed the bird? And talk about admitting mistakes: the one where Andy insists no one can play ball and an instrument and give both adequate attention is one of the all-time classic episodes in TV history. Opie's coach comes to talk to him - an African-American man, groundbreaking itself for a show set in rural North Carolina and in the mid-late '60's - and after failing to convince Andy with words, sat down at the piano to demonstrate how a person could be both an accomplished pianist and a ball-player. It was fabulous, and done with minimal dialogue.

I'd also put in a plug for James Avery as Philip Banks in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It wasn't constant - there was plenty of sit-com boilerplate here - but there were more than a few episodes where Uncle Phil showed hidden sides of himself to deal with what life threw his way in the form of his nephew. Of course, he's also a master of the throw-away comic aside. And he's such a great actor he could infuse even routine dialogue with layers of meaning.

But how can everyone have forgotten Ward Cleaver?! He was such a great dad - he modeled a kind of fatherhood unheard of in its time. He would get testy, even angry, and sometimes chew Beaver out over his idiot escapades. But he would always be honest, and apologize if he was wrong, and talk about his feelings - who did THAT then? - and make sure that Beaver knew, no matter what he had done or failed to do, that even when he made a wrong choice or did a bad thing (yes, we still said "bad" then) he was still his son and he loved him very much. Hugh Belmont was such a decent man and such a good actor, these scenes always shone with sincerity, patience, decency and love. He was a good man and a great TV dad.

All those new shows with their trendy pseudo-sensitive dialogue and earnest expressions can't touch Ward Cleaver and Andy Taylor. They were, and still are, the gold standard.

Making lists like this is fun and debating them is even more fun. I love all the fathers on all your lists, especially Andy Griffith. Don't forget Tom Bosley on "Happy Days." He always had just the right words of wisdom and support. I loved the late Sydney Pollack as Will's father on "Will and Grace." Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) and Archie Bunker (Carrol O'Connor) had their moments! So did Jerry Stiller as George's father on "Seinfeld." And I loved seeing a glimpse of one of the all-time best TV dads, Bill Bixby in "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" in the new "Incredible Hulk" movie (a nod to Bixby's role in the Hulk TV show).

John Walton was good, he really instilled values, and morals into his childern. Andy Taylor, being a single father is not easy, and he always had time for Opie, the best scene I loved was the opening part where the two of them were going off to go fishing. What a wonderful father and son thing to do.

And Heathcliff Huxtable, he was great he taught his childern that School and college are very important, and one needs a high school diploma and should not drop out of school, and his childern learned responsiblity.

You watch waaaaaaay too much TV!

What about tim allen on home improvement tv show,I know he is a little self centered but over all I think his charter is a good father.

I think also the dad on "Medium" tv show is a cool dad and a cool husband !!
I always loved the "Father Knows Best" dad !!

The "Eight Is Enough" dad was cool also !!

Ward Cleaver, and Bill Cosby, and the "My three Sons" show dad !!1
I Used to watch a series."Life With Father" which was really funny !!
The father would come home and call out to his wife, "Vinny, I'm home "!!!
The accent was on the word-I'm-so it was really funny.
there were 2 little sons ..
The family had to be very proper..
The setting was in the 20's or 30's or .........

What about Father Knows Best????