![]() National Guard in the late 1960s.įrom 1983 to 1989, amid a cultural craze for nostalgia television, Dow reprised the role of Wally in The New Leave it to Beaver. He took a break from acting to serve three years in the U.S. Kildare, Adam-12, Emergency, Square Pegs and Knight Rider. (Wally Fong/The Associated Press)ĭow would appear as a guest star on other TV series throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s, including My Three Sons, Dr. Actor enjoyed career as writer-director and sculptorįrom left, Leave It To Beaver original cast members Ken Osmond, Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley and Jerry Mathers during the filming of their TV special, Still The Beaver, in Los Angeles on Dec. Ken Osmond, who played Haskell, died in 2020. Barbara Billingsley, who played mother June Cleaver, died in 2010. The show was still popular when it went off the air, but it had naturally run its course with Wally about to go to college and Beaver bound for high school.ĭow's death leaves Mathers and Rusty Stevens, who played Beaver's friend Larry Mondello, as the only surviving members of the show's core cast. "They were watching Zombies from Outer Space at the drive-in," Dow said with a laugh. ![]() "The boys didn't want to go because Zombies From Outer Space was playing in the theatre," Dow said in a 2018 interview with Sidewalks Entertainment at Silicon Valley Comic-Con.Īfter the trip, at the end of the episode, Ward discovers the boys on a hilltop with binoculars, thinking they're taking in some nature. ![]() He takes them into the wilderness, despite their having what they felt was pressing business at home. (Damian Dovarganes/The Associated Press)ĭow's favourite episode was one in which the always-ready-to-teach father, Ward Cleaver, played by Hugh Beaumont, wants his boys to know what his childhood was like. After attending an open casting call, he landed his career-defining role as Wally.įrom left, Jerry Mathers, Barbara Billingsley and Tony Dow, and, standing from left, Frank Bank and Ken Osmond, pose for a photo as they are reunited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Leave it to Beaver in Santa Monica, Calif., Sept. He had done just a little stage acting and appeared in a pair of pilots. A career-defining roleĭow's Wally was an often annoyed but essentially loving big brother who was constantly bailing out the title character, Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, played by Jerry Mathers, on the show that was synonymous with the sometimes hokey, wholesome image of the 1950s American family.ĭow was born and raised in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles - his mother was a stuntwoman who acted as a double for silent film star Clara Bow - but his parents did not push him into show business. He was my coach, my mentor, my voice of reason, my best friend, my best man in my wedding, and my hero."Ī post on Dow's Facebook page on Tuesday prematurely reported that he had died, but his wife and management team later took down the post and explained that it was announced in error. "He was the best Dad anyone could ask for. "Although this is a very sad day, I have comfort and peace that he is in a better place," Dow's son Christopher said in a post on his father's official Facebook page. No cause was given, but Dow had been in hospice care and announced in May that he had been diagnosed with prostate and gall bladder cancer. He was 77.įrank Bilotta, who represented Dow in his work as a sculptor, confirmed his death in an email to The Associated Press. Tony Dow, who as Wally Cleaver on the sitcom Leave It to Beaver helped create the popular and lasting image of the American teenager of the 1950s and 60s, died Wednesday.
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