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This former child star appear in several movies in the 1950s after getting his start as a model. One film starred Shirley MacLaine and a few other flicks were with Bob Hope.
But it was a TV show in the late 1950s that this actor will be forever remembered for.
He played the straight-talking kid who lived in an idyllic suburban neighborhood with kind parents. His sayings were often quoted as his character became a pop-culture phenomenon worldwide.
The star kept his role as a troublemaker for six years, appearing in all 234 episodes of the sitcom that was originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963.
This star also made appearances on shows like The Love Boat, Hardcastle And McCormick, Married... With Children and, more recently, the reality TV series The Weakest Link.
He made a rare appearance in Los Angeles last week.
Can you guess who he is?
This former child star appear in several movies in the 1950s after getting his start as a model. One film starred Shirley MacLaine and a few other flicks were with Bob Hope. But it was TV show in the late 1950s that this actor will be forever remembered for. He played the straight-talking kid who lived in an idyllic suburban neighborhood
It's Jerry Mathers.
The actor played Theodore 'Beaver' Cleaver on the hit show Leave It To Beaver.
The star was seen holding up a Leave It To Beaver poster as he headed out in a rare public sighting.
Beaver was the youngest of two sons raised in suburbia by parents June and Ward Cleaver, depicted by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont.
He also had a very busy movie career.
His early movies included This Is My Love (1954), Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), The Seven Little Foys (1955) and Alfred Hitchcock's black comedy The Trouble with Harry (1955), in which he plays Arnie, the son of Shirley MacLaine's character.
And he popped up on big TV shows.
In the 1990s, Mathers guest-starred on episodes of Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Vengeance Unlimited, Diagnosis: Murder, and as himself on Married... with Children.
In 2001, he appeared on a special episode of Weakest Link.
In 2007, he made his Broadway debut with a starring role as Wilbur Turnblad in the musical Hairspray at the Neil Simon Theatre.
In 1998, he released his memoir And Jerry Mathers as The Beaver.
Mathers also graduated from UC Berkeley and worked as a loan officer and a DJ.
It's Jerry Mathers. The actor played Theodore 'Beaver' Cleaver on the hit show Leave It To Beaver. Beaver was the youngest of two sons raised in suburbia by parents June and Ward Cleaver, depicted by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont
Mathers with Tony Dow (left) on the show Leave It To Beaver in 1957
Jerry has a fortune of $3million, according to online databases, and is known as a savvy businessman.
He become the first child actor to negotiate a share of profit from merchandise revenue tied to a show.
To this day, Leave It To Beaver still makes money due to its vast global audience – it has been broadcast in 80 countries and in 40 different languages.
Jerry has three children and has been married three times.
Jerry has had to mourn the loss of his television family.
His TV dad Hugh Beaumont died in 1982, followed by Mrs. Cleaver Barbara Billingsley in 2010.
Ken Osmond, who played troublemaker Eddie Haskell for six season, died in 2020 and last year, Tony Dow, who played Beaver's older brother Wally passed away.
Jerry shared a moving tribute to his costar and friend Dow last year.
'It is with the utmost sadness I learned this morning of my co-star and lifelong friend Tony Dow’s passing,' Jerry wrote. 'He was not only my brother on TV, but in many ways in life as well.
He also had a very busy movie career. His early movies included This Is My Love (1954), Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), The Seven Little Foys (1955) and Alfred Hitchcock's black comedy The Trouble with Harry (1955), in which he plays Arnie, the son of Shirley MacLaine's character
He wore a black top with belted jeans as he held onto a picture of the Leave it To Beaver cast
Here he was seen at a venue as he sat in a brown chair with his wedding band on
Jerry played the youngest of two sons who was raised in suburbia by parents June and Ward Cleaver, depicted by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont
Dow, who played Beaver's older brother Wally passed away, last year. Jerry shared a moving tribute to his costar and friend Dow last year. 'He was not only my brother on TV, but in many ways in life as well,' he wrote
'Tony leaves an empty place in my heart that won’t be filled. He was always the kindest, most generous, gentle, loving, sincere, and humble man, that it was my honor and privilege to be able to share memories together with for 65 years,' he continued.
'Tony was so grateful for all of the love and support from our fans across the world,' he added. 'My wife Teresa and I send our deepest condolences to his wife Lauren, his family and to all of those who knew and loved him. The world may have lost a star today, but the heavens gained another.'
Mathers has been married three times.
He met his first wife, Diana Platt, in college. They married in 1974 but they divorced.
Mathers met his second wife, Rhonda Gehring, while touring in the production of So Long, Stanley.
They have three children: Noah, Mercedes, and Gretchen. Mathers and Gehring divorced in 1997.
Then in 2011 the star wed his third wife, Teresa Modnick.
English (US) ·