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Tony Dow Died: Wally Cleaver on 'Leave It to Beaver' Was 77 - Variety

  
Via:  Just Jim NC TttH  •  2 years ago  •  28 comments

By:   Pat Saperstein (Variety)

Tony Dow Died: Wally Cleaver on 'Leave It to Beaver' Was 77 - Variety
Tony Dow, who played Wally Cleaver to Jerry Mathers' Beaver in the iconic series "Leave It to Beaver," has died.

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Tony Dow, the actor and director best known for playing the stalwart older brother Wally Cleaver to Jerry Mathers' Beaver in the iconic series "Leave It to Beaver," has died. He was 77.

His official Facebook page posted that he died Tuesday morning. "It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning. Tony was a beautiful soul - kind, compassionate, funny and humble," read the message from his management team.

Dow and his wife Lauren announced in May that his cancer, which he had been diagnosed with years before, had returned.

Dow was born in Hollywood and his mother was an early stunt woman and double for Clara Bow. He was a Junior Olympics diving champion, but didn't have much showbiz experience when he tagged along with a friend and ended up auditioning for and winning the role of Wally. "Leave it to Beaver" began airing in 1957 and ran until 1963. The popular black-and-white sitcom, centered around the typical idealized family of the time, followed the adventures of mischievous young Beaver, his practical brother Wally, their devious friend Eddie Haskell, and their long-suffering but understanding parents played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont.

The show's writers, Bob Mosher and Joe Connelly, based the characters on their own children, incorporating such details as Wally's constant hair-combing they observed in their own teenagers. As the show came to an end, Wally was about to start college while Beaver was ready for high school.

Dow returned in the 1980s for the TV movie "Still the Beaver" and series "The New Leave It to Beaver," for which he also directed five episodes and wrote one.

He moved into writing, producing and directing while continuing to act, and helmed several episodes of "Harry and the Hendersons," "Coach," "Babylon 5," "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and an episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

After "Leave It to Beaver," Dow appeared on series including "General Hospital," "Mr. Novak," "Never Too Young," "Lassie," "Love, American Style," "Square Pegs" and "The Love Boat," on which he played himself. He also played himself in the 2003 comedy "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," which featured cameos of dozens of former young actors, and appeared in the John Landis skit comedy feature "The Kentucky Fried Movie."

Dow battled depression in his 20s, making the self-help video "Beating the Blues" to help others, and later survived two bouts of cancer. He also became a sculptor and started a construction company.

He is survived by his wife Lauren and two children.

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Just Jim NC TttH
Professor Principal
1  seeder  Just Jim NC TttH    2 years ago

First Eddy, now Wally. RIP Tony.

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
2  Jasper2529    2 years ago

Sad news, indeed. My cable provider just started including "Leave It to Beaver" in its lineup, and it's been fun watching the reruns of a show my family and I enjoyed each week so many years ago.

Here's a fairly recent video of him talking about the show, his depression, and his artwork.

 
 
 
Gsquared
Professor Principal
3  Gsquared    2 years ago

He's not dead.  The report was premature.  He is in a hospice though.

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.1  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Gsquared @3    2 years ago

Tony Dow Is Not Dead, 'Leave It to Beaver' Actor's Wife Owns up …

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tony - dow - not ...
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6 hours ago · UPDATE:  Tony Dow  is  not dead.  Despite an official statement posted by the Leave It to Beaver actor's management, the actor is still alive. TMZ reports that Dow's wife Lauren...
 
 
 
MonsterMash
Sophomore Quiet
3.1.1  MonsterMash  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3.1    2 years ago

If he isn't dead now, he will be by this time tomorrow

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.1.2  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  MonsterMash @3.1.1    2 years ago

Okay, we'll expect to see your confirmation of his death tomorrow. 

 
 
 
MonsterMash
Sophomore Quiet
3.1.3  MonsterMash  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3.1.2    2 years ago
 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.1.4  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  MonsterMash @3.1.3    2 years ago

Hey MM, put that talent of yours to work - what are the winning numbers for the billion dollar Lotto Max next draw?  And don't be selfish - there's enough there to make all of us very comfortable. 

 
 
 
Ed-NavDoc
Professor Quiet
3.1.5  Ed-NavDoc  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3.1.4    2 years ago

Hey, I want to know too. I bought a ticket a couple of days ago. I don't care if I don't win the whole enchilada, I'll be happy with a couple hundred K or so. I'm not greedy or anything...

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.1.6  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Buzz of the Orient @3.1.4    2 years ago

Oooops!  I meant Mega Millions.  I made the mistake of naming Canada's biggest lottery. 

 
 
 
Buzz of the Orient
Professor Expert
3.1.7  Buzz of the Orient  replied to  Ed-NavDoc @3.1.5    2 years ago

Well, if MM would post the numbers here then we would all share in the biggie. 

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
4  Perrie Halpern R.A.    2 years ago

Most people don't know this, but I named my cat after his character Wally. True story. I was going to name him Beaver... but then we realized that a cat named Beaver was...ummmmm.... urrrr.

So we went with Wally instead 

 
 
 
GregTx
PhD Guide
4.1  GregTx  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @4    2 years ago
True story. I was going to name him Beaver... but then we realized that a cat named Beaver was...ummmmm.... urrrr.

Was what?. A little fishy??..... What? Here kitty kitty kitty....

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
4.1.1  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  GregTx @4.1    2 years ago

LOL, Yeah, kind of.

 
 
 
shona1
PhD Quiet
4.2  shona1  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @4    2 years ago

Anoon Perrie...

Neighbours named their dog Moose!!..still seems odd when I hear them calling it...

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
4.2.1  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  shona1 @4.2    2 years ago

Good day Shona,

Now that gave me a good laugh.

 
 
 
shona1
PhD Quiet
4.2.2  shona1  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @4.2.1    2 years ago

I picture a Moose coming out of the bush...and think what!!

Taken me ages to get use to it ..just as well they didn't name him Snake!! No one would bat an eyelid here....

 
 
 
Perrie Halpern R.A.
Professor Principal
4.2.3  Perrie Halpern R.A.  replied to  shona1 @4.2.2    2 years ago

Would he be a dead Snake?

 
 
 
MonsterMash
Sophomore Quiet
4.2.4  MonsterMash  replied to  shona1 @4.2    2 years ago

When I was a kid, I named my dog Wacker because he was always humping my little sisters Raggedy Ann doll.

 
 
 
shona1
PhD Quiet
4.2.5  shona1  replied to  Perrie Halpern R.A. @4.2.3    2 years ago

Yep he would be cactus (dead) in no time..

 
 
 
Ed-NavDoc
Professor Quiet
4.2.6  Ed-NavDoc  replied to  shona1 @4.2    2 years ago

Well I have a very large female black lab that I got at 3 weeks of age. For some reason I had the urge to name her Trouble. And boy is she. Great dog, rambunctious and playful as can be and into everything. She has  definitely lived up to the the name.

 
 
 
JohnRussell
Professor Principal
6  JohnRussell    2 years ago

He was either the best actor in the world or the worst. Pure cornball. 

 
 
 
MonsterMash
Sophomore Quiet
6.1  MonsterMash  replied to  JohnRussell @6    2 years ago

When you have cornball scripts, the actors come off as cornballs.

 
 
 
Drinker of the Wry
Junior Expert
6.2  Drinker of the Wry  replied to  JohnRussell @6    2 years ago
Pure cornball. 

I grew up watching TV shows where horses talked and a diverse group could live well on a deserted island but  couldn’t patch a hole in a boat. I saw Sitcoms about a WW II POW camp and the Navy fight in the Pacific.  Compared to those, Beaver was real.  For that matter, compared to today's Real Housewive's of..., Beaver was real.


 
 
 
MonsterMash
Sophomore Quiet
7  MonsterMash    2 years ago

The first person Wally will see in the afterlife will be Mama June wearing her pearls and high heels while serving him cookies and milk.

 
 
 
Just Jim NC TttH
Professor Principal
8  seeder  Just Jim NC TttH    2 years ago

So he's not dead..........yet. Well smack my ass and call me judy

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
8.1  Jasper2529  replied to  Just Jim NC TttH @8    2 years ago

Tony Dow, Who Played Wally Cleaver on ‘Leave It to Beaver,’ Dies a Day After Erroneous Announcement

 
 
 
Gsquared
Professor Principal
9  Gsquared    2 years ago

His family confirmed that he passed away this morning.

 
 

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