This former child star appeared in several films in the 1950s after starting out as a model. One movie starred Shirley MacLaine and a few other movies were with Bob Hope.
But it was a television show from the late 1950s for which this actor will forever be remembered.
He played the outspoken boy who lived in an idyllic suburban neighborhood with kind parents. His sayings were often quoted as his character became a pop culture phenomenon around the world.
The star maintained his role as a troublemaker for six years, appearing in all 234 episodes of the sitcom that originally aired from 1957 to 1963.
This star has also appeared on shows such as The Love Boat, Hardcastle And McCormick, Married… With Children and, most recently, the reality series The Weakest Link.
He made a rare appearance in Los Angeles last week.
Can you guess who it is?
This former child star appeared in several films in the 1950s after starting out as a model. One movie starred Shirley MacLaine and a few other movies were with Bob Hope. But it was the television show from the late 1950s for which this actor will forever be remembered. He played the outspoken boy living in an idyllic suburban neighborhood.
I’m Jerry Mathers.
The actor played Theodore ‘Beaver’ Cleaver on the hit show Leave It To Beaver.
The star was seen holding a Leave It To Beaver sign while stepping out in a rare public sighting.
Beaver was the youngest of two children raised in the suburbs by his parents June and Ward Cleaver, played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont.
He also had a very busy film career.
His early films included This Is My Love (1954), Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), The Seven Little Foys (1955) and the Alfred Hitchcock black comedy The Trouble with Harry (1955), in which he plays Arnie, the son of Shirley MacLaine’s character.
And he appeared on big television shows.
In the 1990s, Mathers guest-starred in episodes of Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Vengeance Unlimited, Diagnosis: Murder, and as himself on Married… with Children.
In 2001, he appeared in 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 published his memoirs And Jerry Mathers as The Beaver.
Mathers also graduated from UC Berkeley and worked as a loan officer and DJ.
I’m Jerry Mathers. The actor played Theodore ‘Beaver’ Cleaver on the hit show Leave It To Beaver. Beaver was the youngest of two children raised in the suburbs by his parents June and Ward Cleaver, played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont.
Mathers with Tony Dow (left) on the Leave It To Beaver show in 1957
Jerry is worth $3 million, according to online databases, and is known as a savvy businessman.
He became the first child actor to negotiate a share of the profits from merchandise revenue tied to a show.
To this day, Leave It To Beaver continues to generate revenue thanks to its large 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 television father, Hugh Beaumont, died in 1982, followed by Mrs Cleaver Barbara Billingsley in 2010.
Ken Osmond, who played troublemaker Eddie Haskell for six seasons, died in 2020, and Tony Dow, who played Beaver’s older brother Wally, passed away last year.
Jerry shared a touching tribute to his co-star and friend Dow last year.
“It is with great sadness that I learned this morning of the passing of my co-star and lifelong friend Tony Dow,” Jerry wrote. ‘He was not only my brother on television, but also in many ways in life.
He also had a very busy film career. His early films included This Is My Love (1954), Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), The Seven Little Foys (1955), and the Alfred Hitchcock black comedy The Trouble with Harry (1955), in which he plays Arnie, the son of Shirley MacLaine’s character
She wore a black top with belted jeans as she held a photo of the cast of Leave it To Beaver.
Here he was seen somewhere sitting on a brown chair with his wedding ring on.
Jerry played the youngest of two children who was raised in the suburbs by his parents June and Ward Cleaver, played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont.
Dow, who played Beaver’s older brother Wally, passed away last year. Jerry shared a touching tribute to his co-star and friend Dow last year. “He was not only my brother on television, but also in many ways in life,” he wrote.
‘Tony leaves an empty place in my heart that will not be filled. “He was always the kindest, generous, gentle, loving, sincere and humble man, it was an honor and a privilege for me to be able to share memories together for 65 years,” he continued.
“Tony was very grateful for all the love and support from our fans around the world,” he added. ‘My wife Teresa and I send our deepest condolences to his wife Lauren, his family and all those who knew and loved him. Today the world may have lost one star, but the heavens gained another.’
Mathers has been married three times.
He met his first wife, Diana Platt, at university. They married in 1974 but 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 married his third wife, Teresa Modnick.