Tony Dow was believed to be dead at 77, drawing attention to his rise to fame as Wally Cleaver in the popular American sitcom ‘Leave it to Beaver’ which gained the spotlight during the golden era of television shows. 

The series ran from 1957 to 1963, and the comedy on suburban life remains pop-culturally relevant. Here’s a look at the show’s cast and the members who are still alive. 

Tony Dow 

Dow’s role as Wally Cleaver launched the actor in showbiz without any prior experience. He was believed dead at 77, but the actor is still alive, though his wife – Lauren – told CBS News that he’s near death. 

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The role of the oldest Cleaver sibling led to a good start to Dow’s career as the actor continued appearing in several television movies and shows since then.  

Jerry Mathers 

He plays Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver in the series and the 74-year-old is still alive. Mathers, however, retired from acting and concentrated on finishing high school. 

Then, he joined the United States Air Force Reserve in 1966. Mathers also got a philosophy degree from the University of California before reprising his role in the 1983 television movie ‘Leave it to Beaver’, which led to its own series. 

Barbara Billingsley

The actor played Wally’s mother, June Cleaver. Billingsley was already an established actor by the time ‘Leave it to Beaver’ aired and appeared in several television films and shows till then, but none that eclipsed her performance as Mrs Cleaver. 

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She died in 2010 at the age of 94, and apart from the sitcom, Billingsley also appeared in the classic comedy movie ‘Airplane!’. 

Ken Osmond 

He played Eddie Haskell, Wally Beaver’s mischievous best friend. The character appeared to get along with Beaver’s parents, but tormented the kid. Osmond’s performance and his popularity in the sitcom led him to be typecast, and eventually, the actor quit and joined the Los Angeles police, where he was shot in the line of duty. 

He died at the age of 76, on May 18, 2020, with his family reporting that Osmond was suffering from respiratory problems. 

Hugh Beaumont

The Cleaver family patriarch’s role wasn’t reprised by Beaumont in 1983 because the actor died a year earlier. The New York Times reported that he’d suffered a heart attack while visiting his son in Germany.