Tony Dow

Tony Dow, an actor and director best known for his role as older brother Wally Cleaver on "Leave It to Beaver," died Tuesday, according to his ...

Dow continued to work in Hollywood, taking parts in TV series and even reprising his role in "The New Leave It to Beaver" in the 1980s. In 1993, he was an honorary speaker at a convention for the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association. the Baltimore Sun of his depression in 1993.

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 ...

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 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.” “Leave it to Beaver” began airing in 1957 and ran until 1963.

Tony Dow's death comes less than three months after he shared a cancer diagnosis. His managers said "the world has lost an amazing human being."

Actor Alan Tudyk praised Dow's carpentry skills in a tweet: "Tony Dow built the beach house I lived in when I first moved to Los Angeles to shoot Firefly," he posted. Dow later reprised his role as Wally in a "Beaver" spinoff from 1983 to 1989. TV producer Jim Michaels shared in a post, "I will miss my friend Tony Dow- an amazingly kind person, talented director, actor, wood craftsman and artist. He was always the kindest, most generous, gentle, loving, sincere, and humble man, that was my honor and privilege to be able to share memories together with for 65 years," he wrote. "Tony leaves an empty place in my heart that won’t be filled. "The world has lost an amazing human being, but we are all richer for the memories that he has left us.

He went on to a varied career as an actor, director, producer and sculptor, but he could never shake his association with the sitcom that brought him ...

Mr. Dow said in the end that he was no longer troubled by the outcome of his early success. As he observed at the end of one episode, “For a little kid like that, a lot of stuff sure goes on in his head.” In David Spade’s comedy “Dickie Roberts, Former Child Star,” Mr. Dow sang in the front row of a glee club of former child stars. The film became a Disney Channel series for one season and returned on TBS as “The New Leave It to Beaver” from 1986 to 1989. But he soon realized he had been hopelessly typecast as his “Leave It to Beaver” character. Along the way, he also had a contracting business and did visual effects for film. When he appeared on camera in movies or television later on, it was often with a healthy dose of amused self-awareness. He had virtually no acting experience when he was cast as Wally Cleaver in “Leave It to Beaver.” Wally played Chinese checkers with his brother in their room, sometimes went along with his friend Eddie Haskell’s misguided pranks and was young enough in the first season to ask, “Dad, if I saved up my allowance, could I buy a monkey?” His face was soon on the cover of magazines aimed at teenage readers. And, “Will you stop being nice to me and just go back to being a little creep?” The central character on the sitcom was the button-cute, trouble-prone Beaver Cleaver, played by Jerry Mathers, but whenever Beaver needed the benefit of counsel from someone older and wiser who was not likely to yell at him, he turned to Wally, his only sibling and most trusted confidant.

Tony Dow, who played Wally Cleaver to Jerry Mathers' Beaver in the iconic series "Leave It to Beaver," has died.

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 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.” 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.

UPDATE, with statement from Dow's management Tony Dow's management team has confirmed that the actor is still alive, attributing the earlier misinformation ...

While she did say he passed, she now understands the miscommunication and is sorry for causing a commotion in this challenging time.” Earlier, in a note marked “URGENT UPDATE” on the Facebook page, representatives Frank Bilotta and Renee James write, “This morning Tony’s wife Lauren, who was very distraught, had notified us that Tony had passed and asked that we notify all his fans. The Times, among others, has posted an Editor’s Note correcting the earlier reporting, now noting, “he is still alive.” The news about the beloved actor from the iconic sitcom made global headlines and prompted an emotional message from Dow’s Leave It To Beaver co-star and lifelong friend Jerry Mathers. “He was not only my brother on tv, but in many ways in life as well,” Mathers wrote on Facebook today. Tony was a beautiful soul – kind, compassionate, funny and humble. “This is a difficult time,” Dow’s son Christopher Dow said in a statement posted on the actor’s Facebook page.

Per his wife, Lauren Shulkind, the actor is in hospice and still breathing despite multiple reports that he died.

Roberts passed away due to a urinary tract infection that spread to her kidney, gallbladder, liver, and blood stream 24 hours after the premature announcement. “It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning,” wrote Bilotta and James in the since-deleted post. According to TMZ, Dow, who played Wally Cleaver on the 1950s-era sitcom Leave It to Beaver, is currently in hospice and still breathing.

Dow's wife Lauren Shulkind was reportedly "very distraught" over the condition of her husband -- who is currently in hospice care -- and believed he had ...

“He and Lauren have been trying to maintain a positive spirit, though at times this proves difficult. “Tony was a beautiful soul — kind, compassionate, funny and humble. It was truly a joy to just be around him.

Dow's son, Christopher Dow, told Fox News his father is under hospice care and in 'his last hours,' as an announcement of Dow's death was removed from his ...

The Times, among others, has posted an editor’s note correcting the earlier reporting, now noting, “he is still alive.” Later, the management posted an update confirming he is still alive. Dow also had roles on Lassie, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and Mr. Novak during the 1960s and ‘70s.

Tony Dow, the producer, director and actor most famous for his role as Wally Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver" has died after a battle with liver cancer. A ...

He later reprised his role as Wally from 1983-1989 on "The New Leave It To Beaver." TMZ broke the story, Tony was diagnosed with cancer in May 2022. An update on his cancer battle last week said it was, "... a rollercoaster of ups and downs as Tony continues his fight with cancer. 12:48 PM PT -- The statement reporting Tony's death that was posted on his official Facebook page Tuesday morning has now been removed. It was truly a joy to just be around him. My wife and I are by his side along with many friends that have visited.

Family issues statement about actor who is in hospice care.

The statement continued: “We have since received a call from Tony’s daughter-in-law saying that while Tony is not doing well, he has not yet passed. “This is a difficult time,” Dow’s son Christopher Dow wrote on the actor’s Facebook page. Dow’s son and management team cleared up the confusion on Tuesday night, attributing the error to the distraught state of Dow’s wife.

But a follow-up Facebook post from TV producer Jay Kernis included an update on Tuesday afternoon, calling the death announcement a “terrible mistake”. He said: ...

LOS ANGELES — Actor, director and artist Tony Dow, forever remembered for his role as Wally Cleaver — older brother to Jerry Mathers' Beaver — in the iconic ...

“Leave It to Beaver” is one of the most memorable TV series from the early days of television. Tony was so grateful for all of the love and support from our fans across the world.” Tony was happiest in his Topanga Canyon shop where he sculpted and worked with passion. Actor Willie Aames called Dow “a humanitarian, artist, actor, director and television icon. But a short time later, Dow’s wife, Lauren, told CBS News and other media outlets that her husband was still alive, but in hospice care. Dow has been battling a re-occurrence with cancer, which he had beaten back twice before.

According to CNN.com and other news websites, Dow's official Facebook page reported for a brief time that he had died.

Dow’s son, Christopher, later updated family, friends, and fans, saying in a post that his father was “in his last hours”: A later post clarified the news and said that Dow, who is 77, was still alive and that family was “by his side comforting him”: “Leave It to Beaver” actor Tony Dow is in hospice care but is not dead yet, despite a post that reportedly appeared on his official Facebook page that said he had already died.

His death was confirmed by telephone by Frank Bilotta of the Bilotta Gallery which sells Dow's sculpture. The announcement came a day after news of Dow's death ...

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Tony Dow, an actor and director best known for portraying Wally Cleaver on the sitcom "Leave It to Beaver," died Wednesday morning, according to his manager ...

In 1993, he was an honorary speaker at a convention for the National Depressive and Manic-Depressive Association. Dow continued to work in Hollywood, taking parts in TV series and even reprising his role in "The New Leave It to Beaver" in the 1980s. "Although this is a very sad day, I have comfort and peace that he is in a better place.

After a Facebook post that first announced Tony Dow's death and another hours later that said he was still alive, he died on Wednesday, his reps confirm..

The son of a Hollywood stuntwoman, Dow was a swimmer and a junior diving champion who had appeared in two pilots for a Tarzan-like show that Ackerman produced but never made it to air. ” I don’t think they cared if I’m in it or not, it was sort of an insult,” he said. Working on Leave It to Beaver “was great,” Dow said. “I ended up getting the part and he didn’t, so that was unfortunate. Following Leave It to Beaver, Dow appeared on such series as Dr. Kildare, My Three Sons and Mr. Novak and played a character named Chet on Never Too Young, a Malibu-set soap opera tailored to teens. “He told my mom, ‘I’m going to this interview for a show where they’re looking for a father and son. He was my coach, my mentor, my voice of reason, my best friend, my best man in my wedding, and my hero. “From Screen Gems they hired a guy named Harry Ackerman, who was sort of a classic Hollywood producer. “They had already looked at like 8,000 kids from all over the place and knew everyone who was around. When the show completed its original run on ABC in June 1963, his character had graduated from Mayfield High School and was headed for college. He gave so much to us all and was loved by so many. Another post a few hours later said that he was still alive:

Mr. Dow was the older brother on the sitcom, which became a cultural touchstone of the baby boom generation.

“Then I was on a plane once and I walked by this guy, and he looked really familiar to me. “I could never understand the reaction that Jerry or I would get from people,” Mr. Dow told the Kansas City Star in 2003. He was, by all accounts, an understated personality in a profession full of showoffs. Years later, Mathers recalled Mr. Dow was much like his “cool” character: soft-spoken, suave and possessed of gymnastics skills that he showed off by walking up and down a flight of stairs on his hands. He had modest success as a sculptor, with work appearing in galleries and international exhibitions. Many critics likened watching the “Beaver” revivals to entering a time warp. The program was a ratings smash and spawned two sitcoms, notably “The New Leave It to Beaver” on Ted Turner’s superstation, WTBS, from 1986 to 1989. Finding that options for a former child actor were limited, Mr. Dow was making a living on the dinner-theater circuit in the 1970s. “If Wally Cleaver can be depressed,” he said, “anybody can be.” “Leave It to Beaver,” airing from 1957 to 1963, depicted an idyllic suburban postwar American household and became a cultural touchstone of the baby-boom generation. For years, he lived on a boat, made sculpture and lived on income earned primarily by running a construction business. The sitcom began on CBS but appeared for most of its run on the third-place ABC network and never was a big ratings success.

Tony Dow, the actor and producer best known as older brother Wally Cleaver on the beloved 1950s sitcom 'Leave it to Beaver,' has died. He was 77.

Dow reprised the role of Wally when the Cleaver family returned to television for the reunion movie “Still Beaver” and the sequel series “The New Leave It to Beaver,” which ran from 1983 and 1989. He was the best Dad anyone could ask for,” Christopher Dow said in Wednesday’s Facebook post. The actor took a break from acting to join the California Guard in 1965. Dow was born and raised in Hollywood on April 13, 1945. Dow’s verified Facebook account clarified on Tuesday that Dow was still alive but “not doing well.” Dow died Wednesday morning, his son, Christopher Dow, confirmed in a post on the actor’s official Facebook account.