The acclaimed and iconic actor from Leave It To Beaver. Leave It to Beaver is an American television sitcom that ran from 1957 to 1963 if you’re unfamiliar.
The show chronicles the lives of the Cleaver family, featuring Ward, June, and their sons Wally and Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver.
Jerry Mathers, who became a household figure owing to his performance on the program, portrayed Beaver.
Early Life and Beginnings of Career
Jerry Mathers was born in 1948 in Sioux City, Iowa, and grew up in Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley. There are three of his siblings: a sister and two brothers.
At the age of two, he began his modeling career by appearing in a department store advertising as a child model. He subsequently appeared in a PET Milk commercial alongside vaudevillian Ed Wynn.
At the age of four, Mathers was featured uncredited in the comedy Western film “Son of Paleface” and in a Halloween episode of “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” as a trick-or-treating toddler.
Shortly thereafter, he appeared in films such as “This is My Love” with Linda Darnell and Dan Duryea, “The Seven Little Foys” with Bob Hope, and Alfred Hitchcock’s dark comedy “The Trouble with Harry,” in which he played a youngster who discovers a corpse near his home.
In the film “The Shadow on the Window,” he portrayed a frightened youngster who watches the terrorization of his mother.
Related Topics:-
Pete Buttigieg Net Worth 2022: What’s the Interesting Thing About His Military Profession?
Dan Rather Net Worth 2022: The Killian Documents Scandal and the CBS Exit!
Leave it to Beaver
In 1957, Mathers scored his breakthrough role on “Leave it to Beaver” as “Beaver” Cleaver, the infant son of June and Ward Cleaver and Wally’s sibling.
Mathers reportedly landed the part after telling the show’s producers that he would rather be at his Club Scout meeting than at the audition, and the producers were impressed by his candor.
Over the course of six years, Mathers portrayed the character in all 234 episodes of the television series. He was the first kid actor to receive a portion of merchandise sales from a television series.
The popular television series “Leave it to Beaver” continues to air in over 80 countries and 40 languages. Mathers also maintained a friendship with Barbara Billingsley, the actress who played his mother on the show.
Academics and Military Duty
After reaching adolescence, Mathers temporarily gave up acting to focus on his high school responsibilities. Beaver and the Trappers was his band at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, where he was the leader.
In 1966, while he was still in school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force Reserve; he continued to serve after completing his education and ultimately attained the rank of Sergeant.
Later, in 1973, he attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy.
Returning to Entertainment
In 1978, Mathers returned to acting after serving as a commercial bank loan officer and a real estate developer.
In the same year, he appeared in an episode of “Flying High” and co-starred with former “Leave it to Beaver” co-star Tony Dow in a Kansas City production of “Boeing, Boeing.” Following this, Mathers toured for one year with Dow in the production of “So Long, Stanley.”
In 1981, he worked as a disc DJ in Anaheim, California, and also appeared in the made-for-television fantasy film “The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Dynamite” alongside Philip MacHale and Lee Purcell.
Mathers resumed his role as the Beaver in “Still the Beaver,” a 1983 television reunion film including the majority of the original cast.
Due to the success of the film, a new Beaver-centered television series was developed; it debuted on the Disney Channel in 1984 and was then picked up by TBS for broadcast syndication.
The series, renamed “The New Leave it to Beaver,” ran for 101 episodes before concluding in 1989. During this period, Mathers also appeared in an episode of “The Love Boat” as the Beaver.
What is the Net Worth of Jerry Mathers?
American television, film, and stage actor Jerry Mathers has a net worth of $3 million. Jerry Mathers is best known for his role as the young Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver in the comedy “Leave it to Beaver.”
He also starred in episodes of “Ozzie and Harriet,” “General Electric Theater,” “Lassie,” “My Three Sons,” and “The War at Home.” As a child, Mathers appeared in “This is My Love,” “The Trouble with Harry” by Alfred Hitchcock, and “The Shadow in the Window.”
Subsequent Acting
In the 1990s, Mathers appeared on “Married… with Children,” “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,” “Vengeance Unlimited,” and “Diagnosis: Murder.” In 2001, Mathers participated in an edition of “The Weakest Link” themed “Child TV Stars Edition”; he was eliminated after the first round.
In 2007, he made his Broadway debut in “Hairspray,” a Tony-winning musical. Mathers played Wilbur Turnblad in a show at the Neil Simon Theatre.
Personal Life
In 1974, Mathers wed Diana Platt, whom he had met during his college years. In 1981, the couple divorced. Mathers subsequently married Rhonda Gehring, whom he met during the “So Long, Stanley” tour.
Three children were born to them: Noah, Mercedes, and Gretchen. The couple separated in 1997. In 2011, Mathers was married for the third time to Teresa Modnick.
Mathers was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1996. The next year, he engaged in a Jenny Craig weight loss program and lost almost 40 pounds.
As a result, he became the brand’s first male spokesperson. He became the national spokesperson for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and its Partnership for Prescription Assistance program in 2009.