Overview (4)
| Born | in Lawrence, Kansas, USA |
| Died | in Munich, Germany (heart attack) |
| Birth Name | Eugene Hugh Beaumont |
| Height | 6' (1.83 m) |
Mini Bio (1)
Beaumont began his career in show business by perfoming in theatres, nightclubs, and on the radio in 1931. He attended the University of Chattanooga, but left when his position on the football team was changed. He later attended the University of Southern California, and graduated with a Master of Theology degree in 1946. He was visiting his son Hunter, a Psychology Professor in Munich, at the time of his sudden death.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous
Family (2)
| Spouse | Kathryn Adams (13 April 1941 - 1974) (divorced) (3 children) |
| Parents |
Edward Henry Beaumont
Ethel Adeline Whitney |
Trivia (18)
Was an ordained minister.
At one time owned a lake house in northern Minnesota.
Retired from show business in the late 1960s, launching a second career as a Christmas-tree farmer in Minnesota. He was forced to slow down after suffering a stroke in 1972.
A devout Methodist, he originally studied for the clergy but eventually switched to acting, remaining busy as a lay minister, however, throughout his acting career.
In Hollywood from 1940, he rose quickly up the ranks while many of the big stars were serving WWII duty (he was a conscientious objector). His mild resemblance to actor Lloyd Nolan enabled him to inherit Nolan's leading movie persona of detective Michael Shayne in a series of "B" crime films. After the war he returned primarily to supporting roles.
Spent much of his later years growing Christmas trees on Balgillo Island, which he owned, in northern Minnesota.
Had two sons and a daughter. One of his sons established himself as a psychology professor in Munich, Germany.
The son of Ethel Adaline Whitney and Edward H. Beaumont, he was of French descent and was born with a very rare blood type, reportedly shared only with the Hapsburg royal family.
Also wrote and directed several episodes of his famous series Leave It to Beaver (1957), including the final, retrospective episode, Leave It to Beaver: Family Scrapbook (1963). His portrayal of Ward Cleaver ranked #28 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in the June 20, 2004, issue.
Appeared on the sly in educational and industrial films as both an actor and narrator.
Attended and played football at the University of Chattanooga in Tennessee, but left when his position on the football team was changed. He later attended the University of Southern California (USC), and graduated with a Master of Theology degree.
After suffering his 1972 stroke, he was told by doctors that he would never walk or talk again, but he proved otherwise and recovered enough to do some directing and community theater work.
Wife Kathryn Adams, who was an actress when they met, retired from films after their 1942 marriage to raise a family of two sons and a daughter. She did return once, however, to co-star with Hugh in the film Blonde for a Day (1946). They divorced in 1974.
Was a staunch conservative Republican and publically supported the presidencies of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan.
In 1951 RKO Pictures was to start a crime thriller to be called "The Sins of Sarah Ferry". The story was about a courthouse clerk in Binghamton, NY, who finds herself falling in love with a beautiful liar who's accused of armed robbery as well as a hit-and-run charge involving a death. The cast was to consist of Laraine Day, Fred MacMurray, Yvonne De Carlo, Beaumont, Glenn Ford, Howard Duff and Evelyn Keyes, with the studio wanting to shoot on location in Binghamton and neighboring Johnson City. This project never materialized because the plot was considered too close to that of Double Indemnity (1944) and the studio never received a reply from the Binghamton Courthouse or city officials granting them permission to film on location in the area and negotiate a fair payment. Based on that, the studio canceled the project and moved on.
Best known for his role as Ward Cleaver, Barbara Billingsley's TV husband, on Leave It to Beaver (1957).
In addition to being an ordained minister in his early vocation, he also portrayed clergymen as an actor on television and in film: TV: "The Lone Ranger" and "Crossroads." Film: "The Member of the Wedding" and "Washington Story.".
In "Leave it to Beaver," he played Ward Cleaver. In "The Seventh Victim," his character's name was Gregory Ward.
Personal Quotes (1)
Sometimes my work as an actor presents a conflict with my ideals as a clergyman. I don't believe in the old saying that the end justifies the means, and no money that I can earn as an actor can accomplish so much good that I would feel justified in violating my ideals to earn it . . . If the question ever arises in a serious way, of course I would have to give up my acting.
