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IMDbPro

Tony Dow(1945-2022)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Visual Effects
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Tony Dow
Trailer for Leave It to Beaver: The Complete Series
Play trailer0:57
Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963)
2 Videos
97 Photos
Tony Dow was an American actor, film producer, television director, and sculptor from Los Angeles, California. His most famous role was that of athletic adolescent Wallace "Wally" Cleaver in the popular sitcom "Leave It to Beaver" (1957-1963). Dow played the older brother to the series' protagonist Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver (played by Jerry Mathers). Bow returned to the role of Wally in the sequel series "The New Leave It to Beaver" (1983-1989), which featured the Cleaver brothers as married adults with children of their own.

In 1945, Dow was born in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. He aspired to an acting career since childhood, but he only had a few theatrical roles until the late 1950s. He went to an open casting call for the upcoming sitcom "Leave It to Beaver., and he was cast in the regular role of Wallace "Wally" Cleaver. He replaced child actor Paul Sullivan, who played Wally in the series' pilot. Wally was depicted as a talented track and field athlete, basketball player and baseball player. He was well-liked by his teachers and popular with his peers, but his friendships with dimwitted bully Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford and untrustworthy schemer Edward Clark "Eddie" Haskell repeatedly landed him in trouble.

As the television series progressed, Dow received more screen-time for his character. He was often featured in "heartthrob"-type magazines for teen girls, and he was regarded as more popular than his co-star Jerry Mathers. "Leave It to Beaver" ended in 1963, after 6 seasons and 234 episodes. At 18, Dow was a bit too old to keep playing a high school student, while Mathers was considering an early retirement from acting. Dow then started appearing regularly at guest-star roles in television, until cast in a regular role for the short-lived soap opera "Never Too Young" (1965-1966). It was the first soap opera primarily aimed at an adolescent audience.

During the 1970s, Dow was mostly limited to guest star roles in television. To supplement his income, he found work at the construction industry. He also pursued studies in both filmmaking and journalism, thought they did not lead to an immediate change in his career. Dow played a parody of Wally Cleaver in the comedy film "The Kentucky Fried Movie" (1977), where his character caused trouble in a courtroom trial.

In 1983, Dow played Wally Cleaver in the reunion television film "Still the Beaver". He reunited with several of his former co-starts. The film served as a pilot for the sequel television series "The New Leave It to Beaver", which aired from 1984 to 1989. The series lasted for 4 seasons and 101 episodes. Dow played Wally as a skilled lawyer, who represented Beaver in a custody battle for his children. Meanwhile, Wally had to deal with marriage to his former sweetheart Mary Ellen Rogers (played by Janice Kent) and raising his daughter Kelly Cleaver (played by Kaleena Kiff). In 1987, Dow received a "Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award" for his role as Wally Cleaver.

In 1989, Dow made his debut as a television director. His first work in the field was an episode of the drama series "The New Lassie" (1989-1992), a sequel series to "Lassie" (1954-1973). He subsequently directed episodes of (among others) "Harry and the Hendersons", "Swamp Thing", "Coach", "Babylon 5", "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show", and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". In addition, Dow served as the visual effects supervisor for "Babylon 5". He provided the special effects for the television film "Doctor Who" (1996), a sequel to a long-running British television series.

In 1995, Dow produced the science fiction comedy film "The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space". In the film, aliens from the planet Pangea attempt to recruit the heroic Captain Zoom to help them in a war. The hero does not actually exist, and they have instead recruited the arrogant actor who was playing him on a television. The actor decides to use old science fiction script as inspiration for his strategies. The film was intended as an affectionate parody to both Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon.

In 1996, Dow produced the television film "It Came from Outer Space II". It was a remake (rather than a sequel) to the classic science fiction horror film "It Came from Outer Space" (1953). Both films feature shape-shifting aliens who have crash-landed on Earth, and who attempt to blend in with the human population. However, they manage to copy human appearance, but not human behavior and personalities. The remake was poorly received, and this was Dow's final effort as a producer.

During the 1990s, Dow admitted to the press that he had been diagnosed with clinical depression. He subsequently appeared in self-help videos concerning ways to struggle with the condition, such as "Beating the Blues" (1998). He also placed more efforts in his side career as a sculptor. He specialized in creating abstract bronze sculptures. In 2008, he was one of the artists representing the United States at the "Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts" exhibition in Paris. He displayed his sculpture of a warrior woman.
BornApril 13, 1945
DiedJuly 27, 2022(77)
BornApril 13, 1945
DiedJuly 27, 2022(77)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Awards
    • 1 win

Photos97

Tony Dow and Ryan O'Neal in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow and Ryan O'Neal in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow in The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977)
Hugh Beaumont, Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow, and Jerry Mathers in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow and Ken Osmond in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow and Ken Osmond in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers, and Ken Osmond in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow, and Ken Osmond in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers, and Ken Osmond in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers in Leave It to Beaver (1957)

Known for

Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers in Leave It to Beaver (1957)
Leave It to Beaver
7.6
TV Series
  • Wally Cleaver
Bruce Boxleitner, Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Jerry Doyle, and Andreas Katsulas in Babylon 5 (1993)
Babylon 5
8.4
TV Series
  • Director
Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell, Colm Meaney, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, and Alexander Siddig in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
8.1
TV Series
  • Director
Tracy Scoggins, Gary Cole, Daniel Dae Kim, and Peter Woodward in Crusade (1999)
Crusade
6.7
TV Series
  • Director

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Suspense (2014)
    Suspense
    • Fitzhugh
    • Max Redford
    • TV Series
    • 2015–2016
  • Jerry Mathers in Lucky Day (2015)
    Lucky Day
    • Marty
    • Short
    • 2015
  • David Spade in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003)
    Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star
    • Tony Dow
    • 2003
  • Dick Van Dyke and Barry Van Dyke in Diagnosis Murder (1993)
    Diagnosis Murder
    • Donald Debono
    • MBC Exec Donald Debono
    • TV Series
    • 1999
  • Playing Patti
    • 1998
  • Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction (1997)
    Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction
    • Jimmy (segment "The Card Game")
    • TV Series
    • 1998
  • The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space (1995)
    The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space
    • Producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1995
  • Freddy's Nightmares (1988)
    Freddy's Nightmares
    • Johnny Travers
    • TV Series
    • 1990
  • Scott Baio, Willie Aames, Julie Cobb, April Lerman, Michael Pearlman, Jonathan Ward, and James Widdoes in Charles in Charge (1984)
    Charles in Charge
    • Preston
    • TV Series
    • 1989
  • Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow, and Jerry Mathers in The New Leave It to Beaver (1983)
    The New Leave It to Beaver
    • Wally Cleaver
    • TV Series
    • 1983–1989
  • Jesse Hawkes
    • Neil Allen
    • TV Series
    • 1989
  • Paul Reubens, Frankie Avalon, Bob Denver, Annette Funicello, Don Adams, and Stevie Ray Vaughan in Back to the Beach (1987)
    Back to the Beach
    • Judge #1
    • 1987
  • Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)
    The Love Boat
    • Barry Renner
    • Wally Cleaver
    • TV Series
    • 1983–1987
  • Angela Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote (1984)
    Murder, She Wrote
    • Gordon Rogers
    • TV Series
    • 1987
  • Stacy Keach in The New Mike Hammer (1984)
    The New Mike Hammer
    • Robert Miller
    • TV Series
    • 1987

Director

  • Margaret O'Brien in Child Stars: Their Story (2000)
    Child Stars: Their Story
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 2000
  • Vincent Berry, Chad Everett, and Brian McNamara in Manhattan, AZ (2000)
    Manhattan, AZ
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2000
  • Melora Hardin, Michael Angarano, Peter Dobson, Antoinette Picatto, and Cameron Richardson in Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (2000)
    Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2000
  • Tracy Scoggins, Gary Cole, Daniel Dae Kim, and Peter Woodward in Crusade (1999)
    Crusade
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1999
  • Michael Dorn, Terry Farrell, Colm Meaney, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Armin Shimerman, Rene Auberjonois, and Alexander Siddig in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
    Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1999
  • Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show (1997)
    Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1997–1998
  • Bruce Boxleitner, Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Jerry Doyle, and Andreas Katsulas in Babylon 5 (1993)
    Babylon 5
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1997–1998
  • Coach (1989)
    Coach
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1990–1997
  • Celluloid Heroes
    • Director
    • Short
    • 1995
  • Swamp Thing (1990)
    Swamp Thing
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1990–1993
  • Bruce Davison, Zachary Bostrom, Molly Cheek, and Carol-Ann Merrill in Harry and the Hendersons (1991)
    Harry and the Hendersons
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1991–1992
  • Get a Life (1990)
    Get a Life
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1990
  • Lassie in The New Lassie (1989)
    The New Lassie
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1989–1990
  • Barbara Billingsley, Tony Dow, and Jerry Mathers in The New Leave It to Beaver (1983)
    The New Leave It to Beaver
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1988–1989

Visual Effects

  • Bruce Boxleitner, Mira Furlan, Richard Biggs, Jerry Doyle, and Andreas Katsulas in Babylon 5 (1993)
    Babylon 5
    • visual effects supervisor
    • TV Series
    • 1996
  • Eric Roberts, Paul McGann, Daphne Ashbrook, and Yee Jee Tso in Doctor Who: The Movie (1996)
    Doctor Who: The Movie
    • visual effects producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1996
  • The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space (1995)
    The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space
    • visual effects producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1995

Videos2

Leave It to Beaver: The Complete Series
Trailer 0:57
Leave It to Beaver: The Complete Series
Leave It To Beaver: Season 1
Trailer 0:57
Leave It To Beaver: Season 1

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Fan Page
  • Height
    • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
  • Born
    • April 13, 1945
    • Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Died
    • July 27, 2022
    • Topanga, California, USA(cancer)
  • Spouses
      Lauren Carol ShulkindJune 16, 1980 - July 27, 2022 (his death)
  • Parents
    • Muriel Montrose
  • Other works
    Unsold pilot: Co-starred in a sitcom pilot called "Weekend", about a group of teenagers who hung out at the beach on weekends.
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    In 2007 the 62-year-old Dow, the 59-year-old Jerry Mathers and 91-year-old Barbara Billingsley celebrated the 50th anniversary of Leave It to Beaver (1957) by reuniting and inaugurating the 24-hour TV-Land marathon.

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