No cause of death was shared, but Dows wife Lauren revealed in May that he was facing another battle with cancer. Tony Dow Net Worth, Biography, Career, Family, And Death! Created by Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher,Leave It to Beaverwas a slice-of-life family comedy that told stories not from the parents point-of-view but from the kids. You go through an awkward age and dont get hired, so you quit I wasnt neglected by my family I also started college and kept acting Then I decided to stop and try other things, like directing, to keep things interesting. Dow got his start as a TV director onThe New Leave It to Beaver, and he spent the next dozen years helming episodes of other shows likeHarry and the Hendersons,Coach,Babylon 5andStar Trek: Deep Space Nineand serving as a visual effects supervisor on a 1996Doctor Whotelefilm. From the warm reminiscences of Wally Cleaver to those of us fortunate enough to know him personally thank you Tony. Tony Dow, who became a star at 12 as Wally Cleaver, the barely teenage older brother on the popular 1950s and '60s comedy series "Leave It to Beaver," died on Wednesday at his home in Topanga,. The pilot fizzled, but Dow got an agent and auditioned for Beaver. WhenLeave it to Beaverdebuted on CBS in October 1957, Dow was 12 and Wally was just beginning to take an interest in girls. Fox News: How were you discovered at age 11? Tony Dow has won two BAFTA TV awards in 1997 and 1989. We were both swimmers and divers in those days and we shared the same diving coach, Award Winning Olympic Diver, Johnny Riley. I was always a little rebellious, the website The Outsider quoted him as saying in 2021, and success had come so easily. He got his big break in 1957 when he tagged along with a friend to an audition and ended up being cast as Wally, the older brother of Beaver Cleaver, played by Jerry Mathers. The rest is history. It aired for six seasons. I was a junior diving champion and held a national record at 9. My mom would drive me to work. Anthony Lee Dow was born in Hollywood on April 13, 1945, the son of John Stevens Dow, a designer and contractor, and Muriel Virginia (Montrose) Dow. Tony Dow, Big Brother Wally on 'Leave It to Beaver,' Dies at 77 He was a Junior Olympics diving champion, but didnt have much showbiz experience when he tagged along with a friend and ended up auditioning for and winning the role of Wally. . Clockwise from left: Jerry Mathers, Tony Dow, Hugh Beaumont and Barbara Billingsley of Leave It to Beaver. Dow is survived by Lauren, his wife of more than 40 years. He was 77. (Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images). Anyone can read what you share. Mathers noted on his website that for him to play a younger brother took acting chops on his part. In a since-deleted post on his Facebook page, Dow's death was confirmed: It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share with you the passing of our beloved Tony this morning. I wish I could have tried to get rid of that. WDRB FCC Applications & Related Materials, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Sorry, there are no recent results for popular articles. Go write that. So they really tried to keep the show realistic and believable Im a little biased, as all my other friends who are on other shows are. He has been an actor, director, writer, visual effects designer, producer, home builder, woodworker, painter and sculptor. They were even going to make a series out of it so I was pretty happy about that because it would move me along. We never had any of that. Inside Tony Dow's 42-Year Union with Wife Who Believed He - AmoMama They wanted us to be as much of a family as possible, for Jerry and I to very much be like regular kids. Tony Dow: living with depressive illness - Baltimore Sun I was working out at the Hollywood athletic club and there was a. At two and a half he began swimming and Swedish gymnastics, evolving into a national record holder in swimming and diving. That was an issue I was faced with. Mathers, and Barbara Billingsley pose together in a promotional portrait for the television series, 'Leave It to Beaver'. T ony Dow was born in Hollywood, California in 1945. He told my mom, Im going to this interview for a show where theyre looking for a father and son. His gentle voice and unpretentious manner was immediately comforting and you could not help but love him. Tony Dow Dead, Family Confirms: 'Leave It To Beaver - Deadline Your voice changes. We will miss you.. Mr. Dow said in the end that he was no longer troubled by the outcome of his early success. He has also been a nominee of the same multiple times. He was my coach, my mentor, my voice of reason, my best friend, my best man in my wedding, and my hero. Mathers and Dow havent allowed the years to distance them. The series offered monsters in the closet; mishaps with borrowed cars, bicycles, comic books, football tickets and prom dates; and a seemingly unending supply of flashbacks (clips from the original series). I was a junior diving champion and held a national record at nine. A few years later, we both entered the world of Show Business. A work of art should tell people what they need to know, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. 'Leave It to Beaver' Star Tony Dow Discusses Battle With Depression