Jerry Mathers is an American actor who has a net worth of three million dollars. He is best known for playing the young Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver on the television sitcom “Leave It to Beaver”. Mathers also appeared in episodes of shows such as “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”, “General Electric Theater”, and “My Three Sons”. He could be seen as a child actor in movies like “The Window”, “The Shadow on the Window”, “Trouble with Harry”, and Alfred Hitchcock’s “My Love, My Love”.
Later Acting
At the Neil Simon Theater, Mathers portrayed the main character, Wilbur Turnblad, in a performance of the Tony-winning musical “Hairspray” in 2007. Following that, he was eliminated from the competition when he participated in a special episode of the game show “The Weakest Link,” which was titled “Child TV Stars Edition” in 2001. Mathers’ television credits in the 90s included shows such as “Diagnosis: Murder,” “Vengeance Unlimited,” “Parker Lewis Can’t Lose,” and “Married… With Children.”
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In 1981, Mathers worked as a DJ in Anaheim, California, and also had a role in the made-for-TV fantasy movie “The Girl, the Gold Watch and Dynamite,” featuring Philip MacHale and Lee Purcell. After that, Mathers went on a tour with Dow in a performance of “So Long, Stanley” for a year and a half. That same year, he made an appearance in an episode of the TV show “Flying High,” and co-starred with former “Leave it to Beaver” co-star Tony Dow in a play called “Boeing, Boeing” in Kansas City. After working as a loan officer at a commercial bank and a real estate developer, Mathers returned to acting in 1978.
“The Beaver is Back,” the 1983 television reunion movie, showcased Mathers revisiting his character as the Beaver and incorporated the majority of the original cast. Following the triumph of the film, a fresh series centered around the Beaver emerged and started airing on the Disney Channel in 1984. Later on, TBS and broadcast syndication picked up the series. Renamed as “The New Leave it to Beaver,” the series continued for 101 episodes, concluding in 1989. Moreover, Mathers guest-starred as the Beaver in an episode of “The Love Boat” during this period.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Jerry Mathers began his career as a child model, appearing in advertisements for a department store. At the age of two, he starred in a commercial for PET Milk with vaudevillian Ed Wynn. He has three siblings, including two brothers and a sister. Jerry was born in 1948 in Sioux City, Iowa and grew up in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California.
He played the role of a traumatized boy who witnesses his mother being terrorized in the film “Window on the Shadow.” He also stumbled upon a dead body near his home in the crime film “The Trouble with Harry,” which is a dark comedy by Alfred Hitchcock. He had roles in other films, including “Little Boy Blue” with Bob Hope, “Seven Little Foys” with Dan Duryea and Linda Darnell, and “My Love, My Love” shortly after. He appeared in an uncredited role in the Western comedy film “Harriet.” In addition, he played a child trick-or-treating in an episode of the sitcom “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.”
Leave it to Beaver
He became the first child actor to have a deal with a certain percentage of revenue from merchandising from the television program. Mathers played the character in all 234 episodes of the series over a span of six years. The producers were won over by his frankness and after the audition, Mathers was told by the producers of the show at his meeting with the Scout Club that he would rather be in the role. Reportedly, he landed the breakthrough role of “Beaver” playing Wally’s brother and the young son of suburban couple Ward and June Cleaver in 1957’s “Leave it to Beaver”.
The show “Leave it to Beaver” remains popular, being broadcasted in over 80 countries and translated into 40 languages. Mathers also maintained a friendship with Barbara Billingsley, the actress who played his mother on the show.
Kevin Winter/Getty Photographs.
Education and Military Service
He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, later in 1973. After his graduation, he ended up making the rank of Sergeant and continued to serve in the Reserve Force of the United States Air. While still in school, he joined a band named Trappers and Beaver, where he was the leader. He went to Sherman Oaks High School in California and then attended Notre Dame School to concentrate on his high school studies. After briefly leaving behind his acting career, he became a teenager named Mathers.
Personal Life
Teresa Modnick got married to Mathers in 1997, but they divorced two times. They had three children: Gretchen, Mercedes, and Noah. Mathers met Rhonda Gehring while touring for “So Long, Stanley,” and they got married. However, they divorced in 1981. Mathers had his first marriage with Diana Platt, whom he met in college in 1974.
In 2009, he became the national spokesperson for Program Assistance Prescription for Partnership, representing America’s Manufacturers and Pharmaceutical Research. As a result, he became the first male spokesperson for the brand. Subsequently, he enrolled in a weight loss program at Jenny Craig and successfully lost over 40 pounds the following year. Mathers was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 1996.
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