Who Is Still Alive From ‘Leave It to Beaver’?
Before Modern Family, Diff’rent Strokes or even The Brady Bunch, one show above all others first defined the template of the American TV family: Leave It to Beaver. From 1957 through 1963, the show brought us the idyllic (if sometimes unrealistic) adventures of the Cleavers, an average suburban clan living in the average suburban town of Mayfield (in a state that was never explicitly named).
The Cleavers’ strict-but-caring patriarch Ward was played by Hugh Beaumont and perfect mom and wife June was lovingly played by Barbara Billingsley. As for the Cleaver kids you had athletic older brother Wally (Tony Dow), and, of course, the chubby-cheeked heart of the show, Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver (Jerry Mathers).
The Cleavers were the perfect picture of suburban contentment, with no real challenges (financial, medical or otherwise) to deal with. Ward was the confident, capable breadwinner, while June handled the responsibilities of a 1950s housewife with ease, leaving the show to focus on the humorous everyday challenges of growing up through the eyes of Wally and Beaver, as well as a wholesome cast of supporting characters — including, most notably, Wally and Beaver’s friends “Lumpy” Rutherford (Frank Bank) and the weasel-like Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond).
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Leave It to Beaver was relatable to the few of us who had seemingly perfect families, and the perfect comfort food for the vast majority of us who didn’t. The Cleaver family became our family, and we still happily welcome them into our homes today thanks to MeTV and FETV, who continue to air the reruns. In addition to decades of popularity in syndication, public demand to revisit the characters led to a 1983 TV movie, Still the Beaver, as well as The New Leave It to Beaver, 1984-1989’s revival series that caught up with the gang after Ward’s passing. Sadly, Beaumont himself passed away in 1982; Billingsley followed in 2010, with Ken Osmond in 2020 and Dow passing away in 2022.
These days, Leave It to Beaver is still regarded as one of TV’s most beloved family sitcoms, but who is still around from the show? Take a look!
> Jerry Mathers & Remaining ‘Leave It to Beaver’ Cast Are Reuniting at Hollywood Show in June 2025
Jerry Mathers (76)
Theodore “the Beaver” Cleaver
Presley Ann/Getty Images for Family Film and TV Awards
The only surviving member of the Cleaver family, Mathers somehow continues to resemble the bright-eyed boy who warmed our hearts all those years ago. A young showbiz veteran (his career started at the age of two, when he was picked to appear in a department store ad), he actually appeared in several movies even before he became “the Beaver” — most notably as Shirley MacLaine’s son in Alfred Hitchcock‘s The Trouble With Harry.
Quietly moving away from full-time acting over the years, Mathers has shifted his attention to other endeavors, such as becoming the national spokesman for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and its Partnership for Prescription Assistance back in 2009. Regardless, he’ll always be “the Beav” to us!
> Jerry Mathers Talks ‘Beaver,’ His Infamous Audition & How His Dog Saved His Life
Robert “Rusty” Stevens (77)
Larry Mondello
Everett Collection
One of Beaver’s best friends in the original series, Larry was never the sharpest knife in the drawer. In fact, his tendency to lead Beaver astray with his silliness was matched only by his love of candy bars.
While Stevens brought this memorable character to life over the course of the show’s first three seasons, he didn’t do much else in the acting world. After reemerging in a few episodes of The New Leave it to Beaver, he finally left show business behind for good in 1989.
Stephen Talbot (75)
Gilbert Bates
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Despite debuting as a lying loudmouth desperate to fit in with the other kids, the character of Gilbert Bates eventually became one of the Beaver’s BFFs.
Believe it or not, Gilbert was Stephen Talbot’s first role on television, leading to opportunities to appear on other hit shows like Perry Mason, Wanted Dead or Alive and The Twilight Zone. Eventually, he ditched acting for journalism, earning tremendous success as a news producer on the popular news show Frontline and winning a plethora of major awards for his work as a news and documentary producer.
Pamela Baird (79)
Mary Ellen Rogers
A prolific young actress (highlights include a role in a movie called Good Morning, Miss Dove when she was only 10 years old, plus appearances in TV classics like Father Knows Best, The Danny Thomas Show and Perry Mason), Pamela played the character of Mary Ellen Rogers, one of Wally’s on-again/off-again girlfriends.
Appearing in only six episodes over five seasons of the show, Pamela remains a memorable face for Leave it to Beaver fans. In fact, despite retiring from show business at the tender age of 19 in 1964, Baird agreed to return to Mayfield in 1987 for an uncredited cameo in The New Leave it to Beaver.
Veronica Cartwright (75)
Violet Rutherford
Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Princess Cruises
The older sister to Lost in Space‘s Angela Cartwright, Veronica Cartwright started her career in 1958 with a role in In Love and War. She followed that up as the pig-tailed classmate to Beaver on Leave It to Beaver, playing Violet Rutherford, and later, Peggy MacIntosh. Many fans remember the classic episode, “An Embarrassment For Beaver,” where Violet planted a kiss on Beaver’s cheek, which was captured on film and ended up on the cover of Ward’s company magazine — to Beaver’s horror! Violet, of course, later confessed that she only kissed him because her father told her to. “I’d rather kiss a dead lizard than kiss you again!”
Another memorable role of Cartwright’s included 1979’s Alien where Cartwright played Lambert, the only other woman on the ship besides Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). The infamous scene where the alien bursts out of the crew member’s chest is one to rewatch, as Cartwright had no idea that she was going to be showered in blood, so her reaction is authentic. Cartwright has numerous other TV, film and theater credits to her name, including most recently roles on A Man on the Inside, The Rookie, The Good Doctor and General Hospital.
Jeri Weil (76)
Judy Hensler
Screen Grab
Playing Beaver’s nemesis was not always a fun task, but Jeri Weil made it look easy as the class Miss Smarty Pants. Weil appeared in 31 episodes on Leave It to Beaver in the first few seasons of the series. Her character was known as the class tattletale who had no problem stirring up trouble. She also made a single guest appearance on a 1987 episode of the reboot The New Leave It to Beaver. She quit acting in 1960 and walked away from Hollywood. She would later join her mother in real estate and became a very successful realtor in Studio City, California.
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