July 28, 2022 – Tony Dow

Tony Dow, best known for playing Wally Cleaver on the classic sitcom Leave It To Beaver, passed away yesterday at the age of 77, after being diagnosed with liver cancer earlier this year.
He was born in Hollywood. His father was a contractor and home designer, and his mother was one of the first stunt women in Hollywood! In his youth, Dow was a swimmer and a Junior Olympics diving champion. He had no acting aspirations and very little experience when he auditioned for the role of Wally.
After Leave It To Beaver ended in 1963, Dow continued appearing on other TV shows, like My Three Sons, Dr. Kildare, and The Greatest Show on Earth. After a 3 year acting hiatus while serving in the U.S. National Guard from 1965-1968, Dow returned to the small screen, guest starring on Knight Rider, The Mod Squad, Square Pegs and others.
He made his directing debut in 1989 with an episode of The New Lassie. He’d go on to direct episodes of Coach, Harry and the Hendersons, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Besides acting, directing, and producing, Dow was also a sculptor, creating abstract bronze sculptures that appeared in galleries all over the world.
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