Jerry Mathers
| Jerry Mathers | |
|---|---|
Mathers in 2007
|
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| Born |
Gerald Patrick Mathers June 2, 1948 Sioux City, Iowa, US |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Jerry Mather |
| Education | Notre Dame High School |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1950–present |
| Known for | Portrayal of Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver in Leave It to Beaver |
| Home town | Los Angeles, California, US |
| Spouse(s) |
Diana Platt (m. 1974–81) Rhonda Gehring (m. 1977–1997) Teresa Modnick (m. 2011) |
| Children | Noah Mathers Mercedes Mathers Gretchen Mathers |
| Relatives | Jim Mathers (brother) |
| Website | www |
Gerald Patrick "Jerry" Mathers (born June 2, 1948) is an American television, film, and stage actor. Mathers is best known for his role in the television sitcom Leave It to Beaver, originally broadcast from 1957 to 1963, in which he played Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver, the younger son of the suburban couple June and Ward Cleaver (played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont) and the brother of Wally Cleaver (played by Tony Dow).
Mathers was born in Sioux City, Iowa, the son of a high school principal, and grew up in Rock Rapids, about 75 miles north, and in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, California. He has two younger siblings, Susie Mathers McSweeney and Jim Mathers, who also became child actors.
Mathers began his career at the age of 2 when he appeared as a child model for a department store ad. Soon after, he starred in a commercial for PET Milk opposite vaudeville comedian Ed Wynn.
His early movies included This is My Love (1954), Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), The Seven Little Foys (1955) and The Trouble with Harry (1955).
Mathers states that he got the role of Beaver Cleaver after telling the show's producers he would rather be at his Cub Scout meeting than auditioning for the part. The producers found his candidness appealing and perfect for the role. Mathers played the Beaver for six years, appearing in all 234 episodes of the series. He was the first child actor ever to make a deal to get a percentage of the merchandising revenue from a television show. The Leave It to Beaver show still generates merchandise revenue today, many years after its original production run ended.
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