Jerry Mathers, born Gerald Patrick Mathers, is an American actor. He is perhaps solely known for his appealing performance in the TV series Leave It to Beaver, where he portrayed Theodore Cleaver, the son of June and Ward Cleavers; he also starred in the sequel show (one of the few successful sequel shows in television history) The New Leave It to Beaver.
Jerry Mathers was born on June 2nd, 1948, in Sioux City, Iowa, and had a jumpstart career at the age of two, when Mathers starred in a commercial. His father was a high school principal and a homemaker, but his mother was a housewife. His early works include minor roles in films such as This is My Love, Men of the Fighting Lady, The Seven Little Foys (all of the films were shot during the 50s). However, his most important role was the portrayal of Beav in Leave It to Beaver, the role which he started performing at the age of eight. Jerry Mathers also co-starred an Alfred Hitchcock motion picture, The Trouble With Harry, which was released in 1954.
Oddly enough, Jerry got the role by admitting that he'd rather be at a boy scouts meeting, not the auditioning. The producers wanted a "real boy" with a real boy's attitude, and they apparently succeeded, as the show skyrocketed in the ratings right off the bat when it first started in 1957.
Jerry Mathers took a break from acting to finish school, but the acting days were over; Jerry had a wife and two kids at the time. After high school, Mathers served in Air National Guard (from 1966 to 1969), and went back to acting, albeit not full time, as Mathers acquired a BA in Philosophy and worked in banking during the 70s. He starred in the successful 1980 revival series The New Leave It to Beaver, which was quite successful. The New Leave It to Beaver ran its first season on Disney Channel, but was canceled there and moved on to TBS. Shortly after Mathers finished starring in the show, he discovered that he has diabetes, and now uses his celebrity status to promote diabetes awareness. He later went on to pursue various business affairs and owned a company Cleaver's Catering which was based in California during the late 90s.
Jerry Mathers, although arguably portrayed just a single important role -the Beaver- during his acting career, is a character that many Americans won't forget. His attractive performance throughout the years, and also in the latter sequel series, was breathtaking, and his ever-youthful attitude and looks have preserved his career; Mathers has recently starred in such films as Will to Power (2006); Better Luck Tomorrow (2002); etc. A biography titled And Jerry Mathers as The Beaver was published in 1998, and we will surely see Mathers in other movies. Only time can tell what the Beaver is up to.
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