10 Secrets You Didn’t Know About Leave It to Beaver’s Tony Dow: He Opened Up About Teen Stardom

Tony Dow Was a Swimmer

Before earning notoriety on television, Tony was a talented swimmer. He was a junior diving champion and held a national record at just 9 years old.

He Wasn’t Allowed to Watch ‘Leave It to Beaver’

Growing up on set, Tony said that his parents were advised to keep him from watching Leave It to Beaver.

“They actually asked our parents not to let us watch the show on TV so we wouldn’t get a big head,” he revealed. “So there are probably some episodes that I haven’t seen yet… And there was no swearing on set at all, not even from the crew. They wanted to keep it as family-friendly as possible at all times.”

Tony Was Worried About Being Typecast

Tony earned 39 acting credits throughout his career, however, he admitted he was afraid of being typecast after Leave It to Beaver.

“Every actor has that issue … People formulate an opinion about you and expect you to be a particular way,” he explained. “And when you’re not that way, they’re disappointed. They don’t quite understand it. That was an issue I was faced with.”

He Inspired Costar Jerry Mathers

Jerry Mathers, who played Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, looked up to Tony during their years of working together.

“What I wanted to do was play sports,” he told Closer in May 2019. “Tony Dow had been a star athlete. He was a gymnast. In fact, that’s one of the reasons they picked him, but he never really got to do his gymnastics on camera.”

“Had he not done Leave It to Beaver, he probably would have been an Olympian, because that’s what he was training for and that’s what they wanted,” Jerry added. “When he interviewed for the show, they said, ‘Highly athletic.’ What’s funny is that Tony could take three or four steps, jump up in the air, do a front flip and land on his feet. And I said to myself, ‘I can’t do that,’ not realizing that most everybody else couldn’t do that, either. But he was the only person that I was really around, so I didn’t know. I would just look at him and go, ‘Oh, OK, I’m not gonna try that.”

Tony Dow Had a Fear of Public Speaking

“It’s rare for me. It scares me to death every time I have to do it,” he once said of making public appearances in adulthood.

The Cast Had Fond Memories From the ‘Beaver’ Set

Jerry also recalled a time on set where he and Tony built a boat with the help of some of the guys on the crew.

“I don’t know what they were making an hour for that, because they were supposed to be building sets, and instead they’re sanding our boat,” he recalled. “It was just a little boat that we took out to the lake to sail. So we just had all sorts of fun like that, and they were very happy to do it, because they wanted us to be happy so that we wanted to go there every day. And we really did.”

Tony Dow Thought ‘Leave It to Beaver’ Was Realistic

“Everybody’s going to have an opinion,” he said. “But I think the show is the most natural and most realistic representation of the late ‘50s, early ‘60s that was on the air. And most of the stories came from real life.”

Tony Dow Became an Artist

Later on in life, Tony was able to pursue his artistic passions, excelling in the area of sculpting.

“In my late teens, I was given a welding set — I don’t know why — but I started brazing copper into figures, houses, and what not. When the show ended in ’63, I got more involved in sculpting and made the rounds at the art festivals: Westwood Art Show, Del Mar Art Show, Catalina Art Festival, etc. I got my first lesson in the art business,” he recalled to Handmade Business. “I would always have a number of larger pieces I was proud of and then a number of smaller pieces. It got so I was selling small weed pots, but none of the pieces I was more interested in. Suddenly I realized, ‘I don’t want to make weed pots anymore’ and so ended my first attempt at selling fine — and I’m using the term loosely — art. During that same period, I was painting, collaging, doing some assemblages, taking art classes at UCLA, and, of course, trying to continue my acting career.”

He Felt a ‘Disconnect’ to the Show at Times

When he finally did get around to watching episodes of Leave It to Beaver, Tony had a unique take on what he saw.

“It’s sort of like there’s a disconnect. I mean, I know it was me. I was on the show. But I can watch it and be divorced from it,” he told The Kansas City Star.

Tony Dow Was Thrust Into Stardom in an Unexpected Way

Tony’s path to stardom happened by chance, all thanks to his passion for swimming.

“I was working out at the Hollywood athletic club and there was a lifeguard there who was an actor,” he told Fox News in September 2019. “He told my mom, ‘I’m going to this interview for a show where they’re looking for a father and son. Can Tony go with me because we kind of look alike?’ He figured maybe that was the only way to get it.”