Nearly 70 Years After Release, Cast Of Beloved ’50s Show Reunites—And They’re Unrecognizable

The cast of Leave It to Beaver triggered a wave of nostalgia when they reunited at a fan event at the Hollywood Show, more than 60 years after the sitcom ended.

Jerry Mathers, who played Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, signed autographs and took photos with fans on June 6 and 7 at the event in Burbank, California.

The 77-year-old actor reunited with Tiger Fafara, who played Tooey Brown; Stephen Talbot, who played Gilbert; Veronica Cartwright, who played Violet Rutherford; and Jeri Weil, who played Judy Hensler.

Leave It to Beaver aired from 1957 to 1963, but the six-season sitcom gained new fans from reruns and the streaming platform Peacock.

Cast of beloved 50s show posing together in vintage attire with smiles, capturing iconic moments from the classic TV series.

The cast of Leave It to Beaver reunited nearly seven decades after the sitcom premiered

Image credits: CBS Photo Archive

The show ended when Jerry was 15 years old. After the finale, he took a break from acting to focus on his studies. He went to high school, where he played football, and then served in the Air National Guard.

The Iowa-born actor attended the University of California, Berkeley to study philosophy. He graduated in 1973.

When he was in college, a rumor spread that he had lost his life in the Vietnam War. “People sent letters of condolence and flowers to my family,” Jerry recalled.

Young cast members of a beloved 50s show pose together, highlighting the nostalgia of the nearly 70 years after release reunion.

Image credits: Hulton Archive

He re-entered the entertainment industry in 1978 and starred in the comedy play Boeing, Boeing with his on-screen brother, Tony Dow.

The two later reunited for the reboot of Leave It to Beaver, titled The New Leave It to Beaver. 

The show aired from 1983 to 1989 and saw the return of much of the original cast, with the exception of Beaver’s father, played by Hugh Beaumont, who passed in 1982, and Stephen Talbot, who decided to quit acting.

In a 1977 interview, Stephen explained that he couldn’t “go back to being Gilbert” and preferred to focus on his career as a documentary filmmaker and an investigative reporter.

The show focused on the misadventures of a suburban boy and his family and friends

Older man holding a photo of his younger self from a beloved 50s show cast reunion, showing how much they’ve changed.

Image credits: Albert L. Ortega

Jerry returned to the stage in 2007 on Broadway’s Hairspray as Wilbur Turnblad. He had three children with his second wife, Rhonda Gehring, whom he met while touring in the production of So Long, Stanley.

Reminiscing about his time on Leave It to Beaver, the actor said, “The show was just a grand adventure with a lot of adults around, and we just had a really good time.

“After I’d do my schoolwork, I’d work on models that kids were building at the time. We’d play catch during lunch. It was just always a fun place to be every day.”

Jerry Mathers, who played Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, reunited with Tiger Fafara, Stephen Talbot, Veronica Cartwright, and Jeri Weil

Cast of beloved 50s show reunites after nearly 70 years, posing together and looking noticeably different today.

Image credits: POSE Photo Ops

For the first few years on the show, Jerry struggled to memorize his lines, so he would have someone read them out loud to him.

Asked whether he had kept in touch with his co-stars after the sitcom ended, he shared, “Los Angeles is very, very spread out. I couldn’t drive at the time, so when Leave It to Beaver ended, we all went back to our homes. When we were teenagers, we all became close friends.”

The 77-year-old said he had a “wonderful childhood” and revealed that he was closest with Richard Correll, who played Beaver’s school friend Richard Rickover.

Black and white photo of a 1950s show cast by an ice cream cart, related to beloved 50s show cast reunion.

Image credits: tv.apple.com

Jeri Weil, who played Beaver’s class nemesis Judy, changed careers after the show and is now a successful real estate agent.

In an interview with Remind Magazine, Jeri revealed that people treated her differently in high school after she left Leave It to Beaver, as they believed she was a bully like her character.

“When I started junior high, nobody would even talk to me. I mean, I was Judy — who wanted to be friends with Judy Hensler?” she said.

The show aired from 1957 to 1963 and had a reboot titled The New Leave It to Beaver 

Black and white scene of cast from beloved 50s show in classroom setting, nearly 70 years after original release.

Image credits: Leave It To Beaver / Apple TV

Tiger Fafara’s last role was as the adult Tooey Brown in The New Leave It to Beaver. He has a son, Bradley James “Dez” Fafara, who is a vocalist in the metal bands DevilDriver and Coal Chamber.

After the show ended, the Cleaver family matriarch Barbara Billingsley returned to the entertainment industry with guest roles on Empty Nest and Murphy Brown. She also starred in Airplane! and received an Emmy award for Muppet Babies. The actress passed away in 2010 at the age of 94.

Tony Dow, who portrayed older brother Wally Cleaver, passed away in 2022 after being diagnosed with liver cancer.

Older man wearing a white hat with a vintage cartoon and red polo shirt, representing cast of beloved 50s show reunion.

Image credits: thejerrymathers

Veronica Cartwright continued her acting career and received three Emmy nominations: two for her roles in ER and one for The X-Files. After Leave It to Beaver, she worked with Audrey Hepburn in The Children’s Hour and Alfred Hitchcock in The Birds.

She has also starred in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Alien, and The Witches of Eastwick.

“It’s always fun to run into each other and reminisce about our childhoods and the work we did together,” Veronica said in 2021 when asked about her time on the popular sitcom.

Many people shared that they continue to watch the popular sitcom

Comment about fans remembering Leave It To Beaver, referencing cast reunion nearly 70 years after release of beloved 50s show.

Cast of beloved 1950s TV show reunites nearly 70 years later, looking unrecognizable from original appearances

Cast of beloved 50s show reunites nearly 70 years later, looking unrecognizable in recent group photo.

Comment from Chris expressing lifelong fandom of a beloved 1950s show and locating original house on Google Maps.

Comment by Jay mentioning a reunion and joking about Mathers being the only original cast member left.

Cast of beloved 50s show Leave It To Beaver reunites nearly 70 years later, looking drastically different.

Comment from Cathy, age 69, sharing memories of watching and recently rewatching episodes of a beloved ’50s show cast reunion.

Comment about Leave It To Beaver, mentioning Judy looking small and the show being beloved from the 50s cast reunion.

Comment from Julie expressing nostalgia about watching the beloved 50s show as a viewer in her 50s.

Comment by Jason praising the beloved 50s show and its impact on younger generations.

Cast of beloved 1950s show reunites nearly 70 years later, looking unrecognizable from their original appearances.

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