Known for his role as Theodore Beaver, Leave It To Beaver star Jerry Mathers has captured many hearts with his incredible acting skills and charm. Although he is in his golden years, his smile is enough to entice fans. However, a rumor left fans wondering if Jerry Mathers died. Amid the passing news of fan favorite Tony Dow, people seemed worried when Jerry’s news surfaced. Is Jerry Mathers still alive? Let’s dig deeper into his personal life to get more details and discover Jerry Mathers net worth.
Early life
Born in 1948 in Sioux City, Iowa, Jerry Mathers grew up in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. He is the son of a high school principal and has a sister and two brothers. Do you know that Jimmy Mathers is Jerry Mathers’ real brother? Unfortunately, his parents got divorced when Jerry was only two years old. Instead of deciding who to stay with, Jerry left home to live with his grandparents. He soon began playing the ukulele after his grandfather taught him to do so, and began acting in school plays at the age of five.
Jerry Mather’s career
Started his journey at the age of 2
Just when Jerry Mathers was two years old, he appeared in a department store advertisement as a child model. Soon he appeared in several commercials such as PET Milk opposite comedian Ed Wynn. His popularity reached a great height and he briefly appeared in several films as a child actor. These include Men of the Fighting Lady (1954), This Is My Love (1954), Alfred Hitchcock’s black comedy The Trouble With Harry (1955), and The Seven Little Foys (1955). His remarkable acting skills landed him a bigger role than he ever expected.
Leave it to Beaver
Shortly after appearing in limited roles in such great films, Jerry Mathers finally landed the lead role in Leave It To Beaver, the most watched sitcom of the time. You’ll be surprised, though, that Jerry never auditioned for the role of Theodore Beaver. In an interview, Mathers revealed that he told the show’s producers that he was going there for his Cub Scout meeting instead of the audition part. But the producers found this appealing and soon signed Jerry to the role. At that time he was only six years old.
In fact, Jerry Mathers was the first child actor to make a deal to get a percentage of Leave It To Beaver’s merchandising revenue. Despite being more than half a century away from its original production, the show generates huge revenue. The sitcom has been shown in 40 languages ​​in 80 countries. Mathers noted in Japan that the show is called “The Happy Boy And His Family” and that people all over the world know it. However, in his 2014 television interview, he stated that when signing the show, he had no idea that it would have a huge impact on his personality. But how much is Jerry Mathers worth? keep reading to find out.
He never did another TV show because he had no idea if they would be picked for the next season. However, he appeared in several films. He also mentioned that each year the question was whether they would return the following year. Jerry also said it was back-to-back work. They had to shoot and then meet with the press to promote the show. Once they picked up for the next run, they had to continue without a break. So this was why he never appeared in any other show.
Jerry returned after a huge hiatus
Jerry Mathers left his acting career after Leave It To Beaver wrapped. He was focused on his studies and after graduating he worked as a commercial credit officer at the bank. He later used his savings from his acting career and invested in his real estate development. But Jerry Mathers couldn’t stay away from the entertainment industry for long. In 1978 he rejoined the industry and starred in the comedy play Boeing, Boeing with Tony Dow. That ran for ten weeks in Kansas City, Missouri. Soon Jerry got bored and joined KEZY radio in Anaheim, California, where he worked as a disc jockey.
But it seemed that he could not give up his acting career, because in 1983 he reprized his role in the reunion film Still The Beaver. All of the original cast from the parent series joined the show. Shortly after its success, the team returned with another sequel of the same name. The new Leave it to Beaver ran until 1989. Jerry Mathers then guest-starred in Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Diagnosis: Murder, Vengeance Unlimited and as himself in Married… With Children. Soon he launched his memoir in 1989 titled ‘And Jerry Mathers As The Beaver’. Later in 2018 and 2019, Jerry promoted some classic TV shows like Leave It To Beaver on MeTV. So, how much was Jerry Mathers’ net worth?
Education & Military Service
When Jerry Mathers entered his adolescence, he attended Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. At that time he led a band called Beaver And The Trappers. He also recorded two songs: Don’t ‘Cha Cry and Wind-Up Tony. When he was in high school, he joined the United States Army. Jerry Mathers was also a member of the 146th Airlift Wing from 1966 to 1969. In 1967, he presented the Emmy Award to Gene Kelly with child actress Angela Cartwright.
Private life
Jerry Mathers has three wives
It is indeed true that Jerry Mathers has three wives. He has been married three times. While in college, he saw his first wife, Diana Platt. Soon the couple got married in 1974. But their married life was quite rocky and later they separated after being together for a few years. Mathers then met Rhonda Gehring, his second wife, while touring in the production of So Long, Stanley with Tony Dow. The couple has three children. They are Noah, Mercedes and Gretchen. However, they divorced in 1997. After he lost faith in love and marriage, his third wife, Teresa Modnick, gave him some hope, and now he is happily married to her.
Jerry and his beavers
Mathers and Barbara Billingsley, the actress who played June Cleaver, remained friends even after the show ended. Jerry also remembered her after her death and called her a better mentor and a good friend. He remained shocked when his on-screen brother, played by Tony Dow, died. He called him brother and a good friend. But never expected their friendship to end with his on-screen brother’s death.
Critical medical history
Mathers was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at a very young age. So on the advice of his doctor, he took part in the weight loss program with Jenny Craig the following year. To everyone’s surprise, he lost more than 40 pounds and quickly became the company’s first male spokesperson. Soon, Mathers began representing a type 2 diabetes reversal program. He also talked about his journey in a TV advertisement.
Is Jerry Mathers dead?
Jerry stayed away from the entertainment industry while serving in the US Army. Rumors soon began in December 1969 that Mathers died in the Vietnam War. However, it remained unclear where the rumors came from. When Dow and Mathers appeared on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment with Bill Murray in 1980, they both joked about his death rumor. How old is Jerry Mathers? As of now, Jerry is 74 years old and is living a healthy life and enjoying his success.
Jerry Mathers net worth
Mathers is best known for his work in Leave It To Beaver. In addition to his acting career, he enjoyed several professions. But despite this, he managed to accumulate a huge income. Jerry Mathers has a net worth of around $5 million. He worked in several movies and shows and also acted in theater. So it justifies his income.
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