Tony Dow, who starred as Wally Cleaver on the television series “Leave It to Beaver,” has been diagnosed with cancer, the actor and his wife announced on social media.
Dow, 77, and his wife, Lauren Shulkind, announced the diagnosis in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“I have some very sad news to share with you,” the post reads. “Unfortunately, Tony has once again been diagnosed with cancer.
“He is approaching this reality so bravely, but it is truly heartbreaking. We want to thank you in advance for your caring thoughts.”
TMZ was the first outlet to report the diagnosis. Dow and his wife did not specify the type of cancer.
In August 2021, Dow was hospitalized with pneumonia, USA Today reported.
Dow is best known for portraying the older brother of Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, played by Jerry Mathers, on “Leave It to Beaver” between 1957 and 1963, according to IMDb.com. Dow appeared in 234 episodes of the show, along with co-stars Mathers, Hugh Beaumont and Barbara Billingsley.
Dow also appeared in the 1983 television reunion film, “Still the Beaver,” and a sequel series, “The New Leave It to Beaver” for four seasons during the mid-1980s, KTLA-TV reported.
Dow also appeared in other television shows, including “My Three Sons,” “Lassie” and “Adam-12,” according to KTLA.
He also directed several episodes of 1993′s “Babylon 5″ along with 1999 episodes of “Crusade” and “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” according to USA Today.
Dow also parodied his Wally Cleaver character in a courtroom scene from the 1977 comedy film, “The Kentucky Fried Movie.”
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