TONY DOW
http://www.celebritynooz.com/watn/tony_dow.html
BIRTH DATE: April 13, 1945, Hollywood, California
CLAIM TO FAME: No question in anyone's mind, Tony Dow
is and will always best remembered for playing Wally Cleaver,
the clean-cut and much wiser older brother of Beaver on the
classic sitcom 'Leave It to Beaver'.
FAMILY LIFE: Shulkind, Lauren C. (1980 - present) 1 child
Marlow, Carol M. (1969 - 1978) (divorced) 1 child
INFO: Tony won the role of Wally Cleaver in a casting cattle
call with almost no previous acting experience
TRIVIA: Tony Dow's mother, Muriel Montrose, was a stuntwoman
in early Westerns, Clara Bow's double and a Mack Sennett
Bathing Beauty. She also appeared in Our Gang.
In 1965 Tony joined the National Guard.
Was a junior Olympics diving champion.
In the 70s, he attended journalism school while working in
contracting and construction.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he re-teamed with his "Leave
It to Beaver" (1957) co-star Jerry Mathers and performed in
dinner theatres.
In the 1990s, Dow revealed that he has struggled, and was
eventually diagnosed with, Bipolar disorder. He has since
starred in self help videos chronicling his battle with
the disorder.
In 2001 Tony sued Viacom for an ad campaign on its TV Land
channel that featured him in a doctored photo wearing tattoos.
"Time Changes. Great TV Doesn't," the ad said. Dow's suit
alleges that the ad portrayed him in an "unwholesome and
negative light" and that it in effect transformed him into
"an involuntary spokesman without pay, and of course, without
consent or even his knowledge" for the TV channel. (The case
brings to mind a courtroom sketch in which Dow himself spoofed
the Wally Cleaver character in the 1977 comedy The Kentucky
Fried Movie.)
WHERE IS HE NOW: Since the show's demise, Tony has appeared
sporadically in a couple feature films and in a few television
movies. He reprised the role of Wally in the 1980s in the
made-for-TV reunion film Still the Beaver (1983) and in the
series it spawned.
Tony disappeared for a few years and then re-emerged as a
director of television episodes for such series as 'Babylon 5'
and as a producer of films like 'It Came From Outer Space II.'
Recently (2007) he, Jerry Mathers and 91-year-old Barbara
Billingsley celebrated the 50th anniversary of "Leave It to
Beaver" by reuniting and inaugurating the 24-hour TV-Land
marathon.
I was suprised to find out that Tony had a role General
Hospital in the 70's.
His last onscreen appearance was in the 2003 film 'Dickie
Roberts: Former Child Star.'
In 2007 he was building luxury condominiums, but the real
estate bust has kind of slowed this down.
Has turned down numerous offers to appear in celebrity
reality shows.
Tony is a modern art sculptor, and is represented exclusively
by Karen Lynne Gallery in Beverly Hills. One of his bronze
pieces is on display in the backyard garden of his one-time
TV mom Barbara Billingsley.
Now a grandfather, Tony and his wife Lauren live close to
Billingsley.
WRITE TO Tony Dow:
Tony Dow
Diamond Artists
215 N Barrington Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Secondary Address:
Tony Dow
13317 Ventura Blvd. #1
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Official Website: http://www.tonydow.net
