Leave It to Beaver actor Tony Dow, best known as loyal big brother Wally Cleaver, has revealed he’s battling cancer for a second time. His diagnosis has not been revealed, but his wife, Lauren Shulkind, shared the initial news through the actor’s official social media.
“Dear friends and fans of Tony Dow, I have some very sad news to share with you,” Shulkind’s 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.”
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Dow starred as Wally Cleaver on the classic Leave It to Beaver for all six seasons of the original show, appearing in all 234 episodes of the series. According to Variety, he would later reprise his role in the 1983 reunion film Still the Beaver and the four-season sequel series from 1985 titled The New Leave It to Beaver.
Outside of life in the Cleaver household, Dow also appeared on My Three Sons, Never Too Young, Mr. Novak, Adam-12, Love American Style, Knight Rider, The Mod Squad, The Hardy Boys, and many others. He also served in the National Guard from 1965 until 1968.
He would also step behind the camera after his acting career slowed down. After taking work in the construction industry and studying filmmaking and journalism, he would direct several episodes of Babylon 5, Coach, and Star Trek: Deep Space 9. He also tried his hand at writing on one episode of The New Leave It to Beaver.
His acting career would pop up a few times later in his career, with appearances on Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, Freddy’s Nightmares, Diagnosis: Murder, and an appearance poking fun at his child star status in Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star starring David Spade.
Dow and Shulkind have been married since June 1980 and have been through quite a bit together. Apart from his cancer battle, Dow spoke to Good Morning America in the ’90s about his struggles with depression. He would even go on to start a self-help video series called Beating the Blues, detailing his fight with depression.
