By Michaela Gordoni
Former child star Jerry Mathers shared that he’s grateful to have been on LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, which has touched viewers’ lives since it came out in 1957.
“It was so wonderful to be with my friends from LEAVE IT TO BEAVER — Stephen Talbot (Gilbert Bates), Jeri Weil (Judy Hensler), Luke Tiger Farfara (Tooey Brown) and Veronica Cartwright (Violet Rutherford) for a reunion,” the actor, who played the titular Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver, told Fox News Digital after he met with the LEAVE IT TO BEAVER cast in Burbank, California.
“I am very grateful to be associated with such a heartfelt show that touches the lives of so many families in such a positive way,” Mathers added.
Mathers said he and the cast took photos with fans and signed autographs, adding that he can hardly believe it’s been nearly 70 years since the classic show debuted.
“Our fans are so devoted, and many write to me that they record the show in the morning and watch it at night so they can have a peaceful sleep in this crazy world,” he said.
The show only aired from 1957-1963 but gained millions of fans through syndication. The first season is currently available on Peacock.
Mathers and Tony Dow, who played his brother Wally on the show, also starred in THE NEW LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, which aired from 1983 to 1989.
In 2022, Dow passed away at the age of 77. Their castmate, Ken Osmond, who played bully Eddie Haskell, passed in 2020 at 76.
Mathers says the original series ended at a good time for him.
“It ended at the right time for me,” he said. “I wanted to play sports and, of course, working in the studio, that wasn’t something I was able to do. I was [now] able to be on the track team and football team. That was something I really wanted to do.”
When he came of age, he joined the National Guard, where he served for six years.
Related: LEAVE IT TO BEAVER’s Hugh Beaumont Was Authentic Family Man On and Off Screen
“There [wasn’t] any kind of combat or anything like that, but we were a transport unit,” he said. “A lot of times, the planes would come back, and they had a lot of damage to them…It was not a lot of fun, because we were doing very, very hard work, but it was something that I [felt] I should do for my country…Tt was something I was proud to do.”
Mathers explored other opportunities and also became a real estate agent, but he still liked to act.
“It was something that I liked doing, but I also liked being able to have my own life,” he said. “Life for me today is very, very good. I have LEAVE IT TO BEAVER, but I can also go out and meet people.”
“I’m a grandfather now…It’s wonderful,” he said. “I also have a wonderful wife, and we have a great time with the grandchildren. We get to babysit them every once in a while…I still do autograph shows, because those are fun. I get to go all over the country.”
Mathers has five grandkids, all under the age of 9.
He explained that he still has fans who come and ask him what he’s up to now.
“I’m just so grateful…I just have a wonderful life because LEAVE IT TO BEAVER has made me so many friends…All the things that happened to me were so good,” he shared.
“There’s a lot of people to watch. You’re always chasing someone around the house and saying you can’t do that or go to the back,” Mathers told PEOPLE.
His wife, Teresa, added, “But they’re fun and real sweet kids.”
“We shot 234 episodes from 1957 to 1963 so there is quite a lot to see,” he recently told PEOPLE in another interview, “and watching the show brings back many happy memories for me.”
From a childhood on TV to blissful grandfatherhood, Mathers’ story is one of gratitude and a life well-lived — on and off screen.
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