Hugh Beaumont

Hugh Beaumont
Hugh Beaumont in his portrayal of Ward Cleaver in Leave It to Beaver
Born	Eugene Hugh Beaumont February 16, 1909(1909-02-16) Lawrence, Kansas
Died	May 14, 1982 (aged 73) Munich, Germany
Occupation	Film, TV, radio actor
Spouse(s)	Kathryn Adams (1942–1974)

Eugene Hugh Beaumont (February 16, 1909 – May 14, 1982) was an American actor and television director. He was also licensed to preach by the Methodist church. Beaumont is best known for his portrayal of Ward Cleaver, the husband of June Cleaver (Barbara Billingsley) and the father of Wally (Tony Dow) and Beaver (Jerry Mathers) on the television series, Leave It to Beaver (1957–1963).

Biography

Early years

Beaumont was born in Lawrence, Kansas, to Ethel Adaline Whitney and Edward H. Beaumont.^[1] After graduating from Baylor School, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he attended the University of Chattanooga, where he played football.^[2] He later studied at the University of Southern California and graduated with a Master of Theology degree, in 1946. He married Kathryn Adams, in 1942, and they had three children. They divorced in 1974.

Career

In 1931, Beaumont began his career in show business by performing in theaters, nightclubs and on the radio. He began acting in motion pictures in 1940, appearing in over three dozen films (many roles not credited) before taking his best-known role as the archetypal philosophy-dispensing suburban dad Ward Cleaver on the popular sitcom television series Leave It to Beaver. In 1946-1947, Beaumont starred in five films as private detective Michael Shayne, taking over the role from Lloyd Nolan.

A precursor to his role as the kindly father figure came in Adventures of Superman. In a 1953 episode called The Big Squeeze, he played an ex-convict with a wife and son whose trust he must win back after an apparent return to his criminal past.

Before he and Barbara Billingsley were cast as the concerned parents in Leave It to Beaver, each had appeared separately in the early 1950s on Rod Cameron's syndicated detective series City Detective. He also appeared in one of the early episodes of the CBS western series, My Friend Flicka. He also guest starred in an episode of Frank Lovejoy's detective series, Meet McGraw.^[3]

Beaumont not only acted in Leave It to Beaver, he also wrote and directed several episodes, including the final, retrospective episode, "Family Scrapbook." His portrayal as head of the Cleaver household ranked #28 in TV Guide's list of the "50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time" in the June 20, 2004, issue.

After Leave It to Beaver ended production and went into syndication in the fall of 1963, Beaumont appeared in many community theater productions and did a few guest roles on TV shows, such as Mannix, The Virginian, Wagon Train and Petticoat Junction.

Retirement and death

Beaumont retired from show business in the late 1960s, launching a second career as a Christmas-tree farmer in Minnesota, his wife's home state. He was forced to retire after suffering a stroke in 1972, from which he never fully recovered. On May 14, 1982, Beaumont died of a heart attack while visiting his son, a psychology professor, in Munich, Germany. He was 73.

Filmography

Motion pictures

In popular culture

In the early 1980s, a Texas punk rock band combined this actor's name with the name of Jimi Hendrix's famous band to form The Hugh Beaumont Experience.

References

External links

• Hugh Beaumont at the Internet Movie Database
• Hugh Beaumont at Allmovie