'Leave It to Beaver' star Tony Dow 'doing well' after pneumonia hospitalization

Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Tony Dow, the 76-year-old actor known for playing big brother Wally Cleaver on “Leave It to Beaver,” has been hospitalized with pneumonia, his agent said Monday.

His agent, Frank Bilotta, confirmed Dow's hospitalization to USA TODAY in an email. "Thanks for your patience on this update," Bilotta posted on Dow's official Facebook account Monday. "Tony has been diagnosed with pneumonia but is in good spirits and is doing well."

"He was up walking around yesterday and his doctors think he should be able to return home within the week."

Bilotta added that Dow's wife, Lauren Shulkind, "wants to thank you, his fans, for all your support. We will continue to post updates as soon as they are available."

The actor and director's wife told TMZ Sunday that the ex-child star was hospitalized Thursday. Dow and Shulkind tied the knot in 1980 and share one son together, Christopher.

'Leave It to Beaver': Ken Osmond, known for role as Eddie Haskell, dies at 76

Dow, born Anthony Lee Dow, has starred in an array of television series as a child and was involved in A Minor Consideration, a non-profit foundation to provide support for child actors. He is best known for his role in "Leave It to Beaver" from 1957 to 1963, and later reprised his role as Wally in a "Beaver" spinoff from 1983 to 1989. He also directed several episodes of 1993's "Babylon 5" along with 1999 episodes of "Crusade" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

Members of the original cast of TV's "Leave It to Beaver" reunited to film a TV special, "Still the Beaver," in LA on Dec. 10, 1982. From left: Ken Osmond, Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley and Jerry Mathers.
Members of the original cast of TV's "Leave It to Beaver" reunited to film a TV special, "Still the Beaver," in LA on Dec. 10, 1982. From left: Ken Osmond, Tony Dow, Barbara Billingsley and Jerry Mathers.

His other acting credits include 1964's "The Greatest Show on Earth," 1965's "Never Too Young," and 1968's 'Lassie."

In 2017, Dow reflected on his acting career and celebrated "Leave It To Beaver" 's 60th anniversary in an interview with the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.

“It’s nice to be remembered any way you can, so I have accomplished that,” Dow said at the time. “I’m much more appreciative of the show. I was not unappreciative, but I was always a little rebellious.

Video: Tony Dow celebrates the 60th anniversary of 'Leave It to Beaver'

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tony Dow, 'Leave It to Beaver' star, hospitalized with pneumonia