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‘Leave It to Beaver’ Star, 77, Shares Rare Comment About Late Castmate Tony Dow<\/a> originally appeared on Parade<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Leave It to Beaver<\/a><\/em> star, Jeri Weil<\/strong>, 77, who played Beaver Cleaver’s (Jerry Mathers<\/a><\/strong>) classmate Judy Hensler, is opening up about her friendship with her late castmate, Tony Dow<\/strong>.<\/p>\n During an August 2025 interview on That’s Classic<\/a><\/em>, Weil said she was close to Dow, who played Beaver’s older brother, Wally Cleaver, during her time on the beloved sitcom.<\/p>\n According to Weil, Dow “was a love” and a wonderful artist. She also said Dow shared his character’s trait of kindness.<\/p>\n “I mean, just the nicest man and creative and just a wonderful human being,” said Weil during the interview.<\/p>\n Weil also said Dow’s second wife, Lauren Shulkind, “is a doll.” In addition, she said she was in communication with Dow and Shulkind for many years.<\/p>\n “Even as an adult, I would stay in touch with Tony. It was funny I had the same phone number for years, and years, and years, and every once in a while I would get a call from his wife, Lauren, and she would say, ‘Oh Jeri, this is still your phone number?’ And I would say, ‘Yeah. This is still me,'” said Weil.<\/p>\n She shared, however, that she “haven’t talked to [Shulkind] since Tony died” in 2022 at the age of 77 after battling liver cancer.<\/p>\n In a January 2022 interview with CBS Sunday Morning<\/a>, Dow discussed his complicated feelings about starring on Leave It to Beaver<\/em>, which ran for six seasons until 1963. He said he felt a lot of anger and suffered from depression as an adult due to his childhood stardom.<\/p>\n “It’s sad to be famous at 12 years old and you grow up to be a real person and nothing is happening for you,” said Dow.<\/p>\n He said, however, that he began to appreciate the series when he was 40.<\/p>\n “At 40, I realized how great the show was and how appreciative I should be being in that show,” said the sculptor.<\/p>\n