Tony Dow Cause of Death: “leave It to Beaver” Star’s Fortune Explored as He Is Hospitalized Due to Pneumonia

By Mathhew Paul On Jul 28, 2022

Tony Dow is an American actor best known for his role as Wally Cleaver in the sitcom Leave It to Beaver. He is also a producer, director, and sculptor. Later in his career, he even dabbled in painting and sculpture. Tony Dow’s net worth is projected to be around $5 million as of 2022.

Tony Dow’s Bio

Tony Lee Dow was born in Hollywood, California, on April 13, 1945. Because of his long involvement in the film industry as a producer, director, and actor, he is well-known in Hollywood.

How wealthy is Tony Dow then? His current net worth is reportedly $4 million, according to sources. He has accumulated the majority of it over the course of his more than 50-year career as a Hollywood actor.

Early Years

John Stevens Dow Jr. and Muriel Virginia Dow (née Montrose), Tony Dow’s parents, welcomed him into the world in Hollywood, California in April of 1945. His mother was a stuntwoman in early Western movies, while his father worked as a general contractor and designer. She was notably used as Clara Bow’s film double. Dow also has a sibling named Dion.

Dow’s impressive swimming background as a child—he even won the Junior Olympics diving competition—is impressive. The actor received his education at Southern California’s Van Guys High School before attending the Defense Information School (DINFOS).

Dow didn’t show much interest in acting as a young boy, despite the fact that his mother works in the film industry. But in 1957, when he was chosen to portray Wally Cleaver in the television program Leave It to Beaver, everything changed.

Tony Dow Has a $4 Million Net Worth

Tony Dow’s interest in the movie business may have been influenced by the fact that Muriel Virginia Dow, Tony’s mother, worked as a stuntwoman and a film double when Tony was a young child and teenager.

However, Tony undoubtedly possessed some acting talent, which was demonstrated when, in spite of his lack of acting experience at the time, he was successful in winning the audition for a part in the sitcom “Leave It to Beaver” in 1957.

Even though Tony Dow only received one award – the Young Artist Award in nomination for the “Former Child Star Lifetime Achievement Award” in 1988, after working in the show for six years – this was the role that may have had the greatest impact on laying the groundwork for his acting career. It was a good beginning for his net worth as well.

Tony made several appearances in episodes of other TV shows in the years that followed “Leave It to Beaver,” including the sitcom “My Three Sons” (in 1964), the drama series “Mr. Novak” (between 1963 and 1965), and the teen soap opera “Never Too Young” (in 1965). Tony continued to work in television up until the late 1990s, and his net worth increased. For instance, in 1975, he played a popular doctor in the television drama “General Hospital.”

Tony Dow is primarily known as a television actor, but he has also made appearances in a few films over the course of his career, including the comedies “Back to the Beach” and “Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star” in 2003 as well as the television comedies “High School USA” and “Death Scream” in 1975.

Reason for Death

Tony Dow, who played Beaver in “Leave It to Beaver,” passed away on Wednesday after being recently diagnosed with cancer, his family and agents announced. He was 77. Frank Bilotta, Dow’s manager, confirmed the death and revealed to NBC News that Dow had been given a liver cancer diagnosis.

In a statement posted on his father’s official Facebook page, his son, Christopher Dow, said: “Although this is a very sad day, I have comfort and peace that he is in a better place. He was the ideal father a child could have. He served as my best friend, coach, mentor, the voice of reason, best man at my wedding, and hero.

“My wife made a strong statement that reveals the kind of man he was. Tony was such a good man, she said. He had such a big heart, and Tony never said anything bad or unfavorable about anyone.

He was said to have passed away on Tuesday, but Dow’s management team later clarified that the announcement was false and that he was still alive in hospice.

“This is a challenging time. Dad is in his final hours at home, receiving hospice care. Along with numerous friends who have stopped by, my wife and I are by his side. After the confusion on Tuesday, Christopher Dow wrote, “He has a fighting heart.

In May, Dow informed his followers that cancer he had previously treated had come back. He, his family, and his management team frequently posted updates on Facebook about his condition.

“Hey, guys… How do you all feel? I wanted to keep you informed because, as you are probably aware, I recently experienced some health issues. The immunotherapy I’m starting seems to be helping, Dow wrote on May 29. “I can now stand up and walk by myself, and I’m getting better every day.”