Hugh Beaumont (actor)

Infobox actor
name = Hugh Beaumont


caption = Hugh Beaumont in his portrayal of Ward Cleaver in "Leave It to Beaver"
birthname = Eugene Hugh Beaumont
birthdate = birth date|1909|2|16|mf=y
birthplace = Lawrence, Kansas
deathdate = death date and age|1982|5|14|1909|2|16
deathplace = Munich, Germany
occupation = Film, TV, radio actor
spouse = 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, a little over three months after the couple married. He is of French descent. [ [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/celeb/beaumont.htm Beaumont] at rootsweb.com] After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he played football. 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".

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.

Beaumont not only acted in "Leave It to Beaver", but 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 which he never fully recovered from. 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

References

*Applebaum, Irwyn. "The World According to Beaver". TV Books, 1984, 1998.
*Mathers, Jerry. "...And Jerry Mathers as "The Beaver"." Berkley Boulevard Books, 1998.

External links

*imdb|0064604|Hugh Beaumont
*amg name|2:4827|Hugh Beaumont

Persondata
NAME = Beaumont, Hugh
ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
SHORT DESCRIPTION = actor
DATE OF BIRTH = February 16, 1909
PLACE OF BIRTH = Lawrence, Kansas, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH = May 14 1982
PLACE OF DEATH = Munich, Germany