Twelve-year-old Junior Olympics diving champion Tony Dow won the role of Wally Cleaver in a cattle call with almost no previous acting experience (although his mother, Muriel Montrose, had appeared in a number of Our Gang shorts). Dow's post-Beaver years were busy with roles on a number of TV shows, including the soaps Never Too Young and General Hospital and guest spots on many '60s episodic shows like Mr. Novak and Dr. Kildare.
Dow eventually went into the construction business in addition to studying journalism and filmmaking. In recent years he has acted occasionally (most notably in Beaver reunions), and has become quite successful behind the scenes as a producer and director. Recently Dow has directed episodes of USA Network's series Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family.
