| Hugh Beaumont | |
|---|---|
 Hugh Beaumont in his portrayal of Ward Cleaver in Leave It to Beaver |
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| Born | Eugene Hugh Beaumont February 16, 1909 Lawrence, Kansas |
| Died | May 14, 1982 (aged 73) Munich, Germany |
| Occupation | Film, TV, radio actor |
| Spouse(s) | Kathryn Adams Doty (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).
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Beaumont was born in Lawrence, Kansas, to Ethel Adaline Whitney and Edward H. Beaumont.[1] After graduating from Baylor School, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he attended the University of Chattanooga, where he played football.[2] He later studied at the University of Southern California and graduated with a Master of Theology degree, in 1946. He married Kathryn Adams Doty, in 1942, and they had three children. They divorced in 1974.
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. In 1946-1947, Beaumont starred in five films as private detective Michael Shayne, taking over the role from Lloyd Nolan.
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.
Before he and Barbara Billingsley were cast as the concerned parents in Leave It to Beaver, each had appeared separately in the early 1950s on Rod Cameron's syndicated detective series City Detective. He also appeared in one of the early episodes of the CBS western series, My Friend Flicka. He also guest starred in an episode of Frank Lovejoy's detective series, Meet McGraw.[3]
Beaumont not only acted in Leave It to Beaver, 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.
Beaumont did not like the role of Ward Cleaver much at all, believing that it typecast him and all but obliterated recall of his many other roles in film and on television.
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.
Beaumont was extemely unassuming. On one occasion in the early 1960s, he went alone to play golf at a course in the San Fernando Valley. He walked up to a twosome and asked if he could join them because the course was busier than expected. The twosome could not help but notice that other people were gawking and pointing at the Beaumont. Unable to contain their curiosity any further, they asked Beaumont why everyone was watching and pointing at him. He replied, "Why, I'm Hugh Beaumont and I'm in television!"[4]
Beaumont retired from show business in the late 1960s, launching a second career as a Christmas-tree farmer in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. His wife at the time, Kathryn Adams Doty, was born in New Ulm, Minnesota. He was forced to retire after suffering a stroke in 1972, from which he never fully recovered. On May 14, 1982, Beaumont died of a heart attack while visiting his son, a psychology professor, in Munich, Germany.
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Phantom Raiders | Seaman | |
| The Secret Seven | Southern Racketeer | ||
| 1941 | South of Panama | Paul Martin | |
| The Cowboy and the Blonde | Sound Man | ||
| Private Nurse | McDonald | ||
| Unfinished Business | Groom | ||
| Week-End in Havana | Officer | ||
| 1942 | Wake Island | Captain, Junior Officer | |
| Right to the Heart | Willie Donovan | ||
| Young America | G-Man | ||
| Canal Zone | Radio Operator | ||
| To the Shores of Tripoli | Orderly | ||
| The Wife Takes a Flyer | Officer | ||
| Unseen Enemy | Narrator | ||
| Flight Lieutenant | John McGinnis | ||
| 1943 | Northwest Rangers | the Mountie who finds Fowler's body | |
| The Fallen Sparrow | Otto Skaas | ||
| Du Barry Was a Lady | Footman | ||
| Flight for Freedom | Flight Instructor | ||
| He Hired the Boss | Jordan | ||
| Bombardier | Soldier | ||
| Good Luck, Mr. Yates | Adjutant | ||
| Mexican Spitfire's Blessed Event | George Sharpe | ||
| The Seventh Victim | Gregory Ward | ||
| Salute to the Marines | Sergeant | ||
| There's Something About a Soldier | Lt. Martin | ||
| 1944 | I Love a Soldier | John | |
| Practically Yours | Cutter | ||
| The Racket Man | \"Irish\" Duffy | ||
| They Live in Fear | the instructor | ||
| The Story of Dr. Wassell | aide to Admiral Hart in Surabaya | ||
| Mr. Winkle Goes to War | Ranger Officer | ||
| The Seventh Cross | truck driver | ||
| Strange Affair | Carey | ||
| 1945 | I'm a Civilian Here Myself | Interviewer | |
| Objective, Burma! | Capt. Hennessey | not credited | |
| Blood on the Sun | Johnny Clarke | not credited | |
| Counter-Attack | Russian Lieutenant | not credited | |
| The Lady Confesses | Larry Craig | ||
| Blonde from Brooklyn | discharging Lieutenant | not credited | |
| You Came Along | Chaplain | ||
| Apology for Murder | Kenny Blake | ||
| 1946 | Murder is My Business | Michael Shayne | |
| The Blue Dahlia | George Copeland | ||
| Johnny Comes Flying Home | engineer | ||
| Larceny in Her Heart | Michael Shayne | ||
| Blonde for a Day | Michael Shayne | ||
| 1947 | The Guilt of Janet Ames | Frank Merino | |
| Three on a Ticket | Michael Shayne | ||
| Too Many Winners | Michael Shayne | ||
| Railroaded! | Mickey Ferguson | ||
| Bury Me Dead | Michael Dunn | ||
| 1948 | Reaching from Heaven | Bill Starling | |
| Money Madness | Steve Clark (previously known as Freddie Howard) | ||
| The Counterfeiters | Phillip Drake | ||
| 1949 | Tokyo Joe | Major | |
| 1950 | Second Chance | Dr. Emory | |
| 1951 | The Flying Missile | Major Wilson | |
| Target Unknown | Colonel | ||
| Danger Zone | Dennis O'Brien | ||
| Home Town Story | man at airport | ||
| Go for Broke! | Chaplain | ||
| Roaring City | Denny O'Brien | ||
| Pier 23 | Dennis O'Brien | ||
| The Last Outpost | Lt. Fenton | ||
| Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell | Policeman | ||
| Lost Continent | Robert Phillips | ||
| Callaway Went Thataway | Mr. Adkins, Attorney | ||
| Overland Telegraph | Brad Roberts | ||
| 1952 | Phone Call from a Stranger | Dr. Tim Brooks | |
| Bugles in the Afternoon | Lt. Cooke | ||
| Wild Stallion | Capt. Wilmurt | ||
| Washington Story | Chaplain | ||
| Night Without Sleep | John Harkness | ||
| 1953 | The Mississippi Gambler | Kennerly | |
| The Member of the Wedding | Minister | ||
| 1955 | Indian American | actor | |
| Hell's Horizon | Al Trask | ||
| 1956 | The Mole People | Dr. Jud Bellamin | |
| 1957 | Night Passage | Jeff Kurth | |
| 1965 | The Human Duplicators | Austin Welles |
In the early 1980s, a Texas punk rock band combined this actor's name with the name of Jimi Hendrix's famous band to form The Hugh Beaumont Experience.
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