Jerry Mathers Speaker Biography
Leave It To Beaver
Born on June 2, 1948 in Sioux City Iowa, Jerry’s television show business career began at the tender age of two when he did a Pet Condensed Milk commercial with Ed Wynn on the “Colgate Comedy Hour.” He continued to work on many of the early ‘50’s television shows and in 1954, he made his movie debut co-starring with Linda Darnell in “This Is My Love.” He then caught the attention of Alfred Hitchcock who signed him for the 1955 film, “The Trouble With Harry,” starring John Forsythe and Shirley MacLaine in her first film role. The budding young actor next appeared in two Bob Hope movies, “The Seven Little Foys” and “That Certain Feeling.” Two movies with Alan Ladd followed, “The Deep Six” and “Men of the Fighting Lady.”
It was in 1957, however, with the debut of the series “Leave It To Beaver” that Jerry entered the hearts and homes of America. An immediate success, the show gained national attention and ran for six seasons, totaling 234 episodes. When it celebrated its 50th anniversary on October 4, 2007, the show became the longest running scripted show in television history. Currently shown on TV Land and in countries throughout the world, “Leave it to Beaver” has made Jerry an American Icon.
His television movie, “Still the Beaver”, was one of the top ten movies of the week for 1982 which led to the development of a new series entitled “The New Leave It To Beaver.” Jerry successfully completed filming 108 episodes which were syndicated and they aired in all major domestic and foreign markets. As well as starring in the series, Jerry also directed multiple episodes.
Named as one of the most well known individuals in television history by People Magazine in 1989, Mathers has a high "Q" rating for name and face recognition and is known by people throughout the world. Jerry recently hosted TimeLife’s 60’s Music Explosion, a television infomercial which includes 150 unique, one-of-a-kind hit singles focusing on that influential decade of music.
In 2007, Jerry made his Broadway debut with a starring role as Wilbur Turnblad in the Tony winning best musical, “Hairspray” at the Neil Simon Theater. Jerry in his first week boosted the attendance to 90% and for the rest of his run he played to standing room only houses with attendance at 110%. In the mid 90’s Jerry was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. He took preventative action, lost 55 pounds and is currently one of the leading lecturers on living with and dealing with diabetes. Jerry has partnered with diverse organizations to bring awareness of this epidemic that our country is currently facing among both children and adults. Most recently he was the national spokesperson for Johnson and Johnson’s OneTouch Ultra2 blood glucose monitoring system. He has been invited to share his experience with diabetes on "Larry King Live" numerous times and has spoken to the Congressional Caucus on diabetes at the Capitol in Washington, DC. Jerry also speaks with the media to alert individuals about the importance of early diagnosis, diet and exercise, and the proper treatment of diabetes.
Jerry currently participates with PhRMA’s The “Help is Here Express” national bus tour to help uninsured and financially-struggling patients obtain prescription medicines for free or nearly free. The bus tour is part of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) – a nationwide effort sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical research companies – raising awareness of patient assistance programs and the need to effectively address the rising and alarming rates of chronic disease.
Jerry is an often requested speaker at national conventions and trade shows talking about taking control of your diabetes and the state of the American family. He compares the mythical Cleavers of the 1950’s to critique the entertainment industry in general with an emphasis on early television and the impact of current media and popular culture upon our society.
Jerry’s legitimate theater credits include “Hairspray”, Neil Simon Theater, “Boeing, Boeing”, “Who’s On First”, and the national debut tour of “So Long Stanley” which played to standing room only houses across the country for 18 months.
Jerry Mathers Speaking Topics
