Home   >   Movie Stars   >   B   >   Hugh Beaumont
Hugh Beaumont photo
Hugh Beaumont

Hugh Beaumont

Eugene Hugh Beaumont was an American actor, television director, and Methodist minister. He is best known for his portrayal of the character Ward Cleaver on the popular TV series Leave It to Beaver from 1957 to 1963.

Eugene Hugh Beaumont was born in Lawrence, Kansas and after graduating from high school he attended the University of 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 3 children. He was an ordained Methodist Church minister.

Beaumont began his career in show business by performing in theaters, nightclubs, and on the radio in 1931. He began acting in motion pictures in 1940, and had appeared in over 3 dozen films before taking his best-known role as philosophy-dispensing suburban dad Ward Cleaver on the popular sitcom television series Leave It to Beaver, which premiered on October 4, 1957, and ran until September, 1963 for a total of 234 half hour performances on network television. The first two seasons, the show was on CBS and the last four on ABC.

Not only did Beaumont act in Leave It to Beaver, but he also wrote and directed several episodes. His portrayal as Ward Cleaver 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 went off the air in the fall of 1963, Beaumont appeared in many community theater productions and did a few guest roles on TV shows like Mannix, The Virginian, Wagon Train and Petticoat Junction.

Hugh Beaumont retired from show business in the late 1960s, launching a second career as a successful Christmas tree farmer. He was forced to slow down after suffering a stroke in 1972. 10 years later, Beaumont died suddenly of a heart attack on May 14, 1982, while visiting his son, a psychology professor, in Munich, Germany. He was 73 years old.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2005.

Hugh Beaumont Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdayFebruary 16, 1909
SignAquarius
BirthplaceLawrence, Kansas, USA
Date of deathMay 14, 1982 (age 73)

Selected Filmography

Leave It To Beaver: The Complete Series
A Shot in the Dark
Leave it to Beaver: Season 3
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver: Season 6
The Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection, Vols. 1 & 2
Home Town Story
Mystery Classics V.13
Phone Call from a Stranger
Continue » Find more details on the Hugh Beaumont Movies page