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Ward Cleaver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ward Cleaver is a fictional character played by actor Hugh Beaumont on the Leave It to Beaver situation comedy which ran on CBS from October 4, 1957 to 1958 and then on ABC from 1958 to June 20, 1963.
As the parents of the family in the story, Ward and June Cleaver (played by Barbara Billingsley) are often invoked in modern times as an archetypal suburban father and mother of the 1950s. Ward Cleaver is a responsible businessman and an even more responsible parent. He is generally even-tempered, and seldom displays anger.
In real-life, Beaumont (1909-1982) was an ordained Methodist minister (who also directed some segments of the show) who the child actors later reported as being even more kindly and patient than his Ward Cleaver character.
Max Showalter (also known as Casey Adams) played Ward in the pilot episode of Leave It to Beaver. Ward was portrayed by Christopher McDonald in the 1997 film.