Former '50s/'60s Child Stars Tony Dow & Shelley Fabares Reunited on TV's 'Coach' Sitcom in the '80s

Tony Dow strikes an ironic pose in a director's chair on the set of 'Leave It To Beaver,' foreshadowing his future career in directing.Photo byPinterest.com

It's been two years since beloved actor Tony Dow died of liver cancer. Best known for his role as Wally Cleaver on TV's original Leave It To Beaver sitcom (and its later sequels), Dow later reinvented his career as a director. In the process, he reconnected with actress Shelley Fabares, a fellow former child star who found fame on The Donna Reed Show. Here's what happened.

A Closer Look

Decades after he was first cast as Wally Cleaver on the Leave It To Beaver series, Tony Dow began directing The New Leave It To Beaver sequel sitcom that aired in the late 1980s.

Following that initial gig, Dow was hired to direct other TV shows like The New Lassie, sci-fi/fantasy shows like Harry and the Hendersons, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Swamp Thing, Babylon 5, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

From 1990 to 1997, Dow enjoyed his biggest success as a director when he guided 13 episodes of the ABC sitcom Coach.

That series starred Craig T. Nelson as a college football coach, Shelley Fabares as his wife, and Jerry Van Dyke as his assistant coach.

It was a reunion of sorts for former child stars Dow and Fabares, the latter of whom was appearing on The Donna Reed Show (ABC, 1958-1966), while the former was acting on Leave It To Beaver (CBS, 1957-1963).

Shelley Fabares is embraced by the star of 'The Donna Reed Show,' which aired during Tony Dow's run on 'Leave It to Beaver.'Photo byPinterest.com

Shelley Fabares embracing TV husband Craig T. Nelson in a promotional image for the sitcom 'Coach,' 13 episodes of which Tony Dow directed.Photo bysitcomsonline.com

Behind the Scenes Dow Fought Depression

One of the last productions that Tony Dow worked on was a self-help video, titled, Beating the Blues. The video explored coping with Depression, which Dow had suffered from.

As he concluded in one interview, “I realize there’s a perceived irony about this...You know, the fact that I was in a TV program [Leave It To Beaver] that epitomized the supposed ideal world of the ’50s, and here I’m suffering from depression. But I’m just one of millions.”

Lasting Impression

Whether with his acting or directing career, Tony Dow, who was also a talented artist and sculptor, utilized his artistic gifts and public persona as a humanitarian to help others.