ted knight military service

Knight was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. (1962)) as well as occasional comedic parts (McHale's Navy (1962), Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964), Get Smart (1965)). The deadline for sending in seeds was October 15th, but there are still plenty of ways to get involved. He appeared regularly on the short-lived, The New Loretta Young Show (1962), and the daytime soap opera, The Young Marrieds (1964). While behind the camera during the filming of those war classics, he drew on his real-life experiences. But when you step on toes. Puller's 5 Navy Crosses were not all from WWII. During World War II, he experienced combat as a radioman in the Navy. Wilborn Hampton, "Ted Knight, Winner of 2 Emmy Awards For Television Series". Contents 1 Early years 2 Career 2.1 The Mary Tyler Moore Show 2.2 Too Close for Comfort 3 Personal life 4 Death In the Cleveland area during the early to late 1970s, a newsman simply known as "Ted" would provide news of the events at a local shopping center known as Southgate USA, often finishing the 60-second spot with a comedic flair, including wearing a jacket that resembled his blue "WJM" blazer. During World War II he served as a radio operator before studying to serve as a French translator. Talk show host Jack Paar once called the portly and groundbreaking comedian Jonathan Winters "pound for pound, the funniest man alive." Knight was also featured in a production number based on one of the songs from the Hi Guys album, "I'm in Love with Barbara Walters". Born in 1908, Jimmy Stewart appeared in more than 80 movies over his long and storied career, but none more famous or beloved than It's a Wonderful Life. Born In: Plymouth, Connecticut, United States. Emmy nominee Moses Gunn has more than 70 credits to his name, including classics like Shaft and Firestarter. Throughout the run of the series, Knight would wear sweatshirts from colleges and universities, which were often sent to him by students who were fans of the show. He paused his career to join the Navy and saw action in the European and Pacific theaters. Knight was a health addict who would stick to fruits and vegetables. [1] Knight dropped out of high school to enlist in the United States Army in World War II along with his best childhood friend Bernard P. Dzielinski (also from Terryville). As a young man, the future A-Lister was a laborer, vagrant, and professional boxer. Once a bodyguard for Howard Hughes, Brimley enlisted in the Marines during the Korean War and was stationed for three years in the Aleutian Islands. Concurrently, he also worked as a radio announcer for its sister station, WROW Radio and received further acting training at The American Theatre Wing. He was the policeman guarding Norman Bates at the end of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960). What is known is that the Star Trek actor enlisted in the Army Reserves in the early 1950s, was in charge of a platoon, and was discharged in 1955 with the rank of sergeant. His high intelligence got him assigned to a specialized unit; he was sent to the front in Europe and fought in heavy combat, including the Battle of the Bulge. [5] He also guest starred on the syndicated television series Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges, during the 1961 season in the episode titled "The Defector". We did very disappointingly at the first national Young Socialists conference at Easter 1961. The spots were produced by UAB Productions for Southgate USA. He didn't see action, but he began acting during that time, and the media frequently conflated his on-stage performances with actual wartime combat. His final movie role was in the golf comedy Caddyshack, where he played a judge fed up with the shenanigans of a guest at the golf club, played by Rodney Dangerfield. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ted-knight-43958.php, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities, Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy. In January 1985, Knight was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to the television industry. As an actor, Savalas played several different sinister villains before landing the part that made him famous: no-nonsense New York City detective Kojak. The Ted Knight Show lasted for only six episodes in the spring of 1978. Two-time Emmy nominee Bob Crane is best known for his role as Col. Hogan on Hogan's Heroes, although he continued working right up to his death in 1978. A fascination with puppetry and ventriloquism led to his first steady paycheck, as the host of a children's radio show (WJAR) in Providence, Rhode Island (1950-1955). He was seldom, if ever, the protagonist. When World War II broke out, he became among the only British actors in Hollywood to return home and join the fight when he re-enlisted in the British Army. A 1960s tribute to the men who served during World War II, Combat! Knight was born in the Terryville section of Plymouth in Litchfield County, Connecticut, to Polish-American parents, Sophia (Kavaleski) and Charles Walter Konopka, a bartender. He was drafted during World War II and served for about six months. Knight spent most of the 1950s and 1960s doing commercial voice-overs and essaying minor television and movie roles. Upon his death in 1992, the Telegraph referred to Benny Hill as "the world's most popular comedian." Oscar nominee Burt Young has earned more than 160 acting credits, including 10 projects currently in the works or slated for release. Prior becoming a known name in Hollywood, the actor was a Marine. The arrogant but highly insecure character earned Knight two supporting Emmy trophies (1973, 1976) but severely pigeon-holed him for the rest of his career. The South London native was a member of the Queen's Royal Regiment and the Royal Fusiliers, spending time during his military years in Germany and Korea. Knight used some of this character's style for regional commercials. He found himself as an actor, graduating from Ithaca College with a degree in drama and working as an usher and elevator operator at Radio City Music Hall, where he met his first wife. Ted Knight languished in obscurity for two decades before he struck Hollywood gold with the role of Ted Baxter in the 1970s sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was the namesake actor on sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show, Newhart, and Bob. He was introduced to martial arts while serving in Korea with the Air Force and went on to become the first Westerner ever to be awarded an eighth-degree black belt in Korean fighting style Taekwondo. During this period, he performed in productions like Liliom, Grand Hotel, Antigone and Time of Your Life. In 1984, it was revived as The Ted Knight Show in its first-run syndication. In its final season, the show was retooled with Knight's character leaving cartooning to become a newspaper owner and editor and was renamed The Ted Knight Show, although it aired as Too Close for Comfort in rerun syndication. In 1985, the television star's conditioned worsened and the 62-year-old actor died on August 26, 1986, following surgery for a growth in his urinary tract. In 1954, prior to becoming a legendary stand-up comedian, 17-year-old George Carlin joined the Air Force for the start of what would be a rocky military career. He was also a World War II veteran who served from 1942 to 1945 in the vaunted Submarine Chasers unit, leaving the service with a rank of lieutenant junior grade. Eventually, he served with the A Company, 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, as a radio reconnaissance operator.. Handsome heartthrob Rock Hudson's resume includes Giant with Elizabeth Taylor and Pillow Talk with Doris Day. Whitmore served in the Marines in World War II and used the G.I. As an. It may be surprising to learn that some actors are military veterans. Knight was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The first-generation American enlisted in the Army Air Force in 1943 and served as an aircraft gunner and Superfortress crewman. [4] He was also a radio announcer for sister station WROW radio. During World War II, he saw combat on a Navy destroyer in the Pacific. He wrote about his war years in the book "A Hell of a War" which also covers his duties in helping organize the forerunners of today's Navy Seals. Mathers played Theodore Beaver Cleaver from 19571963 after appearing in commercials from the age of two. http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/hisdeath/wr_870409_th.html, Interview with Lydia Cornell by Michael Sutton, Link to the home page of the Ted Knight Memorial 'Gof' Tournament. However, the genial actor made the best of it and continued on stage ("Some of My Best Friends") and in commercials and TV spots that were similar in persona. He served in the Connecticut National Guard starting in 1948 and was discharged in 1950. In 1977, Knight was diagnosed with cancer for which he received treatment. He served in World War I after joining the Navy, earning an honorable dischargeand a scar he carried for the rest of his life. Colors, The Godfather, The Natural, and Falling Down are just a few of the classics on Robert Duvall's resume. Ted Knight Original Name Tadeus Wladyslaw Konopka Birth 7 Dec 1923 Terryville, Litchfield County, Connecticut, USA Death 26 Aug 1986 (aged 62) Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles County, California, USA Burial Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA Show Map Plot [2][3] In 1955, he left Providence for Albany, New York, where he landed a job at station WROW-TV (now WTEN), hosting The Early Show featuring MGM movies and a kids variety show, playing a "Gabby Hayes" type character named "Windy Knight". You may also like: 25 most popular Emmy-nominated shows of 2019. Known for roles in On the Waterfront, Dr. Zhivago, and In the Heat of the Night, Rod Steiger amassed nearly 150 credits between 1950 and 2002. Before he ever studied drama, however, Belafonte dropped out of high school to enlist in the Navy in 1944. Among the most memorable was that of institutionalized inmate Brooks Hatlen in The Shawshank Redemption. He became proficient with puppets . Given that at least one (NZ) and possibly more commonwealth Soldiers got a VC and Bar I fail to see how five Bronze Stars stacks up in comparison. Born in 1916, Kirk Douglas was the patriarch of one of Hollywood's most iconic show business families. He went on to become one of the most enduring and prolific actors in history, with a whopping 336 credits spanning more than 90 years from 1926 to 2017. He played Phil Sterling on the ABC soap opera The Young Marrieds in the early 1960s. In 1975, Knight recorded an album of mostly novelty songs, Hi Guys, on the Ranwood label (which was co-founded by Lawrence Welk and re-released many of his earlier albums). 75, which named Bob Hope an honorary veteran "for his lifetime of accomplishments and service on behalf of our men and women in uniform.". He received six Emmy Award nominations for the role, winning the Emmy for "Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Comedy" in 1973 and 1976. Farrell, who played Capt. A veteran of the stage and screen, Fred Gwynne is remembered as Herman Munster from TV's The Munsters as well as the short-tempered stickler judge from My Cousin Vinny. He was also a Navy veteran who served during World War II shortly after graduating from high school. GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) _ There was more laughter than tears at the funeral of actor Ted Knight, who brought joy to television audiences as bombastic newscaster Ted Baxter. His father was a bartender. Too Close for Comfort is an American sitcom television series that aired on ABC from November 11, 1980, to May 5, 1983, and in first-run syndication from April 7, 1984, to February 7, 1987. During World War II, Gwynn enlisted in the Navy and served on a sub chaser. Most of the actors who served will be remembered not for their service in a foreign theater overseas, but for their films that filled seats in movie theaters back home. Before he played Kylo Ren in the most recent Star Warsseries, Adam Driver acted in Lincoln. From Taxi Driver and Pulp Fiction to Reservoir Dogs and Thelma and Louise, Harvey Keitel has been playing tough, intense characters on screen for decades, dating all the way back to Hogan's Heroes in the 1960s. List of battleships of the United States Navy, Articles with dead external links from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Find a Grave.com, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States Army personnel of World War II, Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners, People from Litchfield County, Connecticut, http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/hisdeath/bp_860827_we.html, http://www.pbn.com/WJAR-TV-marks-60th-birthday-tonight,43515, http://www.billjerome.com/tedknight/misc/pj_550223_we.html, Ted Knight from Caddyshack - Celebrity Biographies at Film.com, http://movies.nytimes.com/person/38822/Ted-Knight, http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-love-boat-1982/episode-24-season-5/pride-of-the-pacific-the-vikings-son-separate-vacations-the-experiment-getting-to-know-you/100488. He later became the face of recruiting posters for the Guard. Among the actors was an actual Korean War veteran, Jamie Farr, who received valuable training for his future Hollywood career while on duty. [7] He played Phil Buckley on the ABC soap opera The Young Marrieds in the early 1960s. For his service, he earned a Presidential Citation Award and a Bronze Star. Its name was changed to The Ted Knight Show when the show was retooled in 1986 for what would turn out to be its final season, due to Ted Knight's death. The most indelible, of course, was Baxter, a comic foil of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," the. You may also like: A Look Back at the History of Women in the Workplace. In 1985, the cancer returned as colon cancer which, despite rigorous treatment, eventually began to spread to his bladder and throughout his lower gastrointestinal tract. Harry Dean Stanton's death in 2017 concluded one of the most prolific careers in Hollywood history. But before the legendary macho man went on the attack on the big screen, he was on the attack in the skies over Europe. A little more than 60 years ago, history's most famous veteran joined the Army. Although he'll forever be known as the standard bearer host of The Price is Right, Bob Barker proved his comedic acting chops with an unforgettable role as himself in Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore. Although he's probably most famous for his role in Best in Show, renowned character actor Fred Willard also appeared in 50 sketches on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal Marine Attack Squadron 542, Marine Aircraft Group 14, Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina Mar 2018 The original concept of the series was based on the . Ted Knight 1923 - 1986. Ted has a brother named Henry Konopka. During World War II, he left college to serve in the Navy. There is a bronze plaque bearing his likeness on the bridge. He also displayed his small-screen talent on programs like The Carol Burnett Show. He was a member of A Company, 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, earning five battle stars while serving in the European Theatre. Expelled from high school for fighting, Warden worked as both a boxer and a bouncer in his youth. Knight's condition worsened and he died on August 26, 1986, at age 62. Following his death, he was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. After attending college, he joined the Air Force National Guard. Young served in the Marines from 1957 to 1959. George C. Scott had a 40-year show business career, the pinnacle of which was his Oscar-winning portrayal of the namesake American general in the movie "Patton." It's easiest to create a Word docume, Organic Fertilizers: A Natural Alternative for Feeding your Garden | Texas Tomato Food, GreenLeaf Nutrients & More, Fertilizers have become increasingly expensive in recent years, leading many gardeners to look for alternatives. He had first-hand experience with the latter in real life. While Ted Baxter of 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show' made Knight a household name, he was equally famous for his role in Too Close for Comfort. The notorious nonconformist was court-martialed three times before receiving a general discharge in 1957. In real life, Scott joined the Marines in 1945 shortly before the end of World War II. Born in 1921, James Whitmore had acting credits dating from the 1940s to the late 2000s. Naval Reserve in 1943, but World War II ended before he received an active duty assignment. After being served draft papers during the Vietnam War, Magnum P.I. The Notebook actor served in the Army, the Merchant Marines, and the Oklahoma National Guard. In 1975, a musical album entitled "Hi, Guys!" Asner served in the Army Signal Corps in the early 1950s. In 1970, Knight was chosen to play the role of Ted Baxter, an untalented but vain newscaster on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Two-time Oscar nominee Jack Warden began his show business career in 1950. He then served as a teletype operator before joining a military entertainment unit. In 1975, he released a music album called Hi, Guys!, consisting mostly of novelty songs on the Ranwood label. Some celebrities, such as Elvis Presley and Clint Eastwood, are well-known as having served in the military; others, like Adam Driver and Ice-T, are not as widely known for their service. They gathered together at the hourlong service in the same Continue reading Ted Knight 0 Terryville Recalls Favorite Son Fondly Knight's distinctive speaking voice brought him work as an announcer, notably as narrator of most of Filmation studio's superhero cartoons as well as voice of incidental characters. Gruff and authoritative, R. Lee Ermey is the human embodiment of Marine Corps machismo, which he put on full display as a hard-nosed drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket. The spots were produced by UAB Productions for Southgate USA. Barker left college to train as a fighter pilot for the U.S. Born on Christmas Day in 1899, Humphrey Bogart grew up to be one of the most revered actors in history. You may also like: The States With the Most Small Businesses. He was a member of A Company, 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, earning five battle stars while serving in the European Theatre.[1]. In the 1962-1963 season, he appeared as "Haskell" in the short-lived drama and situation comedy The New Loretta Young Show on CBS. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Eastwood lucked out and was assigned to a job as a swimming instructor at a base in California during the deadly conflict. On January 30, 1985, he was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6673 Hollywood Boulevard. He was narrator of the first season of the Super Friends, while other animated television series featuring his work included the voices of the opening narrator and team leader Commander Jonathan Kidd in Fantastic Voyage. [6] He was also a radio announcer for sister station WROW radio and briefly for WFNS in Burlington NC. Although he was drafted at the age of 18 in 1945 to serve in Italy during World War II, Daniels landed a pretty cushy gig. James Avery's acting career spanned nearly 40 years and includes nearly 180 credits, but he was best known as stern-but-lovable patriarch Uncle Philip Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Knight was cast in the lead role as the kind, curmudgeonly cartoonist Henry Rush in the series Too Close for Comfort in 1980. The son of Greek immigrants, Telly Savalas shined shoes and sold newspapers before joining the Army to serve in World War II, which he survived, albeit with a Purple Heart. After receiving his education at the Pacific Military Academy, Mickey Rooney served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946. Knight spent most of the 1950s and 1960s creating commercial voice-overs and playing minor television and movie roles. He served as a medic at a U.S. Army hospital in the United States. After graduating from college, Newhart was drafted to fight in the Korean War, where he saw combat during his Army service from 1952'54. Charles Durning was a multi-genre talent who scored multiple Academy Award nominations for movies like The Best Little Wh***house in Texas and To Be or Not to Be, as well as a Tony win for his role in the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. 200 Pay Respects At Knight Service PLYMOUTH - Actor Ted Knight had many friends and over 200 of them paid their respects to the Terryville native during a memorial Mass this morning at St. Casimir Church. Brooklyn-born William Daniels enjoyed a career that spanned Broadway, the big screen and television, earning two Emmys along the way for his role in St. Academy Award-winner and longtime leading man Ernest Borgnine made his Broadway debut in 1949 before heading to Hollywood. Google searches can provide inform. ABC cancelled the show after three seasons, but it was revived in first-run syndication in 1984. Knight used a variation of the Ted Baxter character for regional commercials. Our area also boasts two major medical . The Ghostbusters franchise made Ernie Hudson famous, but the Michigan native is by no means a one-trick pony. Career But if called upon to portray a member of the Armed Forces on screen, many actors could draw from their own life experience. Two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine starred in the Batman franchise, as well as comedies like Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels and dramas like The Cider House Rules and Hannah and her Sisters. Oliver Stone racked up nearly 20 acting credits over the course of his career, but he's best known as the director of Academy Award-winning movies like Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July. You may also like: 100 Best TV Shows of All Time, According to Critics. MacLeod married Patti, his second wife, but divorced her as well. His true career, however, would be on television. One option is organic fertilizer made from chicken manure, which can be found at Menard's for a reasonable price of $10.99 per 25-pound bag. . His more than 200 credits include The Green Mile, Alien, Cool Hand Luke, Big Love, and Gunsmoke. After graduating from high school, Avery joined the Navy and served in Vietnam during the height of the war from 1968 to 1969. He served in the Navy during World War II, working as a cook on a ship during the Battle of Okinawa. Hollywood legend Henry Fonda was best known for The Grapes of Wrath and On Golden Pond, the latter of which he starred in alongside his daughter, Jane Fonda. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. That career was interrupted, however, in 1943 when he was drafted into the Army during World War II. Although his career spanned from 1947 to 2000, two-time Oscar winner Jason Robards is most famous for his role as a bold and integrity-driven newspaper publisher in All the President's Men. In 1960, he debuted in films when he played the un-credited role of Professor Vasheen in Man on a String. He took his experiences back to civilian life, starring in many films about war and the military throughout his career. He served for four years, often as a guard at Arlington National Cemetery. He served in Normandy, was badly injured by a mortar round, and walked with a limp for the rest of his life. Before injuries forced him to retire, Ermey served for 11 years as a Marine, earning the rank of staff sergeant and the honorary title of gunnery sergeant after spending 14 months in Vietnam and completing two tours in Okinawa, Japan. He dropped out of high school to join the military during World War II. First, make sure your seeds are dry before sending them in. During this lean period, his well-modulated voice helped him to earn his living, sometime as an announcer, at others as narrator or cartoon voice character in animated productions like 'Fantastic Voyage (1968). He got off to a rocky start in the Corps, making trouble and spending time in the brig, where he was punished with rations of bread and water. Ted Knight was made the SLL's national organiser for the Labour Party youth activity late in 1960 or early in 1961. Ed Asner got his big break on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and he became such an industry mainstay that he served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1981 to 1985. There is a bronze plaque bearing his likeness on the bridge.[10]. He was drafted into the 40th Infantry Division in 1917 and served in World War I. From Airplane to The Untouchables, Robert Stack played memorable roles on both the big and small screens. Brooks grew up poor in New York City's Brooklyn borough and enlisted in the Army right out of high school. Although he was best known as the crotchety father in Everybody Loves Raymond, Peter Boyle amassed nearly 100 acting credits dating back to the mid-1960s. Although he joined the Navy's V-12 program in the hopes of becoming a pilot, his color blindness kept him out of the cockpit. Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net, Other Works It is located at 6673 Hollywood Boulevard. The 296th CEB earned five Battle Stars for its service in World War II. Ted Knight (December 7, 1923 - August 26, 1986) was an American actor best known for playing the comedic role of Ted Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Henry Rush in Too Close for Comfort, and Judge Elihu Smails in Caddyshack . Jamie Farr was not the only Korean War veteran to star in M*A*S*H. Co-star Alan Alda, who won five Emmys and was nominated for 20 more for his role as Hawkeye, served as a gunnery officer in the Army Reserve. Here's a crash course in 3 proven ways -- scenario planning, premortems and red-teaming -- to help you spot hidden opportunities and pitfalls (and maybe even predict the future). Although the show made him a household name, it also stereotyped him for rest of his life. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California (his marker reads Theodore C. Konopka), and was survived by his wife of 38 years, Dorothy Knight (nee Smith), and their three children, Ted Knight Jr., Elyse Knight and Eric Knight. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1999). "I've really wanted to shake Ted Baxter," Knight said in a 1981 interview of his wildly popular character that made him a household name. He reportedly called on the discipline he learned in the military to develop the work ethic required to succeed in show business. Served as a combat engineer of A Company, 296th Combat Engineer Battalion, which built bridges, roads, and temporary living structures in the European Theatre following the D-Day invasion. Winters parlayed his talent into a long television career, which included a run on his own show, The Jonathan Winters Show. He received five battle stars during his Army service in World War. After his military hitch . Around the age of 33, he moved to Los Angeles, where initially he earned his living by doing commercials and later earned minor, often un-credited roles in television and films. The Ukrainian Tribute Growout is a great opportunity for tomato lovers to get their hands on some unique and delicious varieties. The world knows Charles Bronson as an unshakeable vigilante from the Death Wish series. Nothing is known about Ted Knights early years except that he dropped out of high school to join the US Army during the Second World War. Res. About this event: The city of Colorado Springs boasts five military bases including the US Air Force Academy, over 2000 nonprofits, and a robust aerospace industry. Concurrently, he developed an interest in acting. Born Tadeusz Wladyslaw Konopka to a Polish American family in Terryville, Connecticut, Knight dropped out of high school to enlist for military service in World War II, where his bravery was accordingly honored. When World War II broke out, his career was interrupted when he enlisted in the Coast Guard, where he served for three years. His 164 credits include 12 Angry Men, The Replacements, While You Were Sleeping, and Heaven Can Wait. Join Tomato Lovers & Participate in the Ukrainian Tribute Growout! Knight also played a German officer in a couple of episodes of the early to mid-60s TV series hit, "Combat.". TIA Ray I had heard at one time that the actor Neville Brand was the second most decorated soldier of WWII. 5th class before his talents were recognized and he was ordered to entertain. Neville Brand earned 139 credits over more than 35 years between 1949 and 1985, including Stalag 17 and Tora! Early life [ edit] Few child stars were as big as Jerry Mathers, who will be forever remembered in television history as the titular character on Leave it to Beaver.