Robert "Rusty" Stevens (born 1948) is an American former child actor best remembered for his role as Larry Mondello, Beaver Cleaver's friend and classmate, in the original Leave It to Beaver television series.[1] Stevens appeared in 68 of the show's 234 episodes, between 1957 and 1960.[2]
Rusty Stevens | |
|---|---|
 Rusty Stevens as Larry Mondello | |
| Born | Robert Stevens 1948 (age 75–76) |
| Occupation |
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| Years active |
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| Known for | Playing Larry Mondello on Leave It to Beaver |
Career
editStevens had parts in some TV shows before and after he portrayed Larry Mondello in the sitcom Leave It to Beaver.[1] It was reported that he left the show in 1960 because his family moved from Burbank, California, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;[1] however, Barbara Billingsley, who played June Cleaver on the series, said in a TV Archive interview that Stevens was fired because his overbearing stage mother caused grief for the producers of the series.[3] This would tie in more closely with the fact that, post Leave It to Beaver, Stevens continued to get occasional roles in California-shot TV shows through 1963 (including My Three Sons, Perry Mason and The Rifleman), before his career as a child actor came to a close. Stevens himself mentioned a 3rd reason his career ended: he wanted to get out of the show to live a normal life as a normal kid.
He briefly returned to acting when he reprised his role as Larry Mondello in the 1983 made-for-television reunion movie Still the Beaver.[4] He also appeared in three episodes of the follow-up series The New Leave It to Beaver through 1989.
Stevens was able to join the cast for Still the Beaver, after Jerry Mathers, who portrayed Beaver Cleaver, tracked him down after searching for many years.[5] At the time, he was working as a car insurance salesman in New Jersey.[5]
Partial filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957–1960 | Leave It to Beaver | Larry Mondello | 68 episodes[1] |
| 1958 | Cimarron City | Boy reading script (uncredited) | Episode "Cimarron Holiday"[citation needed] |
| 1960 | 77 Sunset Strip | Max | Episode "The Attic"[6] |
| 1960 | Shirley Temple's Storybook | Stuffy Cole and Gypsy Boy | Episodes "Little Men" and "Madeline"[6] |
| 1962 | My Three Sons | Cletus Bleeker | Episode "Bub Gets A Job"[6] |
| 1962 | Perry Mason | Brucie Hillman | Episode "The Case of the Dodging Domino"[2] |
| 1963 | The Rifleman | Melvin | Episode "Hostages to Fortune"[2] |
| 1983 | Still the Beaver | Larry Mondello | TV movie |
| 1983–1989 | The New Leave It to Beaver | Larry Mondello | 3 episodes |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Clothier, Gary (May 17, 2012). "Beaver's classmates have gone on to real estate, insurance careers". The Star Democrat. Easton, Maryland. p. 14 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Leave it to Beaver star Rusty Stevens was in three different Halloween episodes on three different shows". MeTV. October 29, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "Barbara Billingsley" (video). Archive of American Television (Interview). 21:50–22:30. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- ^ "Mathers returns to star in "Still the Beaver"". The Bulletin-Journal. Cape Girardeau. United Press International. March 13, 1983. p. 11. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
- ^ a b "Jerry Mathers Searched For His 'Leave It to Beaver' Co-Star For Years". DoYouRemember?. September 30, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Jerry Mathers searched for decades to reunite with Larry Mondello". MeTV. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
External links
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