When I was a kid, one of those early programs I could be found watching was the latest episode of Leave it to Beaver, a family oriented sitcom of my early childhood. The lead was Jerry Mathers, who portrayed the various antics of Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver along with his brother Wally and various friends and schoolmates featured in the episodes.
I followed this program for a rather extended period of time, well into syndication after the run had completed ... mostly as a function of missed episodes and that failure to absorb a lot of that which I watched due to my various preoccupations.
Gerald Patrick Mathers was born June 2, 1948 and became a performer at he age of two. I lost track of him after his enlistment in the Air National Guard. I saw him with shaved head and in uniform and pretty much wrote him off as a performer at that time.
I never really engaged his acting again but he was an important part of my life during the Leave it to Beaver years. It is my understanding that he is an accomplished singer as well but I have never seen him engaged in this type performance.
His divergence from my existence saw him marry three times and have a few kids. He also developed type 2 diabetes (such as that I have) and he was the first male spokesperson for Jenny Craig.
He has had a weight problem with which to contend and I note that every time I see him in the media he is smiling and appears quite happy.
I miss the old days when we were kids and I lived vicariously through his character's antics on the television program. I dare say that Beaver was certainly no more troublesome a child as I and I'm glad that Jerry Mathers has been able to enjoy his life after being a child star.