‘Leave It to Beaver’ Star John Eimen Passes Away at 76 – Cause of Death Revealed

John Eimen, a child actor who appeared on classic television shows like Leave It to Beaver, McKeever and the Colonel, and The Twilight Zone, has passed away at the age of 76.

His family confirmed that he died Friday at his home in Mukilteo, Washington, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer just a few months earlier in September.

Eimen got his start in show business at a young age. Born in Chicago on October 2, 1949, he was discovered in his Los Angeles-area classroom by a talent agent who was friends with his first-grade teacher.

He made his TV debut at age six, appearing as a classmate of Theodore Cleaver (played by Jerry Mathers) in the very first episode of Leave It to Beaver in 1957. He returned for several more episodes of the beloved series, which ran for six seasons through 1963.

In 1961, Eimen was cast as Tommy in a proposed TV drama called Dr. Kate, starring Academy Award-winning actress Jane Wyman. “It seemed that a big break had come my way when I was chosen to play her son Tommy in the series’ pilot,” Eimen recalled.

“With a sponsor in place, this show had the possibility to run for many years… However, she backed out of the deal, claiming dissatisfaction with the proposed ‘after-primetime’ schedule slot in the channel lineup.” Although the series never went forward, the pilot aired in 1960 as an episode of CBS’ Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, and Eimen noted he still received small residual checks from it from time to time.

After Dr. Kate, Eimen joined the NBC sitcom McKeever and the Colonel in 1962, playing Cadet Monk Roberts, a student at a military school. The show starred Scott Lane and Allyn Joslyn but lasted only 26 episodes.

Around the same time, he appeared on The Twilight Zone episode “The Fugitive” in 1962 and continued to make guest appearances on popular shows including Bachelor Father, The Rebel, Have Gun — Will Travel, Wagon Train, The Untouchables, and Lawman.

Eimen also appeared in national print ads for Carnation, often showing a milk mustache, and had roles in feature films, including the 1965 Connie Stevens movie Never Too Late. His last onscreen appearance came in a 1967 episode of Petticoat Junction.

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