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For over 40 years Tony Dow has played a variety
of characters as an actor and has directed many more. He starred
in four television series and has had numerous co-starring roles and
guest appearances in film, television and theatre. In Tony's 18
year directing career he's been able to cross over from comedy to drama
in both the hour and half-hour format. He's equally comfortable
working in the multi-camera sitcom style and single camera film technique.
In the field of directing, Tony recently completed a one hour documentary investigating
progressive education in the 21st century for the Lewis Center for Educational
Research and JPL. His single camera experience includes Star Trek-
Deep Space 9 , five episodes of the award winning one-hour sci-fi series Babylon-5 for
Warner Television, three episodes of the TNT series, Crusade, and three
episodes of the popular one-hour family comedy, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids...
The TV Show, for Disney Studios, all of which are heavy on Visual
Effects. Other dramatic work includes five episodes of Swamp Thing and
three episodes of the USA Networks series, Cover Me for Shawn
Cassidy. In the comedy arena his work includes six episodes of The
New Leave it to Beaver, two of which he also wrote, six Harry
and the Hendersons, four episodes of The New Lassie, and Get
A Life. Multi-camera comedy includes 13 episodes of the hit sitcom, Coach. He
has also shot a number of promos and commercials including 13 spots for Petco. To
round out his directing experience he received a Dramalog award for the
theatrical presentation of K-2.
In the field of producing, Tony along with Melissa Gilbert conceived and produced Child
Stars ... Their Story, a two hour documentary exploring growing up in the
business, for A&E network. He also wrote (uncredited) and produced
a remake of the sci-fi classic It Came From Outer Space, for Universal
Studios. He produced and supervised visual effects for The Adventures
of Captain Zoom in Outer Space with Brain Levant, and produced visual
effects for the two-hour movie/pilot, Doctor Who , for Universal
and the BBC.
Even though Tony's mother was Clara Bow's double, a Mack Sennett bathing beauty
and one of Hollywood's first stuntwomen, Muriel Montrose Dow had no aspirations
for her son Tony to have a career in the entertainment industry. At an
early age he had earned many national swimming records and the reputation of
the best junior diver in the country, which made him a strong Olympic candidate. In
1956, at age eleven, his Olympic quest was interrupted when a long time family
friend asked if Tony could accompany him to Screen Gems to meet with the producers
for a new TV series, Johnny Wildlife, and he landed the part. The
pilot never sold, but within a couple of months Tony had to make a choice between
the role of "Boy" in Tarzan, being a Mouseketeer, or playing
the big brother on Leave it to Beaver, which aired for six years as
one of America's all-time favorite sitcoms. This set the stage for a
multi-faceted career in the field of entertainment.
When Leave it to Beaver went off the air, Tony made guest appearances
on such series as Mr. Novak, My Three Sons, Dr. Kildare, and Eleventh
Hour, to name a few. He co-starred in several television movies including A
New American Tragedy, Death Scream, and The Ordeal of Bill Carney. Tony
also was featured for several years on daytime soaps Never Too Young and General
Hospital.
Following a hitch in the National Guard, Tony studied TV and film at
UCLA and Columbia College, while devoting his free time to painting and sculpting. His
work has been exhibited in a number of shows, with sculptural pieces of wood
and copper ranging from small forms to life-size figures. Then, turning
his talents to architectural applications, Tony combined art with design
and construction, employing his creativity in building and finishing homes
and shops throughout Southern California, while continuing his career in
show business.
"I love the process of film making, the work part, both as an actor and
director," says Dow. "It's the creative elements that I enjoy
most." Tony also enjoys theatre and has starred across the country
in such stage productions as the 17 month National tour of So Long, Stanley, Barefoot
in the Park, Come Blow Your Horn, and Lovers and Other Strangers. He
appeared in the world premiere of The Chesterfield Woman, in Los
Angeles and in 1990 Tony starred in the Southern California premiere of The
Nerd, at the La Mirada Civic Theatre.
For five years and 105 episodes, Tony starred in The New Leave it to Beaver, one
of the highest rated series on cable TV and now in syndication. He has
guest starred in The New Mike Hammer, Murder She Wrote, and has
portrayed a variety of characters on Quincy, Knight Rider, Square
Pegs, High School USA, Love Boat, and even a cannibal on a two part episode
of Freddy's Nightmares, among others. More recently he
appeared in cameo roles on Beyond Belief and Diagnosis Murder. TV
audiences marveled at Tony Dow's athletic abilities as he performed a number
of hilarious feats on Circus of the Stars. Tony is a familiar
guest on the major talk and magazine shows and he has maintained a busy commercial
career. It was on a McDonald's shoot that he met and fell in love with
his beautiful wife Lauren, the producer, who cast him in the part.
His knowledge and experience spans four decades and has led Tony to focus on
quality projects. "Since my early teens my goal has been to lead
a creative life." Whether it's remodeling a restaurant, building
a loft, coaching kids, developing a story idea, writing a teleplay, acting
or directing, Tony has been fortunate enough to pursue and express his creative
energies.
Tony finds plenty of time to spend time with his 29 year old son, Christopher,
a Fresno City Firefighter. "Family and friends are the first priority
in my life." And life centers around the Dow's rustic home in the
Santa Monica Mountains, which Tony has rebuilt. Wherever you look, his
special touches are evident. He approaches everything with a sense of
confidence and quality, which is apparent to all who know the many faces of
the multi-talented Tony Dow.
EPISODIC
TELEVISION—GUEST STARRING (Partial List) |
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|
Diagnosis Murder |
Dir. |
|
Beyond Belief |
Dir. Matt Beesley |
|
Freddies's Nightmare |
Dir. David Calloway |
|
Charles in Charge |
Dir. Zane Buzby |
|
The New Mike Hammer |
Dir. |
|
Murder She Wrote |
Dir. David Hemmings |
|
Quincy |
Dir. |
|
Square Pegs |
Dir. John Newland |
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Knight Rider |
Dir. |
|
Love, American Style |
Dir. Ozzie Nelson |
|
Mod Squad |
Dir. Earl Bellamy |
|
Mr. Novak (3) |
Dir. |
|
Eleventh Hour |
Dir. Jack Smight |
|
Doctor Kildare |
Dir. Jack Smight |
|
The Greatest Show on Earth |
Dir. |
|
Circus of the Stars |
Dir. |
|
Saturday Night Live |
Dir. |
|
SERIES TELEVISION |
|
|
The New Leave it to Beaver |
105 episodes |
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General Hospital |
60 episodes |
|
Never Too Young |
180 episodes |
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Leave it to Beaver |
234 episodes |
|
MOVIE OF THE WEEK—STARRING |
|
|
High School USA |
Dir. Rod Amateau/ABC |
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Still the Beaver |
Dir. Steven Stern/CBS |
|
Ordeal of Bill Carney |
Dir. Jerry London/CBS |
|
A New American Tragedy |
Dir. J. Lee Thompson/ABC |
|
Death Scream |
Dir. Richard Heffron/ABC |
|
FEATURES |
|
|
Back to the Beach |
Dir. |
|
Kentucky Fried Movie |
Dir. John Landis |
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Redneck America |
Dir. Preston Collins |
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THEATRE (Partial List) |
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The Nerd |
La Mirada Civic |
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Chesterfield Woman |
Skylight Theatre |
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Lovers & Other Strangers |
Kansas City |
|
So Long, Stanley |
16 month National Tour |
|
Barefoot In the Park |
Kansas City |
|
Boeing Boeing |
St. Petersburg |