NEED TO KNOW
- Leave it to Beaver actor John Eimen has died at age 76
- The former child star, who appeared on The Twilight Zone, died of prostate cancer at his Mukilteo, Washington home
- After his time on television came to an end, Eimen pursued music and eventually became an international flight attendant
John Eimen, a former ’50s and ’60s child actor known for his work on Leave It to Beaver and McKeever and the Colonel, has died. He was 76.
Eimen died on Friday, Nov. 21, of prostate cancer at his Mukilteo, Washington home, his family announced, per The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.
Eimen previously announced his “advanced” diagnosis on Facebook in September, as he shared a snap of himself smiling. “I’ve been blessed with wonderful friends, a loving family and 75 great years,” he wrote. “Thanks to all of you!”
PEOPLE has reached out to a rep for Eimen for comment.
Everett Collection
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Active as a child actor in the ’50s and ’60s, Eimen was born in Chicago, in 1949, before being discovered in Los Angeles. He got his start on television in Leave It to Beaver in 1957, when he played Theodore Cleaver’s classmate in the series premiere.
Eimen would go on to appear in several more episodes of the comedy, which ran until 1963 on ABC after switching networks from CBS in 1958.
“I did a lot of these shows and many times, I would just get called that I would have to be at a certain studio at a certain time,” he said on Classic Conversations with Jeff Dwoskin in 2020. “In the case of working as an extra especially, not that much was really required. Just show up and be dressed a certain way.”
As Eimen explained, he “gradually started getting better parts” over time. Often billed on-screen as Johnny, his other early work included guest appearances on Have Gun—Will Travel, Wagon Train, The Untouchables, Petticoat Junction, The Rebel and Bachelor Father with a notable performance in The Twilight Zone‘s 1962 episode, “The Fugitive,” starring J. Pat O’Malley.
Eimen would go on to play military school student Cadet Monk Roberts in NBC’s children’s sitcom McKeever and the Colonel from 1962 to 1963.
“If anybody ever asks me, ‘So you were a kid actor back in those days, what did you do?’ I always mention two shows,” he told Classic Conversations. “One is Leave It to Beaver, the other is The Twilight Zone. Everyone knows those two shows.”
Beyond television, his work included modeling for print ads and eventually turning to music after his time on television. One print ad, for Carnation Instant Milk in 1959, made him — to his understanding — “the earliest model with a milk mustache,” he wrote for TVParty.
Eimen also worked as a guitarist and songwriter, moved to Japan and spent over a decade teaching English and performing on television and in Japanese clubs. In the mid-90s, he became a flight attendant on international flights, before his retirement in 2020, per Deadline.
He is survived by Midori, his wife of 51 years, as well as sons Daniel and Chris, and grandsons Lucas and Oliver.
This Article was copied from nypost .com, visit to read more
NOTE: THIS SITE DOES NOT BELONG TO FACEBOOK
