All About ‘Leave It to Beaver’ Star Tony Dow’s Son, Christopher

Tony Dow rose to fame in the 1950s playing Wally Cleaver on Leave It To Beaver, but his only child, son Christopher Dow, just knew him as “Dad.”

Tony and then-wife Carol Marlow welcomed Christopher in 1973. Tony and Carol divorced in 1980, which is the same year that he wed Lauren Shulkind.

Christopher has mostly lived his life outside of the spotlight, spending time with his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Tyla. The family was by Tony’s side when he died on July 27, 2022.

“He was the best Dad anyone could ask for,” Christopher shared on Facebook after his father’s death. “He was my coach, my mentor, my voice of reason, my best friend, my best man in my wedding, and my hero.”

Here’s everything to know about Tony Dow’s only child, his son Christopher Dow.

Christopher comes from a long line of actors

Christopher’s father famously starred in projects like The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Lassie, Never Too Young and Mr. Novak. However, Tony wasn’t the only family member in the entertainment industry.

Christopher’s grandmother, Muriel Montrose, was a stuntwoman. She was even the stunt double for silent film star Clara Bow, according to an August 2019 Facebook post from Tony.

Tony later shared more insight into his mom’s career when he shared a photo of her on Facebook in December 2020.

“In those days, they only gave credits to the stars,” he said. “It makes it hard to know which Clara Bow films she was in, as her stunt double.”

He lives a private life

Christopher made a brief appearance in a 1988 episode of The New Leave It To Beaver, where he plays a 16-year-old Wally in a flashback. But since then, he’s mostly kept his life private.

In June 2016, Tony shared a photo on Facebook with his “handsome” son. In the comments, a fan asked if he works in the entertainment industry, to which Tony replied, “Not at all.”

Christopher is a husband and father

Christopher is married to his wife, Melissa. During his July 2022 tribute to his dad, Christopher revealed that Tony was the best man at the wedding.

Melissa and Tony seemed to share a great relationship, too, with Christopher sharing that she “loved [Tony] like her own father.”

“Tony was such a kind man,” she said in Tony’s July 2022 death announcement. “He had such a huge heart, and I’ve never heard Tony say a bad or negative thing about anyone.”

The couple shares one child together, a daughter named Tyla.

On his Facebook, Tony often shared photos of their adventures together, including a snap of her playing with a toy dino on his property, a picture of the family riding around in a boat together and an image of him supporting her at a volleyball tournament.

In November 2020, Tony proudly shared a photo of himself with Chris and Tyla with the caption, “3 Generations of Dows: Tyla, Christopher and Papa, taken about 7 years ago.”

Christopher was with Tony in his final days

On July, 26, 2022, the Leave It to Beaver star’s management team erroneously reported that he had died in a since-deleted Facebook post. However later that day, Christopher confirmed to PEOPLE that his father was still alive, and he and his wife were by his side.

“This is a difficult time,” Christopher said. “Yes, he is still alive, but in his last hours. Under hospice care.”

One day later on July 27, Tony died at age 77. He had previously been diagnosed with cancer.

“Our heart goes out to … [Tony’s] son, Christopher, who will dearly miss his father, who was also his best friend … to his daughter-in-law, Melissa … to his granddaughter, Tyla, who will undoubtedly carry on her grandfather’s kind soul,” his management team said in a statement posted to Facebook.

“Words cannot express how much we will all feel his absence, but will cherish the memories he left to each and every one of us,” the statement continued.

Chris added his own sentiments to the post, writing that he felt “comfort and peace that [Tony] is in a better place,” despite it being a “very sad day.”