TV stars don’t remain ‘forever young’

Age is a funny thing. Like it or not, we know we’re getting older because we get a reminder once a year on our birthdays.

For some reason, we tend to keep TV stars in a box, mentally keeping them in the same general age as when they appeared on a show.

Want proof?

Remember when Jerry Mathers starred in the TV show “Leave It to Beaver” as Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver? He was the pre-adolescent son of June and Ward Cleaver (played by Barbara Billingsley and Hugh Beaumont) and the younger brother of Wally Cleaver (played by Tony Dow).

How old do you think Mathers is?

Mathers turned 68 on June 2.

Sixty what?

That’s right, 68!

After the show ended its run in 1964, Mathers continued to appear in guest roles on TV through the 1990s. He made his Broadway debut in 2007 with a starring role as Wilbur Turnblad in the Tony-winning best musical “Hairspray.”

Here are four other performers from TV shows. See if you can guess their age. Count your answer correct if you are within five years.

1 — Henry Winkler exploded onto the scene as “The Fonz” in the top-rated “Happy Days.”

“Fonzie” was a leather-clad greaser, hot-rodder and auto mechanic, started as a minor character in the show’s early episodes, but achieved top billing by the time the show ended.

His signature line was “Heeeeeeeeeeey.”

How old is Winkler today?

2 — The granddaughter of late actress Loretta Young, daughter of the late actor/comedian Danny Thomas and husband of former TV talk show host Phil Donahue, Marlo Thomas developed the idea for her show “That Girl.”

The sitcom centered on a young woman who leaves home, moves to New York and struggles to become an actress. Thomas played Ann Marie, a beautiful, up-and-coming actress with a writer boyfriend, played by Ted Bessell.

How old is Thomas today?

3 — Melissa Gilbert came to fame playing Laura Ingalls on “Little House on the Prairie” for 10 years. The series centered on the trials and tribulations of the Ingalls family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minn., during the 1870s and 1880s. The show also starred Michael Landon and Karen Grassle as Laura’s parents, Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Gilbert appeared in 190 of the show’s 204 episodes.

How old is she today?

4 — Jimmie “JJ” Walker starred in “Good Times” as the teen son of James Evans, played by John Amos, and Florida Evans, played by Esther Rolle.

A comedian and actor, Walker popularized his catchphrase, “Dy-no-mite,” which was heard on every episode at the insistence of the producer.

The show focused on the Evans family and their three children trying to survive in an apartment in the projects of Chicago.

How old is Walker today?

The answers

1 — Henry Winkler is 70.

Looking nothing like the “The Fonz” today, Henry Winkler appeared in all of the show’s 255 episodes from 1974 to 1984.

He currently stars as Eddie R. Lawson on USA Network’s “Royal Pains,” as the father of the show’s two main stars, Dr. Hank Lawson (Mark Feuerstein) and CPA Evan Lawson (Paulo Costanza). The show will complete its run this summer.

Winkler also serves as a spokesman for Reverse Mortgages.

2 — Marlo Thomas is 79.

“That Girl” aired from 1966 to 1971, producing 136 episodes, and was a solid performer in the Nielsen ratings.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Thomas spends much of her time today raising funds for St. Jude’s Children’s and Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. Her father worked tirelessly to raise funds for the hospital, which opened in 1962.

3 — Melissa Gilbert is 52.

In 1983, Gilbert became the youngest person, at age 19, to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

After “Little House” concluded its run in 1983, she won a two-year term as president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001, besting actress Valerie Harper. She won re-election in 2003 and in July 2005 said that she would not seek a third term.

In August, Gilbert announced her Congressional run in Michigan’s 8th district. Running as a Democrat on a pro-working class family platform, the actress is trying to unseat Republican representative Mike Bishop.

4 — Jimmie “JJ” Walker is 68. He will celebrate his 69th birthday on June 25.

“Good Times,” which ran from 1974 to 1979, was a spinoff from “Maude.”

After the show concluded its run, Walker continued his career appearing on TV game shows and making guest appearances on TV shows. He also has a nightclub act.

He penned a highly successful autobiography, “Dyn-O-Mite: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times: A Memoir,” which was published in 2012.

This week in rock history — Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson performed on the same show in Norfolk, Va., on June 12, 1959. At Cooke’s insistence, arena management included integrated seating for the audience. … The Beatles had their last original single, “The Long and Winding Road,” hit No. 1 in the U.S. on June 13, 1970. … Paul McCartney recorded “Yesterday” by himself on June 14, 1965, after trying unsuccessfully to fit in the rest of The Beatles. The song would later be recorded by more than 3,000 artists and became the most covered tune in music history.

Kyu Sakamoto, 21, became the first Japanese artist to hit the top of the U.S. charts with “Sukiyaki” on June 15, 1963. Sakamoto was killed on Aug. 12, 1985, in an airplane crash in Japan. … Patti Page’s biggest hit, “Allegheny Moon,” entered the charts on June 16, 1956, where it would reach No. 2 during a 22-week run. She placed 16 songs in the Top 40 between 1954 and 1965. … Jay & The Americans recorded “Come A Little Bit Closer” on June 17, 1964. It eventually climbed to No. 3.

Barry Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].