‘Leave It to Beaver’ Star, 77, Says She Didn’t Have Fun on Set originally appeared on Parade.

Former child actor Jeri Weil, 77, is opening up about starring as Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver’s (Jerry Mathers) classmate, Judy Hensler, in the sitcom Leave It to Beaver.

During an August 3 interview on That’s Classic, Weil spoke about filming the first four seasons of Leave It to Beaver, which aired from 1957 to 1963. Weil revealed that being on the set wasn’t “a fun time” for her. She explained that one of the show’s directors would purposefully bother her so she would appear irritated when interacting with her on-screen classmates.

“Because the director, when I’d come, you know we’d have to go to school, on the set when we were working. He used to come in and just rag on me until I got really pissed off. And then he would ‘Roll it.’ …. I guess he wanted me to come off like a little brat. So he got me all riled up. So I’d react the way he wanted,” said Weil.

She clarified that she “didn’t mind going to work” during her time starring on Leave It to Beaver.

After Weil left acting, she worked as a Los Angeles realtor. According to Weil, she would sometimes get recognized for her role as Judy when she was working as a realtor.

“I used to walk around Lake Hollywood under the Hollywood sign. So I was walking with friends one day. And out of the blue, some girl comes up and says, ‘Judy. You were Judy Hensler.’ And I said, ‘Oh come on. Who told you?’ She said ‘I recognized you,'” said Weil during the interview.

In addition, she said it “makes [her] feel good” to know that her character has had a lasting impact.

“It amazes me that [Leave It to Beaver is] still on TV. My god. And you don’t even know how many people at the autograph show said to me, ‘Oh we watch you every morning from 8 to 9.’ So many people said that,” said Weil.

‘Leave It to Beaver’ Star, 77, Says She Didn’t Have Fun on Set first appeared on Parade on Aug 6, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.