John Eimen, who appeared in dozens of late 1950s and 1960s series including “Leave It to Beaver” and “The Twilight Zone,” has died. He was 76.
The actor’s family said that Eimen died on Friday at his home in Mukilteo, Washington, following a prostate cancer diagnosis he received in September, according to USA Today.
Born on Oct. 2, 1949 in Chicago, Eimen was discovered when an agent visited him in a Los Angeles-area classroom. He began working at 6 years-old as a classmate of Theodore Cleaver in the premier episode of “Leave It to Beaver.” He then went on to guest star on the show throughout its run.
Eimen also appeared on “Lassie, Fury,” several westerns and worked with Frank Sinatra multiple times, Parade wrote.
Aside from his acting career, Eimen was a model and became recognizable nationwide for his Carnation’s 1959 Instant Milk ad, which he said was “the earliest (that I know of) model with a milk mustache,” Parade said.
Eimen then gained interest in music and theater when he grew older and started working as a guitarist and songwriter.
He later moved to Japan, where he met his wife, Midori and spent over a decade teaching English and performing his music in clubs and on Japanese television, USA Today wrote.
In the mid 1990s, Eimen and his family moved back to the U.S. and settled in West Seattle, Washington and later relocated to Mukilteo.
The final chapter of his career was spending 25 years as a flight attendant on international routes for Northwest Airlines, Parade reported. He retired at 71 in 2020.
Eimen is survived by his wife of 51 years, Midori; his sons, Daniel and Chris and his grandsons,, Lucas and Oliver.
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