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6 stars who are the last surviving cast members of classic TV shows
Let's celebrate Trixie, Lois, Jethro, Eb, Officer Reed and Jeannie.
Let's celebrate living legends. We are fortunate to still have TV icons with us, like Dawn Wells and Tina Louise from Gilligan's Island, all of the Brady kids, or Ron Howard and Betty Lynn from The Andy Griffith Show.
However, in some cases, only one main cast member remains.
Here are some stars will keep the legacy of these beloves series alive. Raise a toast!
1. Joyce Randolph of The Honeymooners
Randolph was neither the first nor last actor to portray Trixie Norton (Elaine Stritch and Jane Kean take claim to that, respectively) but she is most associated with the character. After all, Stritch lasted a single episode and Kean came about in the later, color reunions of the 1960s. Michigan native Randolph — once called "the Garbo of Detroit" — played Ed's wife on The Honeymooners half-hour sitcom, "The Classic 39." A key part of a relatively small cast, Randolph recently celebrated her 96th birthday.
Image: The Everett Collection
2. Phyllis Coates of Adventures of Superman
Two women portrayed fearless reporter and Clark Kent love interest Lois Lane on Adventures of Superman (1952–58). Noel Neill (1920–2016) appeared in more episodes — and was the first live-action Lois in the film serials of the 1940s — but in between those two stints, Phyllis Coates starred in season one of Adventures alongside George Reeves. Born Gypsie Ann Evarts Stell, this former chorus girl first played Lois in Superman and the Mole Men (1951), the first feature film featuring the Man of Steel.
Image: The Everett Collection
3. Max Baer Jr. of The Beverly Hillbillies
Son of boxing champ and eventual film star Max Baer, Junior began his own acting career in earnest in the 1960s. Best known as Jethro Bodine, Baer Jr. not only outlived his castmates (Donna Douglas passed away in 2015), he wisely profited of his signature role. He obtained some Hillbillies sublicensing rights for products such as food and slot machines. For decades, he has envisioned a casino themed around the sitcom that has yet to come to fruition. The plans for the Nevada attraction called for a 200-foot replica oil derrick. In 1986, Baer attempted to get the film rights to Madonna's "Like a Virgin."
Image: The Everett Collection
4. Tom Lester of Green Acres
The man behind Eb Dawson was an honest-to-goodness farmer. Tom Lester was not your typical Hollywood star. You know him as the friendly farmhand on Green Acres. A Mississippi native, Lester remained a country boy at heart. It is said that Lester beat out 400 other actors for the role of Eb because he actually knew how to milk a cow. After Green Acres ended in 1971, Lester returned home to Laurel, Mississippi. He moved back in with his parents. He later became the owner of a 250-acre timber farm in Vossburg, Mississippi. In 1997, he was the recipient of Mississippi's "Wildlife Farmer of the Year" award.
5. Kent McCord of Adam-12
When it comes to police shows and sci-fi, few actors have the resume and reputation of Kent McCord. He began his career as the picture-perfect street cop, with a chiseled jaw and neat hair. No wonder his iconic character Jim Reed appeared on so many shows beyond Adam-12. Later, he landed regular roles on Galactica 1980 (the Battlestar Galactica sequel series), SeaQuest 2032 and Farscape. Along the way, he often reteamed with his old partner Martin Milner — and became an important power-player in Hollywood unions. Milner passed away in 2015. William Boyett (Sgt. MacDonald), Fred Stromsoe (Officer Woods), Gary Crosby (Officer Wells), and Claude Johnson (Officer Brinkman) had all previously passed. Well, one other voice from Adam-12 survives. Shaaron Claridge, the uncredited dispatcher who was an LAPD dispatcher in real life.
Image: The Everett Collection
6. Barbara Eden of I Dream of Jeannie
Following the deaths of Larry Hagman (Tony), Bill Daily (Roger), Hayden Rorke (Dr. Bellows), Jeannie herself is the last remaining regular cast member of I Dream of Jeannie. She recently played Mrs. Claus in the 2019 holiday movie My Adventures with Santa.
Image: The Everett Collection
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However the entire cast of The Love Boat is still alive today.
Noel was the Lois in the Serials in the 1940s, with Kirk Allyn. The 1950s TV show, George Reeves, Noel was doing a film, so Coates was hired for one season. Noel was in the rest of the shows. And, of course, Kirk Allyn and Neill played Lois Lane parents in the first Christopher Reeve Superman film.