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Earlier this week actor Michael Cole, best known for playing rich kid-turned-undercover cop Pete Cochran on The Mod Squad, passed away at the age of 84. Since the 2021 death of co-star Clarence Williams III, Cole had been the last surviving regular from the hit 1968-74 ABC police drama. This sad announcement–and the slightly morbid bit of trivia linked to it–got me to thinking about other popular TV shows from the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s that are also down to a single living cast member. As I started running through a list in my head, it turned to be a rather extensive one.
What follows is a far-from-comprehensive roll call of sitcom survivors, presented in chronological order. Please bear in mind, I consider a “regular cast member” to be an actor or actress listed in the main credits or generally considered part of an ensemble group. For example, Dick Van Dyke (who, coincidentally, turns 99 today! Mazel tov, Dick!) is the last major star of The Dick Van Dyke Show, but Larry Matthews–who played his son Richie–was mentioned in the opening credits. If you can think of a show and star I missed, feel free to mention it in the comments below:
I Love Lucy – While two sets of toddler twins portrayed Lucy and Ricky Ricardo’s son in seasons 2-5 of the beloved CBS comedy, it was child actor Keith Thibodeaux, who was playing drums with the Horace Heidt Orchestra at the age of three, who was cast–and billed–as “Little Ricky” in I Love Lucy’s final year and for three seasons of The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.
Leave It to Beaver – He was listed last (“And Jerry Mathers…as The Beaver”) in the show’s opening. and now former child star Mathers–who co-starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 dark comedy The Trouble with Harry—is the last living member of the “typical American” Cleaver clan.
The Andy Griffith Show – After the passing in 2021 of actress Betty Lynn (Barney Fife’s girlfriend Thelma Lou), Sheriff Andy’s son, little Opie Taylor–better known now as Oscar-winning director Ron Howard–is the last Mayberry resident from the original show. Similarly, Buddy Foster, who played town councilman Sam Jones’ (Ken Berry) son Mike–is the sole living regular from the 1968-71 spin-off, Mayberry R.F.D.
The Beverly Hillbillies – The Clampetts ruled the TV ratings for much of the 1960s, thanks in no small part to the antics of sixth-grade graduate and would-be “double naught spy” Jethro Bodine (Max Baer, Jr.). Now the actor-turned-director (Ode to Billy Joe) is the last living link to the series.
McHale’s Navy – Star Ernest Borgnine’s WWII-based service comedy ran for four years on ABC and spawned two theatrical films plus a 1997 reboot movie. The last remaining crewman of the PT-73 is Bobby Wright, who was featured as Tennessee-born radioman Willy Moss.
The Addams Family – “They’re creepy and they’re kooky,” and cartoonist Charles Addams’ macabre clan scared audiences from 1964-66, only to be revived and rebooted numerous times in films, TV, and Broadway over the decades since. Of the original TV family, only model train-demolishing, French-loving patriarch Gomez Addams–played with panache by John Astin–is still around.
Bewitched – Erin Murphy portrayed Samantha and Darrin Stevens’s magical daughter, Tabitha, in the final six seasons of the popular fantasy sitcom. When Tabitha got her own eponymous series in 1977, however, Murphy was replaced by Lisa Hartman.
Gilligan’s Island – Of the seven people who set out from Honolulu on that infamous “three-hour tour” aboard the S.S. Minnow, only “the movie star” Ginger Grant–known off-screen as actress Tina Louise–is left to tell the story of their shipwreck ordeal.
Get Smart – Would you believe that Barbara Feldon, better known as Agent 99 and also later known as Mrs. Maxwell Smart (her true name was never revealed), is the last star of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry’s outrageous ’60s spy spoof? A special shout-out must be given to Bernie Kopell, who appeared in 14 episodes as villainous KAOS agent Siegfried.
Hogan’s Heroes – The last surviving POW of Stalag 17, Kenneth Washington as Sgt. Richard Baker replaced Ivan Dixon’s Sgt. Kinchloe as the team’s radio and electronics expert in the CBS WWII sitcom’s final season in 1970.
I Dream of Jeannie – As the magical “lady in a bottle” found by astronaut Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman), Jeannie (Barbara Eden) could pretty much do anything…except, per NBC censors, show her belly button on the air. Eden is now the last regular from the 1965-70 series.
The Monkees – Winner of the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy Award in its debut season, The Monkees followed the misadventures of a rock band consisting of Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Mickey Dolenz (he’s the one holding the tambourine). As an actual musical group, The Monkees were phenomenally popular with several hit albums and three Number One singles. Dolenz, who began his career as a child actor (TV’s Circus Boy) and whose later work included voices for Hanna-Barbera cartoons, is the only surviving band member.
The Courtship of Eddie’s Father – Based on a novel and 1963 Glenn Ford/Ron Howard (see above) film of the same name, this “warm-hearted” 1969-72 ABC program featured Bill Bixby as widowed magazine published Tom Corbett. Child star Brandon Cruz, the only surviving series regular, was Tom’s six-year-old son Eddie, always looking for available women he thought his dad might fall for and marry.
The Bob Newhart Show – With the passing back in July of Bob himself, the only surviving cast member from the Emmy-winning 1972-77 sitcom is Peter Bonerz, who was Dr. Jerry Robinson, a Chicago orthodontist and office neighbor to Newhart’s psychologist Dr. Robert Hartley.