While Tony Dow was able to achieve an enormous level of fame at a relatively young age, it doesn't mean that he was immune to every issue that can affect a person. Dow was able to utilize his fame to put it to some good use and address an important issue: mental health.

Fans might assume that because Dow was a star, he had nothing to worry about and no reason to be depressed. A viewer of Leave It to Beaver might assume that Wally's upbeat nature and lifestyle were exactly how Dow existed when the cameras were off.

But Wally Cleaver was a character — and Dow's life didn't always follow the same script.

Watch Leave It to Beaver on MeTV!

Weekdays at 8 & 8:30 AM, Sundays at 1 & 1:30 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

In an interview with the Knight-Ridder News Service, Dow was able to make light of the assumptions.

"I realize there's a perceived irony about this," Dow said. "You know, the fact that I was in a TV program that epitomized the supposed ideal world of the '50s, and here I'm suffering from depression."

However, Dow wasn't alone. He continued: "I'm just one of millions."

While Dow was clear that his depression was a predominantly inherited issue and said, "It was an illness prevalent on my mother's side of the family," he was careful to explore the role of his famed series and its impact on his mental health.

"Certainly Leave It to Beaver had something to do with it," Dow said. "Certainly, it had something to do with raising one's expectations and establishing certain criteria that you could expect to continue in life."

The Beaver may have represented an idyllic version of American life, but Dow understood that real life was far more complicated.

Dow was involved in the mental health movement, including making an appearance during a congressional commission as an advocate for funding for the National Institute for Mental Health's D/ART program, which stands for Depression/Awareness, Recognition, and Treatment.

By stepping into the light, Dow helped show that mental health struggles don't discriminate — not even against television's picture-perfect Wally Cleaver.