Max Baer Jr. Looks Handsome Today At 83

Aug 16, 2021

Max Baer Jr. is an American actor, director, comedian, and producer who is best known for his portrayal of Jethro Bodine on the series “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Baer began his acting career in 1960. He worked for Warner Bros. and appeared on such shows as “Maverick,” “Hawaiian Eye,” “Cheyenne,” and “77 Sunset Strip.” 

After the success of “The Beverly Hillbillies,” which Baer appeared on from 1962 to 1971, the actor decided to try his hand at directing and producing. He made his own indie films which saw great success. First, he wrote and produced the drama “Macon County Line” in 1974, which was the highest-grossing indie film that year. In 1976, he directed and produced a film called “Ode to Billy Joe,” which was the first movie to use a popular song as the title.

Early Life

Baer was born Maximillian Adalbert Baer Jr. on December 4, 1937, in Oakland, California. He is the son of the boxing champion Max Baer and Mary Ellen Sullivan. Baer graduated from Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, where he lettered in four sports and won the Sacramento Open golf tournament twice. He then attended Santa Clara University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in philosophy.

“The Beverly Hillbillies”

The television series “The Beverly Hillbillies” focused on the lives of the Clampetts, a poor family from the hills of the Ozarks, who move to Beverly Hills, California, after striking oil on their property. Jethro Bodine is the nephew of Jed Clampett, the family member who found the oil. Jethro is known for his charm and dim wits and often boasts of his sixth-grade education. 

Baer’s interpretation of the character of Jethro was extremely likable. The actor told Medium, “When you play a role like Jethro, it’s for other people to judge because it’s pretty hard to be subjective or objective about yourself. You just do the best you can with the material that you’re given, and then you try to add to it (with your performance) as much as you possibly can. But in the end, it’s the audience who has the final say. Well, we liked what you did’ or ‘We don’t like what you did.’ And you really don’t have any other way of evaluating it.”

Baer continued, “As long as you give 100 percent…even if you’re sick. Don’t say, ‘Oh, I can’t show up.’ You show up! You do your job — and you do it as if you aren’t sick … because it’s going to be on film in perpetuity. You’re not going to be able to put a little quote at the bottom of the screen saying, ‘Well, he wasn’t as good today because he was sick … or emotionally disturbed or had a headache.’ You have to give a good performance.”

Always a professional, Baer didn’t let the jokes about Jethro’s intelligence bother him. “In my case (with Jethro), if I have made the people laugh — and even if they can laugh at my expense — it’s okay. I don’t care. They can laugh with me or at me. It doesn’t matter … just as long as they laugh. Because if I can make them laugh, then I believe that my performance was a successful one. I can’t evaluate it as to what degree of success it was. But I can say it did what it was supposed to do,” Baer explained.

Baer isn’t the only one who adores Jethro. In fact, both critics and fans alike have commented on the actor’s ability to portray such a simple but loveable character. TV historian Jeffrey D. Dalrymple told Medium:

“Max Baer as Jethro was perfect casting. The goofy ear-to-ear grin…his laugh…his ability to make you laugh along with him (or at him, as Baer himself has assessed), you believed episode after episode, that he truly was a country bumpkin. When he held his fingers up to cipher 2 + 2 = 4, he made the character of Jethro Bodine his own, and we all delighted in his plans to be a brain surgeon, a movie director, or a double naught spy.” 

Dalrymple continued, “You believed Uncle Jed, Granny, and cousin Elly May were his family because they played it so well. And Max had the ability to blend in with the other cast members, without overplaying or underplaying Jethro. He was a good actor and a good guy, and he still is…(as well as being a) talented writer and a successful businessman.”

Baer Now

Baer will turn 84 in December 2021. He is retired and lives at his home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. In 2014, it was reported that the actor had sued CBS. He claimed that the network made a secret deal with the Des Moines-based restaurant, Jethro’s BBQ. According to Baer, the deal interfered with his opportunity to make money off of his role as Jethro Bodine. The lawsuit claims that Baer negotiated a deal with CBS in 1991 for the rights to use Jethro Bodine and other motifs from “The Beverly Hillbillies” to create restaurants, hotels, and casinos.

Did you watch “The Beverly Hillbillies?” Are you a fan of Max Baer Jr.? Let us know your opinion, and be sure to pass this along to your loved ones.