Whatever Happened to Rich Correll, Richard Rickover From ‘Leave It to Beaver’?

Screen Grab of Rich Correll From Leave it to Beaver — CBS/Screengrab

Rich Correll may forever be remembered by classic TV fans as Richard Rickover, the loyal pal of Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver during the last three seasons of Leave It to Beaver. But the now 77-year-old Correll has been anything but quiet in the years since he left his acting career behind. In fact, he’s been involved in a whole new generation of family TV.

Born May 14, 1948, Correll was part of television’s golden era, appearing not only on Leave It to Beaver but also in episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Lassie and National Velvet. That early exposure to Hollywood set the stage for a lifelong career in entertainment, though Correll didn’t stay in front of the camera for long. Instead, he found his true calling behind it as a director.

One of the most fascinating chapters of his youth was his friendship with silent film legend Harold Lloyd. As a teenager, Correll helped Lloyd archive and preserve his films, becoming chief archivist for the Harold Lloyd Trust. His encyclopedic knowledge of Lloyd’s work later led him to provide commentary for documentaries and DVD releases.

Charles Correll and Alyce McLaughlin Correll with their children from left: Dorothy Correll, John Correll, Charles Correll Jr., Richard Correll, Barbara Correll, 1948

Everett Collection

By the 1980s and ’90s, Correll transitioned into directing, and his name quickly became linked to a long list of beloved family shows. He directed episodes of Family Matters, The Hogan Family, What I Like About You, Yes, Dear and The Amanda Show. He also became one of the creative forces behind Hannah Montana, co-creating the Disney Channel smash hit that made Miley Cyrus a household name.

He went on to direct for many other Disney Channel series, including That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Jessie, Austin & Ally, Liv and Maddie and Raven’s Home. Beyond his directing credits, he owns one of Hollywood’s most impressive private collections of sci-fi and horror memorabilia, which he previously displayed as part of the “Icons of Darkness” exhibit in Los Angeles, though the collection is in the process of being moved to Las Vegas.

Rich Correll attends "Icons Of Darkness," an immersive exhibition from the largest private collections of Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy memorabilia preview at The Montalban on September 23, 2020 in Hollywood, California

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Correll shared in a recent interview with That’s Classic on YouTube that “I spent my entire life in show business starting at the age of eight … and 99.99% of all that was comedy. Comedy as an actor, comedy as a writer, comedy as a producer, comedy as a director. The polarity of the comedy was my hobby, which was collecting sci-fi, horror, and fantasy stuff. And so this is my baby. I’ve been collecting this stuff for 61 years.”

He added about his collection moving to Las Vegas, “We made a deal with MGM Resorts to be in 18,000 square feet at the Excalibur. We shut down everything and moved the entire collection to Vegas and it’s waiting to be built up there. … My new job, I’m more excited about this than anything, is getting the exhibit up and running so the public can come in and see all this stuff.”