It’s been 55 years since the fish-out-of-water sitcom wrapped its nine-season run.

What happened to the cast of The Beverly Hillbillies? All about the stars’ lives after the show

It's been 55 years since the fish-out-of-water sitcom wrapped its nine-season run.

By Skyler Trepel

May 9, 2026 6:00 p.m. ET

From the Ozarks to Beverly Hills: Jethro, Granny, Jed, and Elly May. Credit:

Now listen to a story about a man named Jed… and where *The Beverly Hillbillies *cast wound up after the show ended more than 50 years ago.

*The Beverly Hillbillies *is… well, exactly what it sounds like. A poor family living in the Ozark Mountains strikes it rich when oil is discovered on their land. Now millionaires, they move to the swanky neighborhood of Beverly Hills.

The patriarch of this newly wealthy household is the widowed Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen), who's been living with his mother-in-law, Granny (Irene Ryan), and daughter Elly May (Donna Douglas). Jed’s cousin Pearl (Bea Benaderet) encourages him to make the move to California — with the added suggestion to take her dim-witted son, Jethro Bodine (Max Baer Jr), along. Jed obliges, and the stage is set.

The fish-out-of-water sitcom finds the Clampetts encountering a variety of hijinks and cultural misunderstandings as they adjust to their new way of life. The show’s charm came from the Clampetts’ moral, honest, and hospitable ways, which contrasted with the superficial lifestyle so many strive for in Beverly Hills. Despite criticism of its lowbrow brand of comedy, it was a ratings smash and lasted nine seasons.

Read on to find out what happened to the actors who brought *The Beverly Hillbillies *to life.

Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett)

Buddy Ebsen as Jed Clampett; Ebsen at Disneyland in 2001.

CBS via Getty; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Buddy Ebsen played the good-natured, level-headed Clampett patriarch, Jed. The veteran actor felt his character represented a positive, comforting role model.

“The whole world is looking for a father figure, and old Jed Clampett is just that,” Ebsen told *Democrat and Chronicle *in 1966. “Today, there are more people looking for a daddy than ever before… Jed Clampett is a good father, not just for the characters on the show, but for a lot of people who watch regularly. He fulfills a need.”

Prior to landing his signature role, Ebsen’s biggest claim to fame was being the original choice to play the Tin Man in *The Wizard of Oz *(1939). He had to leave early in production due to complications caused by the aluminum dust in the makeup.

After returning from World War II, the Coast Guard vet landed a role on Disney’s *Davy Crockett *miniseries and on the series *Northwest Passage*. He also found regular work as a supporting player on the big screen, including a memorable appearance as Doc, Holly Golightly’s (Audrey Hepburn) husband, in *Breakfast at Tiffany’s* (1961).

But it was his performance as Jed Clampett that sustained him for a solid decade and led directly into another long-running role: the eponymous detective on *Barnaby Jones*.

His final film role was a cameo in the film adaptation of *The Beverly Hillbillies *(1993)* *— as Barnaby Jones.

Ebsen was married three times and had seven children. He died of respiratory failure in 2003 at 95 years old.

Irene Ryan (Granny)

Irene Ryan as Granny; Ryan in 'Love, American Style' in 1972.

CBS via Getty; Paramount Television

Comedy vet Irene Ryan stole the show as Jed’s crabby, straight-shooting mother-in-law, who was always trying to get the family to move *out *of Beverly Hills. Her name may have been Daisy May Moses, but like the show itself, let’s just call her Granny.

She spoke fondly of her experience making the series, including her working relationship with Ebsen.

“There never comes a morning I don’t get ‘How's my Granny,’ and a big kiss from Buddy [Ebsen],” Ryan told *The Lima Citizen*. “It’s good, low-down farce comedy. And it makes people laugh.”

The Texas native began her career in vaudeville alongside Tim Ryan, her husband at the time. The couple divorced in 1942 while she toured with Bob Hope for two years, though they reunited onscreen for four feature-length movies.

She continued to pick up gigs in television and film, often portraying fussy, anxious women. Her big-screen resume includes some of Jean Renoir’s American features, *The Diary of a Chambermaid *(1946) and *The Woman on the Beach *(1947).

But it was Granny who immortalized her in pop culture — and earned the actress a pair of Emmy nominations. Fun fact: She also popped up as Granny in the slapstick comedy *Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title *(1966).

After the show ended in 1971, Ryan made a successful pivot to Broadway, earning a Tony nomination for her performance as the title character’s grandmother in the original production of *Pippin*.

The veteran actress died in 1973 at the age of 70.

Why do so many old TV shows become lousy movies?

The 100 Greatest Moments In Television: 1960s

Donna Douglas (Elly May Clampett)

Donna Douglsa as Elly May; Douglas in Los Angeles in 2013.

Bettmann Archive; Albert L. Ortega/WireImage

Donna Douglas played Elly May, Jed’s animal-loving, kind-hearted daughter. Her character was a tomboy and could throw a mean fastball — a trait drawn from Douglas’s real life.

“I was a pitcher on the boys’ softball team for so long… I was 14 before I found out there was a girls’ team,” Douglas told *The Lima News*. “I guess I was unknowingly preparing for the role of Elly May.”

Her most high-profile big-screen appearance was opposite Elvis Presley in the Western musical *Frankie and Johnny *(1966). She reprised her role as Elly May for the 1981 TV movie *Return of the Beverly Hillbillies*, but mostly ventured into pursuits beyond acting.

She largely focused on her career as a gospel singer, releasing multiple albums while serving as an inspirational speaker at churches and schools around the country.

The Louisiana native also became an author, writing children’s books and a 2013 cookbook, *Southern Favorites with a Taste of Hollywood. *That was a bit ironic considering Elly May was portrayed as a terrible cook.

Douglas had one son from her first marriage. The actress and singer died of pancreatic cancer in 2015 at 82 years old.

Max Baer Jr. (Jethro Bodine)

Max Baer Jr. as Jethro Bodine; Baer at the Chiller Theater Expo in 2016.

CBS via Getty; Bobby Bank/WireImage

Max Baer Jr. portrayed Pearl’s dim-witted son, Jethro, who always had his eye on a new career opportunity — when he wasn't distracted by girls, of course. In addition to portraying Jethro, Baer also played the character’s twin sister, Jethrine, in 11 episodes.

Though Baer was an educated man, he defended the virtues of watching “mindless” shows like this one.

“If you like to laugh and want to sit down and forget your problems for half an hour — if you want to be a little bit silly, or see somebody else be a little silly, watch *The Beverly Hillbillies*,” Baer told *The News Tribune*.

After the show ended, Baer began working behind the camera. He wrote, produced, and starred in the indie drama *Macon County Line *(1974), which was the highest-grossing movie per dollar invested until *The Blair Witch Project* (1999).

He followed that with his directorial debut, *The Wild McCullochs *(1975), and went on to helm *Ode to Billy Joe *(1976) and *Hometown U.S.A. *(1979).

The Oakland native stepped away from Hollywood in the ’80s to focus on other business interests, including placing *Beverly Hillbillies*-themed slot machines in casinos.

As of 2026, he is the only surviving member of the main *Beverly Hillbillies* cast.

Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale)

Raymond Bailey in 'The Beverly Hillbillies'; Bailey in 'Herbie Rides Again' in 1974.

CBS via Getty; Disney+

Longtime character actor Raymond Bailey played Milburn Drysdale, the greedy banker who lives next door to the Clampetts. He begrudgingly accommodates his new neighbors’ wild requests to keep them — and their money — in Beverly Hills. Off-screen, he was thrilled to be part of such a popular show.

"I think most people are frustrated actors who’d like to trade places with us,” Bailey told the *Lansing State Journal *in 1967. “Even after five years of *The Beverly Hillbillies*, I look forward to every script.”

Prior to joining the show, he played Jimmy Stewart’s doctor in Alfred Hitchcock’s *Vertigo *(1958) and had a regular gig on the sitcom *My Sister Eileen*.

The San Francisco native developed Alzheimer’s late in *The Beverly Hillbillies*’ run. His final two roles were in a pair of Disney comedies, *Herbie Rides Again *(1974) and *The Strongest Man in the World* (1975), opposite Kurt Russell.

Bailey died of a heart attack in 1980 at the age of 75. He was survived by his wife, Gaby Aida George.

Nancy Kulp (Jane Hathaway)

Nancy Kulp as Miss Jane; Kulp in 1984.

CBS Photo Archive/Getty; Bettmann Archive

Nancy Kulp earned widespread acclaim as Drysdale's dramatic, intelligent secretary Jane — more commonly referred to as *Miss* Jane by the Clampetts, who developed a soft spot for her.

Jane always worked to protect the Clampetts from her boss’ greed — but she also harbored a not-so-secret crush on Jethro. The performance earned Kulp a devoted audience — and an Emmy nomination. In 1999, she landed on *TV Guide*’s list of the 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.

“I cannot go anywhere in this country without being recognized,” she told the *Abilene Reporter-News*. “They yell at me — ‘Miss Jane, Miss Jane!’ It’s really remarkable how the memory of that show has stayed in the public's mind and memory.”

The Pennsylvania native was a bit player on the big screen for the duration of the 1950s and into the early ’60s, with credits in the Oscar-winning *The Three Faces of Eve *(1957) and *The Parent Trap *(1961). Her many TV roles included 15 episodes of *The Bob Cummings Show*.

After her turn as Jane, she maintained a sporadic guest-starring career while also turning to Broadway.

In 1984, Kulp ventured into politics, running as the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania. She later became an artist-in-residence at Juniata College, teaching film and television history.

Kulp, who had one brief marriage in the early 1950s, publicly came out as gay in a 1989 interview. After retiring from acting, she moved to Palm Springs and died of cancer in 1991 at the age of 69.

Where can I watch The Beverly Hillbillies?

All nine seasons of *The Beverly Hillbillies *are available to stream on Pluto TV. Select episodes can be streamed on Peacock, Amazon Prime Video, and Tubi.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.*****

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Comedy”