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Barbara Billingsley
One of television's most iconic moms, Barbara Billingsley was the effortlessly thoughtful and warm-hearted June Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver" (ABC/CBS, 1957-1963). A bit player and supporting actress in features prior to its debut, Billingsley became a welcome guest in households throughout the series' six-year run, as well as its subsequent reunion TV movie and "The New Leave It To Beaver" (Disney Channel/TBS, 1985-89). The show's ubiquity in syndication assured her lasting small-screen immortality, where her seemingly natural kindness and patience made her an ideal TV mom for generations of viewers.