The Last Millionaire Hillbilly: What Happened To The Beverly Hillbillies Cast In 2025?

The Clampett family’s journey from the Ozarks to the lap of luxury in Beverly Hills remains one of television's most enduring and curious success stories. While the classic CBS sitcom, which premiered in 1962, brought nine seasons of laughs, the real-life destinies of the talented cast members who portrayed Jed, Granny, Elly May, and Jethro are a tale of diverse careers, heartbreaking losses, and one star’s decades-long pursuit of a unique business empire.

As of late 2024 and early 2025, the show's legacy continues to be celebrated, with the entire series recently added to streaming platforms like The Roku Channel, introducing the eccentric millionaires to a new generation of viewers. However, the passage of time means that only one core cast member remains to tell the tale of the Clampett family’s oil-rich adventures.

Complete Biography: The Beverly Hillbillies Main Cast

The core ensemble of *The Beverly Hillbillies* created an unforgettable dynamic, contrasting their simple, rustic mountain values with the high-society world of Milburn Drysdale and Miss Jane Hathaway. Here is a look at the main cast members and their ultimate fate, providing a complete picture of their lives after the series ended in 1971.

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• Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett)
  • Role: The kind, philosophical patriarch who strikes oil and moves his family to California.
  • Born: April 2, 1908, in Belleville, Illinois.
  • Died: July 6, 2003, in Torrance, California.
  • Age at Death: 95.
  • Cause of Death: Complications from pneumonia.
  • Post-Hillbillies Career: Ebsen enjoyed a massive second career as the star of the long-running detective series *Barnaby Jones* (1973–1980), cementing his status as a television icon.
• Irene Ryan (Daisy May "Granny" Moses)
  • Role: Jed's feisty, shotgun-toting mother-in-law, famous for her "rheumatiz" remedies and mountain cooking.
  • Born: October 17, 1902, in El Paso, Texas.
  • Died: April 26, 1973, in Santa Monica, California.
  • Age at Death: 70.
  • Cause of Death: Heart disease, following a stroke on the set of her Broadway show *Pippin*.
  • Post-Hillbillies Career: After the show's cancellation, Ryan successfully transitioned to Broadway, earning a Tony Award nomination for her role as Berthe in *Pippin*.
• Donna Douglas (Elly May Clampett)
  • Role: Jed's beautiful, naive daughter with a love for "critters" (animals) and a signature tomboy style.
  • Born: September 26, 1932, in Pride, Louisiana.
  • Died: January 1, 2015, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
  • Age at Death: 82.
  • Cause of Death: Pancreatic cancer.
  • Post-Hillbillies Career: Douglas focused on her faith, becoming a gospel singer, author, and speaker. She maintained a connection to her iconic character, often appearing at conventions.
• Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale)
  • Role: The greedy, high-strung president of the Commerce Bank of Beverly Hills, constantly trying to keep the Clampett fortune in his bank.
  • Born: May 6, 1904, in San Francisco, California.
  • Died: April 15, 1980, in Irvine, California.
  • Age at Death: 75.
  • Cause of Death: Heart attack/Heart failure.
  • Post-Hillbillies Career: Bailey retired from acting shortly after the series ended due to health issues, making his role as the frantic banker his last major credit.
• Nancy Kulp (Miss Jane Hathaway)
  • Role: Mr. Drysdale's loyal, intellectual, and often exasperated secretary, who harbored a crush on Jethro.
  • Born: August 28, 1921, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
  • Died: February 3, 1991, in Palm Desert, California.
  • Age at Death: 69.
  • Cause of Death: Cancer.
  • Post-Hillbillies Career: Kulp pursued politics, running unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in Pennsylvania in 1984. She later taught acting at Juniata College.
• Max Baer Jr. (Jethro Bodine / Jethrine Bodine)
  • Role: Jed's dim-witted but good-natured nephew, who came to California with the family.
  • Born: December 4, 1937, in Oakland, California.
  • Status: The last surviving major cast member.
  • Age in 2025: 87.
  • Post-Hillbillies Career: Transitioned to directing, producing, and a decades-long business career focused on licensing the show's name.

Max Baer Jr.: The Last Millionaire Hillbilly’s Real-Life Empire

Max Baer Jr., who played the lovable, six-foot-six cousin Jethro Bodine (and Jethro's twin sister, Jethrine), is the sole surviving member of the main *Beverly Hillbillies* cast. His life after the sitcom is arguably the most fascinating, transforming him from a struggling actor pigeonholed by his iconic role into a savvy, multi-million-dollar businessman and director.

After the show was abruptly canceled in 1971 as part of CBS's "rural purge," Baer confessed he struggled to find work, feeling that Hollywood only saw him as Jethro. He turned his focus to filmmaking, directing and producing cult classic films like *Macon County Line* (1974) and *Ode to Billy Joe* (1976), which were massive box-office successes and established his financial independence from acting.

However, the most significant chapter of Baer’s post-TV life is his decades-long pursuit of building a *Beverly Hillbillies*-themed casino and resort. In a true-to-life echo of the Clampetts’ sudden wealth, Baer acquired the licensing rights to the show’s characters and name from CBS. His vision was to build a massive resort in Nevada, initially near Reno or Carson City, called "Jethro Bodine's Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino."

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Despite years of legal battles, land disputes, and financial hurdles, the dream of the casino—complete with a 200-foot oil derrick sign—has never fully materialized. As of 2024, at age 87, Baer remains heavily involved in protecting his licensing rights and business interests, which include branded slot machines and other merchandise, solidifying his status as a Hollywood producer and entrepreneur rather than just a former actor.

The Immortal Legacy of the Clampett Clan

The enduring popularity of *The Beverly Hillbillies* stems from its simple premise and the perfect casting of the Clampett family and their urban counterparts. The show's theme song, "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," instantly recognizable to millions, became a cultural touchstone. The sitcom was a phenomenal success, famously becoming the fastest show in television history to reach the number one spot, a feat that shocked critics who often dismissed the show's "hillbilly humor" as lowbrow.

The show's creator, Paul Henning, also produced the related "rural" sitcoms *Petticoat Junction* and *Green Acres*, creating a shared universe of characters. The topical authority of the show is often discussed in the context of the "rural purge," the era when CBS canceled all its country-themed shows despite their high ratings, in an effort to appeal to younger, more urban demographics.

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The show's legacy is kept alive not just through streaming reruns but through the stories of its cast. Donna Douglas, for example, often spoke about how her character, Elly May, was a positive role model who was comfortable in her own skin, a message she carried into her later gospel work. Buddy Ebsen’s transformation from a dancer (he was originally cast as the Tin Man in *The Wizard of Oz*) to a beloved TV star is a testament to his longevity in the industry.

Ultimately, the story of *The Beverly Hillbillies* cast is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of television fame and the diverse paths taken after the cameras stop rolling. While the Clampetts' oil well fortune was fictional, Max Baer Jr.'s real-life business acumen proves that the spirit of the entrepreneurial hillbilly is very much alive.