Whatever Happened To The Beverly Hillbillies Cast? What Their Lives Were Like After The Show

Few television series have been as enduringly popular as "The Beverly Hillbillies." The sitcom told the classic fish-out-of-water story of country bumpkin Jed Clampett (Buddy Ebsen), who inadvertently discovers oil on his land. Suddenly wealthy, Jed moves his family from the Ozarks to a swanky mansion in Beverly Hills. Accompanied by his mother-in-law (Granny, played by Irene Ryan), daughter Elly May (Donna Douglas) and nephew Jethro (Max Baer Jr.), the unsophisticated clan produced comedy gold by navigating a strange and unfamiliar world full of swimming pools and movie stars — as the show's iconic theme song proclaimed.

"The Beverly Hillbillies" instantly connected with viewers, becoming a blockbuster hit that shot to the top of the ratings. Averaging 35 million viewers per episode, "The Beverly Hillbillies" was the No. 1 show on television in 1963. In fact, a 1964 episode in which Granny sees a kangaroo for the first time and assumes it's a really big rabbit ranks as the most-watched non-event episode of any TV show in history, viewed by a staggering 65% of Americans who owned television sets. "The Beverly Hillbillies" was still a top-20 hit when CBS cancelled the show in 1971 — along with several other similar sitcoms — in what came to be known as "the rural purge."

Yet that wasn't the end. The show lived on in reruns, with new generations of viewers falling in love with the Clampetts and their down-home shenanigans. That resulted in the family's return in a 1981 TV movie, and then another in 1993 — the same year that a "Hillbillies" feature film was released (albeit to scathing reviews). However, it's those reruns that have truly kept the show alive in the hearts of millions. For those wondering whatever happened to the "Beverly Hillbillies" cast, read on to find out what their lives were like after the show. 

After the 1971 cancellation of "The Beverly Hillbillies," Buddy Ebsen did not remain unemployed for long. In 1973, he began starring in his own TV series, detective drama "Barnaby Jones." Ebsen played the title character, a long-in-the-tooth private eye who comes out of retirement after the murder of his PI son.

Like his previous show, "Barnaby Jones" was beloved by viewers, ultimately running for eight seasons until ending its run in 1980. After that, Ebsen continued acting, resurrecting Jed Clampett in 1981's "The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies," and then playing a recurring role as the uncle of Lee Horsley's title character in TV crime drama "Matt Houston." During this twilight portion of his career, Ebsen made some delightfully eccentric choices, including appearing in R.E.M.'s video for "Shiny Happy People," reviving Barnaby Jones in a cameo for the 1993 big-screen "Beverly Hillbillies" movie, and voicing a character in a 1999 episode of animated comedy "King of the Hill." He died in 2003 at the age of 95.

While promoting the launch of "Barnaby Jones" in an interview with the Lowell Sun (via MeTV), Ebsen gushed about how much he'd enjoyed embodying Jed Clampett for all those years. "'Hillbillies' was a lot of fun," said Ebsen. "I enjoyed everything about the series — the people I worked with, as well as the financial rewards. But variety is the spice of life, and I'm happy that my new series is entirely different." Admitting he'd always wanted to portray a private eye, he marveled at the fact that he'd had to wait until his mid-60s to finally fulfill that dream. "Who said patience isn't a virtue?" he quipped.

Irene Ryan got her start in vaudeville when she was just a kid, singing, dancing, acting, and performing comedy before segueing into radio. Before she was cast as Granny in "The Beverly Hillbillies," Ryan was performing in nightclubs, and the experience of becoming an overnight success after five decades in show business left her tickled. "Six months ago, no one cared whether I was alive or dead," she observed in a 1963 interview with The Buffalo News (via MeTV). "Now, everyone I meet asks, 'How old are you, really, Granny?'"

After the series' end, she headed to New York City to make her debut on the Broadway stage, with legendary choreographer and director Bob Fosse casting her as Berte in his 1972 production of the musical "Pippin." While "The Beverly Hillbillies" was certainly not a favorite of critics, the same was not true of "Pippin," and Ryan received glowing reviews for her performance. "Irene Ryan has one tremendous show‐stopper as a geriatric swinger," wrote Clive Barnes for The New York Times; Walter Kerr of The New York Times called her "a showstopper." Further recognition came when she was nominated for a Tony Award.

Sadly, Ryan would not have long to bask in all the acclaim she was receiving on the Great White Way. In March 1973, she had a stroke during a performance of "Pippin." She died six weeks later at age 70. 

Having played dim-witted Jethro Bodine for nearly a decade, Max Baer Jr. learned a difficult lesson about Hollywood typecasting when he struggled to find acting work. "After 'The Beverly Hillbillies' ended, I couldn't even get a job," Baer once told The Copley News Service (via MeTV), noting that he at best nabbed the occasional TV episode or made-for-TV movie. He said he become so tied to his hayseed character that he'd seriously considered walking away from Hollywood and taking a job in a car dealership. "I couldn't go into a producer's office and say I wanted to play the part of a neurosurgeon or pilot," he recalled in a 2017 interview with Fore magazine. "As soon as I came on screen, people would say, 'There's Jethro.'"

Instead of selling cars, Baer instead pivoted into producing, screenwriting, and directing. The first film he wrote and produced was 1974's "Macon County Line." Made on a shoestring budget of $225,000 the film went on to earn $35 million at the box office. Then came "Ode to Billy Joe," another low-budget film that likewise raked in millions. All that behind-the-scenes success made Baer a very rich man, with an estimated net worth of $50 million.

In 1991, he used some of that wealth to acquire the rights to "The Beverly Hillbillies," with ambitious plans to build a "Beverly Hillbillies"-themed casino in Reno, Nevada. While he scored a deal to license the show on "Hillbillies" slot machines, his attempts at bringing that casino to life encountered one setback after another; ultimately, the project never made it off the ground. 

Following her nine-season stint on "The Beverly Hillbillies," the actor who played Elly May Clampett was very selective when it came to her next career moves. Deeply religious, she turned down any projects she felt would tarnish the squeaky-clean image the series had fostered. Donna Douglas' life beyond "The Beverly Hillbillies" was arguably a quieter one, as she took on just a handful of acting roles, including guest spots in TV series including "Adam-12" and "McMillan & Wife." Acting eventually became a sideline for Douglas, who shifted her focus from Hollywood and returned to her native Louisiana. "I've got no regrets about anything I turned down. I sold real estate for a while, made a couple of record albums, and speak at churches, ladies groups, and schools around the country," she explained in a 2013 interview with Senior Voice. "My days are full and I'm very happy."

During the 1980s, she pursued a career as a gospel singer and released some albums, including "Donna Douglas Sings Gospel" and "Donna Douglas Sings Country and Gospel: Back on the Mountain." She also wrote a cookbook, "Southern Favorites with a Taste of Hollywood." Douglas made headlines in 2011 when she sued toymaker Mattel over a Barbie doll that bore a striking resemblance to her "Hillbillies" character (the lawsuit was eventually settled). 

Douglas, who died in 2015 in her early 80s, felt that being forever associated with "The Beverly Hillbillies" had been a blessing, not a curse. "So many kinds of people relate to Elly May," she once told the Associated Press (via The New York Times). "So many people love her, and that means a lot to me." 

Throughout the nine-season run of "The Beverly Hillbillies," Raymond Bailey played Milburn Drysdale, president of the bank in which the Clampetts deposited their millions. That proved to be a breakthrough role for Bailey, who'd struggled in Hollywood for decades before landing the role — and, ironically, had even worked as a banker at one point when his acting career stalled.

Bailey was in his 50s when he was cast as Drysdale. Sadly, toward the end of the series' run, he reportedly began to exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer's, which curtailed what should have been a successful extension of his late-in-life acting career by hampering his ability to remember his lines. After the cancellation of "The Beverly Hillbillies," he only appeared onscreen two more times, cast in small roles in Disney films "Herbie Rides Again," and "The Strongest Man in the World." Bailey died in 1980. He was 75 years old.

Nancy Kulp portrayed prim and proper Jane Hathaway, bank president Milburn Drysdale's loyal secretary. Post-"Beverly Hillbillies," Kulp regularly appeared as a guest star in various TV shows, inevitably as a very similar character to the uptight Miss Hathaway. In 1980, Kulp made her debut on Broadway, appearing in the play "Morning's at Seven." 

Just a few years later, Kulp radically shifted gears when she announced in 1984 that she was running for Congress, looking to unseat the Republican incumbent in Pennsylvania. Running as a Democrat, her former "Hillbillies" co-star Buddy Ebsen — a staunch conservative — publicly threw his support behind her opponent, even endorsing him in radio commercials. "I think it's rotten," Kulp told UPI of Ebsen's betrayal. "I can't conceive that, after I've put so much time and money into this race, that he would come along and do something like this." She ultimately lost in a landslide.

Despite her brief marriage to Charles Dacus in the early 1950s, Kulp encountered lifelong speculation about her sexuality. When asked to address the issue by author Boze Hadleigh in his 1989 book "Hollywood Lesbians," Kulp rephrased his question and then provided an oblique yet telling answer. "Here's how I would ask it: 'Do you think that opposites attract?' My own reply would be that I'm the other sort — I find that birds of a feather flock together," she said. Kulp died of cancer in 1991 at age 69.

Bea Benaderet appeared regularly in the first season of "The Beverly Hillbillies," playing Pearl Bodine, mother of Jethro. The show's massive success during that first season led series creator Paul Henning to whip up a spinoff of sorts, "Petticoat Junction," set in the small town of Hooterville, not far from the Clampetts' home base of Bug Tussle. Benadaret was tapped as the new show's lead, cast as Kate Bradley, proprietor of Hooterville's Shady Rest Hotel. 

Like its sister show, "Petticoat Junction" became a massive hit, rocketing to the top 10 in the Nielsen ratings. Sadly, Benaderet was only able to enjoy that success for a few years. During the show's run, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She exited "Petticoat Junction" temporarily to undergo treatment, but returned for the start of the 1968-'69 season. She continued working for as long as she could, and filmed five episodes before her death in October 1968. She was 62 years old.

In Season 4 of "The Beverly Hillbillies," Sharon Tate played the recurring role of bank employee Janet Trego. In a total of 15 episodes, Janet served as assistant to Jane Hathaway, and also caught the interest of lovestruck Jethro. Tate, of course, was destined for bigger and better things and began landing movie roles. One of these was "The Fearless Vampire Killers," the 1967 film in which she fell in love with its director, Roman Polanski, whom she later married. She went on to star in "Valley of the Dolls," and then opposite Dean Martin in "The Wrecking Crew."

By 1969, Tate was one of Hollywood's hottest rising stars when tragedy struck. That August, the pregnant actor and her unborn child were murdered, alongside four others, by some acolytes of hippie cult leader Charles Manson. Those murders were among the most notorious in American history, with Manson sentenced to life in prison; he was still behind bars when he died of natural causes in 2017 at age 83.

After Tate's murder, Polanski's illicit involvement with an underage girl became one of 10 celebrity scandals that completely rocked the 1970s. Polanski fled the U.S. and became so toxic that he subsequently became one of the celebs banned by the Oscars.

Linda Henning's face may not be familiar to fans of "Beverly Hillbillies," but her voice should be; she appeared in 15 episodes as the voice of Jethrine Bodine, Jethro's twin sister — who was portrayed by Max Baer Jr. in drag. It's fair to say that she got the gig through her connections; her father, Paul Henning, created "The Beverly Hillbillies," arguably ranking him among the nepo baby parents who were forgotten by Hollywood. While there have been nepo babies who have been open about their struggles, it's also true that Linda's experience is worlds apart from celebs whose take on being nepo babies had us cringing.

When her father began casting for "Petticoat Junction," he pulled the same move that "Beverly Hills, 90210" producer Aaron Spelling would later repeat when he cast his daughter, Tori Spelling, on the hit teen drama. In this case, he cast daughter Linda as Betty Jo Bradley, the fetching young daughter of Bea Benadaret's character. However, Linda told The Daily Report (via MeTV) that, despite appearances, she didn't receive any special treatment, and had to audition along with all the other actors. "People would forget that I've been training for a career since I was five years old and working professionally since I was 15," she said. "When I got the part, I couldn't believe it," Linda recalled. "Then my father called me aside and said I'd better make him proud of me, and I've never worked so hard in my life."

Linda remained with "Petticoat Junction" until its 1970 cancellation. After that, she remained a presence on TV screens, appearing as a guest star in numerous series from the 1970s through to 2000. As recently as 2024, Linda has been pushing for a "Petticoat Junction" reunion. Meanwhile, Linda remains a popular fixture at fan conventions. In fact, she participated in the famed Hollywood Show in 2025, meeting with fans and signing autographs. 

One of the most frequent recurring characters on "The Beverly Hillbillies" was Shorty Kellems, an old friend of the Clampetts from their previous life who paid several visits to Beverly Hills. Shorty was played by Shug Fisher, a character actor in Hollywood westerns who'd come to fame as a member of the country music group Sons of the Pioneers. 

After "The Beverly Hillbillies" ended its run, Kellems remained a sought-after character actor, and appeared in numerous films and TV projects. These really ran the gamut, spanning from 1970s cop show "Starsky and Hutch," to the hit series "The Dukes of Hazzard." He also appeared in the 1981 made-for-TV movie "The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies" — not as Shorty, but as an entirely different character, Judge GIllum. Fisher was 76 years old when he died in 1984. He was buried in Los Angeles' famed Forest Lawn Memorial Park.

Larry Pennell will always have a place in the heart of "Beverly Hillbillies" fans, thanks to his recurring role as Elly May's on-and-off boyfriend, movie star Dash Riprock. The cancellation of "Beverly Hillbillies" did not slow him down; from 1971 until the 2010s, Pennell racked up numerous screen credits in film and television, spanning numerous genres. 

Pennell's many roles over the years included starring in the 1971-'72 series "Lassie," along with numerous guest-starring appearances on TV series including "Little House on the Prairie," "Quantum Leap," "Diagnosis Murder" and cult-hit sci-fi series "Firefly." On the big screen, he appeared in such films as "Personal Best," "Mr. Baseball," and "Bubba Ho-Tep." He even played movie icon Clark Gable in the 1980 made-for-TV Marilyn Monroe biopic "Marilyn: The Untold Story."

It's fair to say that Pennell enjoyed a good, long run in Hollywood, as he continued working into his 80s. He died in 2013 at the age of 85.