Barbara Billingsley (1915–2010) Best known as the quintessential TV mom, June Cleaver, on the beloved 1950s–60s sitcom Leave It to Beaver, Barbara Billingsley became an enduring symbol of grace, kindness, and classic American motherhood. Born Barbara Lillian Combes, she studied at Los Angeles Junior College in the mid-1930s before moving to New York City to work as a model. She signed a contract with MGM in 1945 and appeared in numerous films throughout the late 1940s and 1950s—sometimes uncredi