Unlike the oafish dolt Jethro, Max Baer, Jr. is an educated man with a degree in business administration and a minor in philosophy. Son of heavyweight boxing champion Max Baer, Sr., the younger Baer became a studio player for Warner Brothers soon after graduating from the University of California at Santa Clara. A few years later, he was cast as Jethro (and his look-alike sister Jethrine) and the rest is typecasting history.

After the cancellation of "The Beverly Hillbillies," Baer moved behind the camera and became a film producer. Baer's first effort, "Macon County Line," (which he also wrote) became a big hit and led to his next film, "Ode to Billy Joe." Baer appeared in a couple of episodes of "Murder She Wrote" in the early 90s and still acts from time to time. Currently a resident of Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Baer is using his entrepreneurial skills to create "Jethro's Beverly Hillbillies Mansion and Casino," an only-in-America amalgam of gaming and pop culture