Joe Connelly was born on August 22, 1917 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer and producer, known for Leave It to Beaver (1957), The Ray Milland Show (1953) and Karen (1964). He was married to Anastasi Pedroncelli and Cathryn Therese Scanlan. He died on February 13, 2003 in Newport Beach, California, USA.
His 8-year-old son Rick was the inspiration for the title character in Leave It to Beaver (1957). His 14-year-old son Jay was the model for Beaver's older brother, Wally. "Beaver" was the nickname of one of his merchant-marine shipmates.
He worked as a merchant seaman before being hired at an advertising agency, where he met his future writing partner, Bob Mosher.