Frank Bank, ‘Leave it to Beaver’ actor who played the bully Clarence ‘Lumpy’ Rutherford, dies aged 71 (VIDEO)

Frank Bank, the actor who played the bully Clarence "Lumpy" Rutherford on the hit series "Leave It To Beaver," has died a day after his 71st birthday.

People reported on Monday that Bank passed away on Saturday.

And Jerry Mathers, Bank's former co-star from the 1957-1963 sitcom, posted the news on his Facebook page, saying:

"'I was so sad to hear today of the passing of my dear friend and business associate Frank Bank, who played Lumpy on Leave it to Beaver. He was a character and always kept us laughing. My deepest condolences to Frank's family."

According to the Daily Mail, Bank broke into the entertainment industry in 1952, playing the title role in "The Will Rogers Story."

According to a 1998 People profile, Bank learned to handicap horses and read The Wall Street Journal during breaks on the Beaver set, where he taught himself "everything there was to know about tax-free bonds."

On the side of his acting career, he was earning $300,000 a year at an LA-based company, the report said.

His other TV appearances included guest stints on "The Hollywood Squares," "Family Feud," and the 1983 made for television film "Still The Beaver."

On "Leave it to Beaver," Bank's Rutherford was the friend of young Theodore Cleaver,