• Name: Tommy Kirk
  • Date of Birth: December 10, 1941
  • Place of Birth: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Mini-bio: American actor Tommy Kirk tried out as a youngster for the Pasadena Playhouse, the result of a dare made by Kirk's older brother. After a few minor TV roles, Kirk was signed by Walt Disney, who cast t... read morehe teenager as one-half of "The Hardy Boys" on that popular daily segment of The Mickey Mouse Club. Young Kirk was promoted to the leading juvenile role in Disney's Old Yeller (1957), a three-handkerchief classic that made Kirk a star and a stalwart of the fan club set. In 1959, Kirk was the hirsute protagonist of The Shaggy Dog, one of Disney's biggest money-making films. When asked in later years, Kirk had fond memories of Disney but was not so politely inclined to his Shaggy Dog co-star Fred MacMurray. It was MacMurray who gave Kirk "the biggest dressing down of my life" on the set of Disney's Bon Voyage (1962). Kirk would confess that he fully deserved the scolding; at the time of the shooting, Kirk was addicted to amphetamines, and his resultant behavior was both erratic and obstructive. Whatever MacMurray told Kirk on the Bon Voyage set was quickly forgotten, however, for the young actor was fired from the 1965 John Wayne vehicle Sons of Katie Elder because of his being busted for marijuana use. As a consequence of crossing the "Duke," Kirk was effectively shut out of the big studios, and was forced to settle for silly leading roles in the American-International Beach Party films, and in such low-grade farragoes as Mars Needs Women (1968). Compelled to take menial jobs after his movie career ended, Kirk attempted a theatrical comeback in the early '70s, but he had been forgotten by all but Disney buffs. Whatever the case, Tommy Kirk has overcome his drug problems in recent years and has become a favorite all over again on the nostalgia convention-circuit. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Replace this image with an actor photoTommy Kirk mini-bio: Scrappy Tommy Kirk was born in 1941 and 13 years old when he was discovered by talent agents in a production of Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!" at the Pasadena Playhouse. The freshly-scrubbed All-American kid was swiftly brought to the attention of Walt Disney who signed him to a long-term contract. In 1955, he joined "The Mickey Mouse Club" TV series and won a legion of young fans as the irrepressibly inquisitive teen sleuth Joe Hardy in the "Hardy Boys" serial with Tim Considine, another young Disney staple, playing his brother Frank. Tommy became a prime juvenile hero and ideal mischief maker for many of Disney's wholesome full-length classics including Old Yeller (1957), The Shaggy Dog (1959), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), _Absent Minded Professor, The (1961)_ , Babes in Toyland (1961) and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964). However, in 1964, the Disney factory found out Tommy was gay and they immediately released him from his contract after finishing The Monkey's Uncle (1965). Tommy still pursued teen-oriented movies but was essentially blacklisted from the industry and deemed "box office poison." The offers he did receive became progressively dismal. From mediocre fun-in-the-sand fluff like Pajama Party (1964) and It's a Bikini World (1967) to absolute fiascos like Mars Needs Women (1967) (TV) in which he played a Martian, and Blood of Ghastly Horror (1972), Tommy's career went into an irreversible tailspin. Depressed and angry, he sought solace in drugs and nearly died at one point. For health reasons, he completely abandoned his career and slowly moved forward as a recovering addict. He put together a successful carpet and upholstery cleaning business which has run steadily for well over two decades. As recently as 2001, Tommy showed up again in Hollywood -- glimpsed in a few lowbudgets here and there -- but a full time commitment to acting is quite unlikely.

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  • This movie from 1957 called 'Old Yeller' starred Fess Parker and Tommy Kirk. What animal was Old Yeller?   Answer »

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