Tommy Kirk
Known for Acting
Thomas Lee Kirk (December 10, 1941 − September 28, 2021) was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, Swiss Family Robinson, The Absent-Minded Professor, and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, as well as the beach party films of the mid-1960s. He frequently appeared as a love interest for Annette Funicello or as part of a family with Kevin Corcoran as his younger brother and Fred MacMurray as his father. Kirk's career with Disney ended when news of his homosexuality threatened to become public. He struggled with drug addiction and depression for several years, appearing in a series of low-budget films before leaving the acting business in the mid-1970s. Kirk opened a carpet cleaning business and lived a mostly ordinary life, occasionally appearing at fan conventions. He died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, in September 2021, aged 79.
Filmography
Old Yeller
1957
as Travis Coates
Swiss Family Robinson
1960
as Ernst
The Shaggy Dog
1959
as Wilby Daniels
Babes in Toyland
1961
as Grumio
The Wrecking Crew
2008
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Absent-Minded Professor
1961
as Biff Hawk
Son of Flubber
1963
as Biff Hawk
Pajama Party
1964
as Go Go
The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
1966
as Chuck Phillips
Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold
1995
as Passenger
Village of the Giants
1965
as Mike
The Monkey's Uncle
1965
as Merlin Jones
The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot
1965
as Malcolm Andrews
Savage Sam
1963
as Travis Coates
Disneyland '59
1959
as Self
Moon Pilot
1962
as Walter Talbot
The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure
1956
as Joe Hardy
It's a Bikini World
1967
as Mike / Herbert Samson
Bon Voyage!
1962
as Elliott Willard
Billy Frankenstein
1998
as Blind Monk