Tommy Kirk

Acting

Tommy Kirk

Born — Died

1941-12-10 — 2021-09-28

Place of birth

Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

59 titles

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 …

Known for

Matinee Theater poster
5.3

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.

Matinee Theater

1955

Gunsmoke poster
6.7

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.

Gunsmoke

1955

The Streets of San Francisco poster
7.1

Two police officers, the older Lt. Stone and the young upstart Inspector Keller, investigate murders and other serious crimes in San Francisco. Stone would become a second father to Keller as he learned the rigors and procedures of detective work.

The Streets of San Francisco

1972

The Millionaire poster
5.8

An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars from a benefactor who insisted they never know him, with one exception.

The Millionaire

1955

Mr. Novak poster
7.3

Mr. Novak is an American dramatic series starring James Franciscus in the title role, which aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965.

Mr. Novak

1963

The Mickey Mouse Club poster
6.5

A variety show featuring a cast of child performers.

The Mickey Mouse Club

1955

Film credits

2000s · 8 titles

1990s · 3 titles

1960s · 24 titles

Swiss Family Robinson poster
6.8

After being shipwrecked, the Robinson family is marooned on an island inhabited only by an impressive array of wildlife. In true pioneer spirit, they quickly make themselves at home but soon face a danger even greater than nature: dastardly pirates.

Swiss Family Robinson

1960

Babes in Toyland poster
5.9

All roads lead to magical, merry Toyland as Mary Contrary and Tom Piper prepare for their wedding! But villainous Barnaby wants Mary for himself, so he kidnaps Tom, setting off a series of comic chases, searches, and double-crosses! The "March Of The Wooden Soldiers" helps put Barnaby in his place, and ensures a "happily ever after" for Tom and Mary!

Babes in Toyland

1961

The Absent-Minded Professor poster
6.5

Bumbling professor Ned Brainard accidentally invents flying rubber, or "Flubber", an incredible material that gains energy every time it strikes a hard surface. It allows for the invention of shoes that can allow jumps of amazing heights and enables a modified Model-T to fly. Unfortunately, no one is interested in the material except for Alonzo Hawk, a corrupt businessman who wants to steal the material for himself.

The Absent-Minded Professor

1961

Son of Flubber poster
6.1

Beleaguered professor Ned Brainard has already run into a pile of misfortunes with his discovery of the super-elastic substance "Flubber." Now he hopes to have better luck with a gravity-busting derivative he's dubbed "Flubbergas." Ned's experiments, constantly hampered by government obstruction, earn the consternation of his wife, Betsy. But a game-winning modification to a football uniform may help Ned make the case for his fantastic new invention.

Son of Flubber

1963

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini poster
5.1

A corpse has 24 hours to mastermind a good deed without leaving his crypt, to go "up there" and have his youth restored.

The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

1966

The Misadventures of Merlin Jones poster
6.5

Merlin Jones, a precocious and intelligent high-school boy, experiments with hypnosis and creates a mind-reading machine. However, his experiments land him in deep trouble with the law.

The Misadventures of Merlin Jones

1964

Savage Sam poster
5.2

Travis, Arliss, and Lisbeth are captured by Apaches while Old Yeller's son, Sam, tracks their trail.

Savage Sam

1963

Village of the Giants poster
3.7

"Genius" accidentally invents "goo" which causes living things to rapidly grow to an enormous size. Seeing an opportunity to get rich, some delinquent teenagers steal the "goo" and, as a result of a sophomoric dare, consume it themselves and become thirty feet tall. They then take over control of the town by kidnapping the sheriff's daughter and dancing suggestively.

Village of the Giants

1965

Bon Voyage! poster
5.6

The Willards from Terre Haute, Indiana travels abroad for the once-in-a-lifetime vacation in Paris, France. Harry Willard believes that the greatest problem will be avoiding tap water, but bringing his three children will prove to be more troublesome

Bon Voyage!

1962

The Monkey's Uncle poster
5.8

College whiz-kid Merlin Jones concocts a method for teaching advanced information to a chimpanzee, then creates a flying machine of his own design, ultimately raising havoc on the campus.

The Monkey's Uncle

1965

Moon Pilot poster
5.5

An Air Force captain inadvertently volunteers to make the first manned flight around the moon. He immediately falls under the watchful protection of various security agencies, but despite all their precautions, a young woman who may be an enemy spy succeeds in making contact with the captain. The captain eventually discovers that this woman is not an enemy but rather a friend from a very unusual source.

Moon Pilot

1962

Pajama Party poster
5.1

A Martian teenager sent to prepare for an invasion falls in love with an Earth girl.

Pajama Party

1964

Backstage Party poster
7.0

Party, enterianment, and Behind the scenes

Backstage Party

1961

Blood of Ghastly Horror poster
3.2

A mad scientist implants an electronic device into the brain of an injured soldier, which turns him into a psychotic killer.

Blood of Ghastly Horror

1967

The Horsemasters poster
7.0

American students are having a difficult time at a prestigious English riding school. Dinah Wilcox is overly cautious because of memories of an accident, but Danny Grant gives her confidence. The strict, but admired, instructor fears she must sell her favorite horse because of school tradition, but the students end up taking up a collection to buy it back for her.

The Horsemasters

1961

Mars Needs Women poster
3.9

Tommy Kirk leads his fellow Martians to Earth on an interplanetary quest for females. Kirk proves that Martians have impeccable taste when one of his first conquests turns out to be sexy scientist Yvonne Craig.

Mars Needs Women

1968

It's a Bikini World poster
3.9

Male chauvinist Mike attempts to get an intelligent burgeoning feminist Delilah into his harem. When she resists, Mike then poses as his brother Herbert, but in the process falls in love with Delilah.

It's a Bikini World

1967

Escape to Paradise/Water Birds poster
NR

A behind-the-scenes show on the filming of Swiss Family Robinson on the West Indian island of Tobago. Then the True Life Adventure Water Birds.

Escape to Paradise/Water Birds

1960

Track of Thunder poster
4.8

Rivals on the raceway--for publicity purposes only (but secretly buddies). Then they fall in love with the same woman--and the rivalry on the raceway becomes very real...

Track of Thunder

1968

The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot poster
7.0

Dr. Goldfoot schemes to use his Bikini Machine to kidnap a young man with infinite information stored in his head by the government.

The Wild Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot

1965

The Unkissed Bride poster
4.0

A young couple's honeymoon is disrupted by the groom's childhood obsession with Mother Goose. Unable to consummate the marriage, they head off to the psychiatrist, where the fun really begins.

The Unkissed Bride

1966

It's Alive poster
3.8

A farmer traps three people in a cave with his pet prehistoric monster.

It's Alive

1969

Escapade in Florence poster
6.7

American students, Tommy and Annette, find themselves in a heap of trouble when they accidentally discover an art forgery ring in Florence, Italy.

Escapade in Florence

1962

Catalina Caper poster
2.4

A group of swingin' teens take time out from having fun in the sun to try to foil a group of crooks searching for a stolen scroll.

Catalina Caper

1967

1950s · 6 titles

Old Yeller poster
6.9

Young Travis Coates is left to take care of the family ranch with his mother and younger brother while his father goes off on a cattle drive in the 1860s. When a yellow mongrel comes for an uninvited stay with the family, Travis reluctantly adopts the dog.

Old Yeller

1957

The Shaggy Dog poster
6.2

Through an ancient spell, a boy changes into a sheepdog and back again. It seems to happen at inopportune times and the spell can only be broken by an act of bravery....

The Shaggy Dog

1959

Down Liberty Road poster
9.0

On a cross-country Greyhound bus, passengers give historically dubious summaries of major landmarks. Riders include a grieving father of a fallen soldier and C-list celebrities of the 1950s.

Down Liberty Road

1957

The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure poster
8.0

Frank and Joe Hardy are the sons of Fenton Hardy, a famous private detective. Finding everyday life at home in Bayport dull, the boys hope their father will let them work on one of his cases. Disappointed when he tells them his work is too dangerous for children, they are more determined than ever to follow in their dad's footsteps, and solve mysteries.

The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure

1956

Disneyland '59 poster
7.3

Walt Disney and Art Linkletter co-host a live celebration of Disneyland's 1959 expansion that consisted of the debuts of Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Disneyland-Alweg Monorail, and the Submarine Voyage, a project so massive that it was called "The Second Opening of Disneyland". Highlights include a mammoth, star-studded parade and the official launching of the Disneyland submarines by U.S. Navy officers. Among the guests are then-Vice-President Richard Nixon and family, Clint Eastwood, and Meredith Willson, who leads the Disneyland band in his own "76 Trombones." Sponsored by Kodak, the commercial spokespersons include Ozzie and Harriet Nelson.

Disneyland '59

1959

The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Ghost Farm poster
9.0

A 15 episode serial in which boy detectives Frank and Joe Hardy try to solve the mystery of a haunted farm where the farmer has died and left no one to care for his livestock. A ghost assists them to prevent the acceptance of a false inheritance claim.

The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Ghost Farm

1957

Series credits

Matinee Theater poster
5.3

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.

Matinee Theater

1955

Gunsmoke poster
6.7

Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West. The central character is lawman Marshal Matt Dillon, played by William Conrad on radio and James Arness on television.

Gunsmoke

1955

The Streets of San Francisco poster
7.1

Two police officers, the older Lt. Stone and the young upstart Inspector Keller, investigate murders and other serious crimes in San Francisco. Stone would become a second father to Keller as he learned the rigors and procedures of detective work.

The Streets of San Francisco

1972

The Millionaire poster
5.8

An anthology series that explored the ways sudden and unexpected wealth changed life for better or for worse. It told the stories of people who were given one million dollars from a benefactor who insisted they never know him, with one exception.

The Millionaire

1955

Mr. Novak poster
7.3

Mr. Novak is an American dramatic series starring James Franciscus in the title role, which aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965.

Mr. Novak

1963

The Mickey Mouse Club poster
6.5

A variety show featuring a cast of child performers.

The Mickey Mouse Club

1955

The Wonderful World of Disney poster
7.9

Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, most recently on ABC and Disney+. The show is the second longest showing prime-time program on American television, behind its rival, Hallmark Hall of Fame. However, Hallmark Hall of Fame was a weekly program only during its first five seasons, while Disney remained a weekly program for more than forty years.

The Wonderful World of Disney

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney poster
7.9

Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, most recently on ABC and Disney+. The show is the second longest showing prime-time program on American television, behind its rival, Hallmark Hall of Fame. However, Hallmark Hall of Fame was a weekly program only during its first five seasons, while Disney remained a weekly program for more than forty years.

The Wonderful World of Disney

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney poster
7.9

Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, most recently on ABC and Disney+. The show is the second longest showing prime-time program on American television, behind its rival, Hallmark Hall of Fame. However, Hallmark Hall of Fame was a weekly program only during its first five seasons, while Disney remained a weekly program for more than forty years.

The Wonderful World of Disney

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney poster
7.9

Walt Disney Productions has produced an anthology television series under several different titles since 1954. The original version of the series premiered on ABC, Wednesday night, October 27, 1954. The show, which was hosted by Walt Disney until his death and then from 1996 to 2002 by then-CEO Michael Eisner (with one-off hosts or no hosts during other periods) has since aired continually as either a weekly program or an irregular series of specials on several networks and streaming services, most recently on ABC and Disney+. The show is the second longest showing prime-time program on American television, behind its rival, Hallmark Hall of Fame. However, Hallmark Hall of Fame was a weekly program only during its first five seasons, while Disney remained a weekly program for more than forty years.

The Wonderful World of Disney

1954

The Hardy Boys poster
8.8

The sons of the great detective Fenton Hardy, Frank and Joe are eager to impress their father with their mystery solving skills.

The Hardy Boys

1956

Letter to Loretta poster
6.6

Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to June 1961 for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show was hosted by Loretta Young who also played the lead in various episodes. Letter to Loretta was sponsored by Procter & Gamble from 1953 through 1960. The final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's Listerine.

Letter to Loretta

1953

Letter to Loretta poster
6.6

Letter to Loretta is an American anthology drama series telecast on NBC from September 1953 to June 1961 for a total of 165 episodes. The filmed show was hosted by Loretta Young who also played the lead in various episodes. Letter to Loretta was sponsored by Procter & Gamble from 1953 through 1960. The final season's sponsor was Warner-Lambert's Listerine.

Letter to Loretta

1953

The Wonderful World of Disney poster
8.0

No synopsis available yet.

The Wonderful World of Disney

1961

Frontier poster
7.5

Frontier is an American Western anthology series that aired on NBC from September 1955, to September 1956. The series de-emphasizes gunplay and focuses on the hazards of the settlement of the American West. It was only the second anthology Western series in television history, having been preceded by Death Valley Days. Frontier aired premiered on September 25, 1955, and ran sporadically in its last five months. Walter Coy narrated the series and starred in occasional episodes, which are dramatizations based on actual events. The program was produced by Worthington Miner.

Frontier

1955