Tommy Kirk, the child star of classic Disney films Swiss Family Robinson and Old Yeller has died. He was 79 years old.
Kirk rose to fame as a pet project of Walt Disney himself, who cast Kirk in the original TV series The Hardy Boys, part of the popular show The Mickey Mouse Club. The popularity of the show made Kirk into a household star, as Disney used him as a host for newsreel specials for the show. Kirk attended both the Democratic and Republican conventions in 1956 and hosted two travelogue episodes.
Kirk became a bonafide movie star in 1957’s Old Yeller, which became a smash hit for the Disney studio. It remains a cult classic to this day. He followed up with the hits The Shaggy Dog and Swiss Family Robinson, as well as The Absent-Minded Professor and Babes in Toyland.
Related: It’s Gay Days again. Spend some time with a gay, Disney legend.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
In 1963, Kirk’s career hit the skids. The actor would later recall that he knew he was gay from a very early age, and how tortured he felt throughout his teen years. “I consider my teenaged years as being desperately unhappy,” Kirk recalled. “I knew I was gay, but I had no outlet for my feelings. It was very hard to meet people and, at that time, there was no place to go to socialize…When I was about 17 or 18 years old, I finally admitted to myself that I wasn’t going to change. I didn’t know what the consequences would be, but I had the definite feeling that it was going to wreck my Disney career and maybe my whole acting career. It was all going to come to an end.”
Kirk was right. In 1963, the 21-year-old Kirk began a relationship with a 15-year-old boy. When Disney learned of the affair, he personally fired Kirk. Tommy then began taking a series of roles in B-pictures, before a drug arrest for marijuana in 1964 further slowed his career momentum. By 1970, he bid showbiz farewell, taking a job as a busboy, and later opening a carpet cleaning business in Los Angeles. He took occasional acting roles over the next five decades, but lived a very private life.
Kirk’s story exemplifies that of so many queer people living and working in showbiz. Only in the past 20 years or so have major stars–Ellen DeGeneres, Billy Porter, Ian McKellen–felt able to come out, and some still suffer career consequences as a result. Had the world accepted Kirk as a gay man, he might not have spent his teen years tortured. He might not have turned to drugs to numb the pain of a flailing carer. He might not have struggled with poverty. His is a reminder of how far queer acceptance has progressed, and why the power of pride and visibility must never be taken for granted.
TomG
Hopefully he found love at some point.
joeboyle49
MAY TOMMY KIRK R.I.P.
ingyaom
Did being gay kill his career, or dating a 15-year-old, which would probably still be illegal today?
Joe Dalmas
Being gay.
Raphael
More so being gay, no doubt. At that time, there were a lot of actors who dated much younger girls, no one really cared. It wasn’t as stigmatized as it’s today, as long as you were straight, it was fine.
cibbwin
15-year-old, 1000%.
Halfnhalf
Was it illegal. In general the age of consent is higher now than it was earlier. You would need to know the State and the laws of the time.
mandrews
Being 21 and dating a 15 year old was not illegal back then. Remember, Elvis dated Priscilla when he was 24 and she was 14. People got married at 14 and 15 all the time back in the day….. weird to think of that in today’s culture.
LumpyPillows
By his own admission, drugs killed his career.
ScottOnEarth
Really stupid question.
BigE
Back then it was illegal for two (or more)malres to have sex with each other. . It was illegal for unmarried heterosexual couples to live together or have sex. It was illegal for legally married heterosexuals couples to engage in oral or anal sex. It wasn’t until the Lawrence v. Texas ruling by the Supreme Court in 2003 that criminally prosecuting consenting adults for sodomy(which includes any sexual activity other than heterosexual coitus)was declared unconstitutional. Even then the Armed Forces had the rule prohibiting sodomy( even between married heterosexual couples)on their books for a few more years, because they have a separate judicial system and then DADT Feb 1994- Sep 2011. In countries where it is now legal, the age of consent has always been stricter for homosexualis versus heterosexuals since the gay community is often erroneously lumped together with pedophiles.
whateverokok
The 15 year old boy and the drugs did it. Him being gay had noting to do with it. Grow up.
jamessavik
At the time, people weren’t so hung up about the age of your partner as long as it was a hetero partner. There’s the reason why the old maxim about being caught with a “live boy or a dead girl” works. Both situations would destroy your career, whatever it was. Unless you are a Kennedy.
For Kirk, drugs came later, after being raped by Disney and completely blackballed by the pompous SOB.
Man About Town
Don’t forget Spin and Marty!
Skip
I adored both Spin and Marty, but I don’t think Tommy Kirk was any part of that franchise. Am I missing something?
Man About Town
Whoops, my bad — Spin & Marty had Tim Considine but not Tommy Kirk. Sorry!
Mack
He was in a tv serial called the Hardy Boys with Tim Considine. I had a crush on both. LOL. Many many years ago.
Cam
RIP
And Disney is still fighting to suppress LGBTQ storylines anywhere it can.
Fahd
How many child actors have transitioned to adulthood in a sane and healthy way? Add to that being gay and add to that the early 1960s and I applaud him not only for his brilliant work as a child actor, but for succeeding in living an ordinary life in his later years. May he RIP.
Openminded
Very good point. Few kids transition to adult actors without a ton of baggage. Obviously, being gay didn’t help his situation, but it’s not really fair to blame all his “failure” on the fact he was gay.
twomen4u
I am now 75 and Proud. Like Kirk, I grew up in a small town in south-central FL, where everyone knew everyone and everyone knew everyone’s business. My dad had a one man garage and was well known in town. I tried the route of marriage, kids, education and at the age of 40 had enough. I have been blessed with two husbands, one at 15 years when he died and my current spouse of nearly 20 years. Due to our ages, we are out of the mainstream of gay life and that is fine. Once a year we fly the gay flag on our home for the entire month of June. We fly the US flag and the Israeli flag (my husband is Jewish) 24/7 365. We find it amusing that during June the local police force will increase their patrols in our neighborhood. As we have been in this home nearly 20 years they should be used to us by now – ha. We are blessed as we have not had any problems from any neighbors as it is mainly a let and let live neighborhood.
cuteguy
Obama was right, the good ol days weren’t that great
linedrive
The good ol’ days were good for a very select few. Those are the ones who want to go back because everyone else stayed in their places. For minorities the good ol’ days were Hades.
frodojrr
Amen to that. Good days for a very few.
Amen.
winemaker
Who among us recalls the Mickey Mouse Club? This daytime children’s television show was on in the very early 1960’s and often had Hardy Boys and Spin & Marty shorts with Tommy Kirk and Tim Considine as the Hardy Boys & Spin & Marty respectively.. I’d read awhile ago that Tommy Kirk kept the fact he was gay tight lipped knowing that if Walt Disney ( a notorious homophobe who hated gays till the day he died) found out, he’d be fired and his future would be destroyed. Sadly Disney found out and canned him as he wanted to keep the Disney squeeky clean image of family entertainment and Tommy Kirk became a liability and an outcast. This was common in the 1960’s even in show business who notoriously had and still has a double standard. Hopefully he found the love of his life in later years and could live openly. How quick many forget these days weren’t that long ago. RIP Tommy Kirk. My question, why do gay people still support Disney and all the various business ‘s under its umbrella knowing this?
BDAguy
You raise a fair point, but Disney has evolved over the decades; my husband and I have taken various nieces and nephews on Disney cruises and always been treated with the full respect and courtesy by both crew and other passengers. The question I have is why gay people continue to frequent ChickFilet, Denny’s and Cracker Barrel which are avowedly, openly hostile to the LGBTQ+ community.
Openminded
BDA Guy is correct. Disney company has evolved into a fairly equal opportunity attraction. They will bend anyone over and take all the money they can from them, no matter what their sexual orientation.
Seriously, Disney Co. has a ton of pride flag themed merch. and although they don’t officially sponsor Gay Days in the parks, they certainly support the event. Again, they will support anything that takes people’s money.
shanfrina
… As an Openly Gay Man, who Worked for “Billboard” 15-Yrs in Hollywood, Vegas & here in Bflo./Toronto/Rochester, I can easily confirm what many Closeted Gays go through in Show Biz, even to this Day!?!
– Glad Tommy finally accepted himself, beat Drugs & found happiness in his Life! It’s too fragile, orecious
shanfrina
previous & short not to!!!
ross leonard sayer
Sad to hear of Tommy Kirk Passing rest peacefully, I remember him in Merlin Jones with Annette Funicello. Being Gay is not a desease that is something you are born with. Now a days we have more gay charactors on TV series, Movies and Stage shows.
GayEGO
This is so sad. I am now 80 years old and my Partner of 57 years, husband of 15 years, passed away 2 years ago. I am from Boise Idaho and I remember “The Fall of ’55” when gays were sent to prison. I knew I was born gay, and left Idaho in 1959 when I joined the Navy. Fortunately, I was transferred to Boston and met my partner. I kept my business and private life separate and was honorably discharged from the Navy. I worked, paid my bills and taxes, and retired, living the American dream. Today, we have marriage equality as the law of the land. We have some more bumps in the road but I believe we will resolve them as we have done in the past.
Mack
I remember the “vice squads” of the LAPD use to visit the bars on Friday and Saturday night looking for those who “might” look gay. I was fortunate, my apartment was right across the street from the bar. Pick up a guy and walk to my apartment in less than 5 minutes.
Kangol2
The right-wing fanatic in Texas who designed the current extreme, unconstitutional anti-abortion law is apparently now aiming to strip away protections for LGBTQ people and to end the legalization of gay marriage. Activism is still necessary, because complacency in the face of the current far-right SCOTUS is giving them the green light to take our rights and equality away.
Gadfeal
One does not truly know the life choices of anyone except those with whom one shares a home, and, even then, if the person is not in “full disclosure” mode, one can still be surprised.
My generation is often unaware of Tommy Kirk-featured TV or movies, or, at least, remember them in detail. Objectively, he was a sweet child who had his “run” on screen but lacked defining trait. Physically, he looked like a cross between a young Will Wheaton and Clay Aiken, average looking and competent as an actor, but just one of hundreds of thousands who eked out a living in the field.
Exceptionally, some child actors have a minor role in a franchise that has a “run”, but the vast majority have a professional “expiry date”. Some regretted the lack of typical childhood experiences, thrust into the bread-winning role of a family; some were too young to cope with the onslaught of “fame”; some became addicts of one sort or another, others just wished to do a “real line of work” instead of play-acting; others may have lost the physical appeal/character of youth, and never successfully assumed an adult persona.
We don’t know if his homosexuality was the root cause of his discontinuance of acting as a profession as he became an adult; perhaps, like the hundreds of thousands of actors of any stripe, he wasn’t lucky, impressive, or well-connected enough to go from child actor to adult. For every Justin Timberlake or Zach Effron, there are several hundred thousand child actors who have not become successful adult actors; some don’t want to; others try, but self-destruct in addictions, serial unhealthy couplings, suicide, crime, or recklessness; most just choose another profession.
It reminds me of a story related by a Chinese lay who was a civil servant in Paris in the 1980s, before the phenomenon of predominantly Asian visitors began. As she was getting into her car parked on the Boulevard St. Germain, she noticed a French woman was staring in her direction. Not a shy person, she pointedly challenged the woman with, “Why are you staring at me? Have you NEVER seen on a Chinese person before?” The woman calmly replied, “Yes, of course, but have you SEEN that the flat tire on your car?”
I thought it had been just a joke but it is a theme manifest in minorities of any type (ethnicity, religion, physical appeal, nationality, native language, dress, education, behavioral spectrum, age…) to pre-judge or assume that the actions of others (strangers) are motivated primarily by the appearance of an unusual trait or difference.
I have always been a visual or linguistic-cultural “minority” most of my life, which has spanned three continents, and 5 countries. When I was a teenager in Switzerland for a year, my first on my own in a foreign country where the culture, the appearance, the language were novel to me, I struggled for about a year until I became conversant enough to develop a social circle, and familiar with the local culture enough to correctly interpret what and how others said. I realized that I appeared to be a foreign visitor outside their frame of reference, with a visible/language/behavior/dress clue to go by.
I soon realized that, if you plop a glowing green extra-terrestrial anywhere, that it would be unfamiliar with, and to, the culture of humans in the location. Upon encounter, humans’ only frame of reference would be fictional “good aliens to children” of Disney animation, or “hostile invaders seeking to enslave, or eliminate, humans.”, or “sub-human creatures” to be treated poorly. It behoves the newcomer to NOT LET STRANGERS jump to unfounded ideas (i.e. pre-judgment or prejudice).
So, I grew to make the first step in introducing myself, in visibly making an effort to adopt local customs, in revealing my familiarity of my host culture. There would always be yahoos who are blind to reason and common sense, but they are in the tiny minority of my host society. I am lucky in that I have a fine ear for phonology, and can quickly mimic the sounds of other languages, and, if I am going to be spending more than a brief visit, I would make a point of learning local customs, history, and even basic language.
Time and time again, I have seen that “visitors” or “visible minorities” misinterpret as prejudice their treatment, or avoidance when visiting or living in a foreign country:
* Americans in France who had lived there for 10 years in an expatriate cocoon in Paris, who could not even hold a simple conversation in French without sounding so hesitant that each sentence sounded like a query. That group also complained that the “French are unfriendly and unsmiling”. Truth is, if they behaved with the same courtesy as depicted in 1950s TV families, always addressing strangers with a greeting and an address, “Good Morning, sir/madam/miss”, they would not have misinterpreted the apparent coldness of strangers. French kids are “indoctrinated” to always greet before addressing strangers, be they shopkeepers, bus drivers, neighbors, cashiers; when they don’t, the impression conveyed is one of deliberately disrespecting them. The number of daily interactions in France are systematically high where there are still mom-and-pop neighborhood stores, and commuting in the cities is mostly by public transport. There is also an extreme respect for privacy of individuals, which can only exist if Frenchmen assume that most people ARE INDIVIDUALS with different manners and opinions; whereas “what you do in Vegas, stays in Vegas”, in France, “what you do in your own home or private life is irrelevant to the rest of society”. So, neighbors in a building for 10 years usually only are courteous when crossing one another; the idea of expecting unchosen neighbors to become friends is manifest by a normative stance of indifference to strangers in a public space.
The latter societal norm that strangers are individuals, not labels, is not unique to France, as I’ve heard other Europeans remark that, “You can always notice Americans; they dress inappropriately, seems to permanently be sipping a drink, and smile at you in public. Why are they smiling indiscriminately at everyone? Are they trying to pick me up? Are they indoctrinated to smile in public?”
nm4047
I think I’ll wait for the movie version of this to come out.
storm45701
Walt Disney himself called Tommy Kirk his “golden ticket”. He was, perhaps, the greatest child actor of all time.
BigE
“greatest child actor of all time”?!? Mr.. Rooney and Ms. Garland have taken a breather from spinning in their graves and have asked me to ask you to turn in your Gay Card. You are on suspension!!! Mr. Kirk didn’t have any trouble transitioning into an adult working actor after an arrest for possession of marijuana, he got clean and opened a successful upholstery and carpet cleaning business while continuing to act in regional theater, “B” movies, and the occasional television spot until his late 50s.
Kangol2
@storm45701, if you look just at the classic era of Hollywood you have child actors like Mickey Rooney, Shirley Temple, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, etc. No knock against Kirk, but these four and others (Margaret O’Brien, etc.) were iconic. And this is not even counting the famous child actors of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, etc.
Gadfeal
Sorry for the branching out to other themes; blame COVID 19 social isolation for driving me into over-the-top communication.
muscl954
Being gay in the 60’s in Hollywood was a big No-No, but it was covered up by the studios to “protect” their image and reputation. I think his career stalled more because of the fact that he was dating a MINOR male! THAT was a bigger scandal than being gay itself.
JPP
You should check your facts first. Disney didn’t have the option of doing what you said was common. The woman who went to Disney and exposed Kirk told the studio she would tell the media if they didn’t fire Kirk. Her threats made any other option impossible. And it is unlikely the 6 age difference would have been the main problem as opposed to the same-sex nature of the relations. Numerous celebrities openly dated very young girls: Charlie Chaplin, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, to name a few.
The difference was they where heterosexual where as all same-sex relationships were deemed incapable of consent no matter how old the participants.
Heywood Jablowme
An arrest for marijuana in 1964 would have been a big deal, unfortunately, but that doesn’t mean Tommy Kirk had a “drug” problem. I haven’t seen an obituary of him stating he had any drug addictions at any point. Is it true he “turned to drugs to numb the pain of a flailing care[e]r”? Queerty should be careful not to descend into hysterical “gateway” lingo about mj, especially now that it’s legal in CA. Maybe Tommy got a little high last week and enjoyed it like a regular person? 🙂
James
I loved him. An important person in my youth when he was in Hollywood.
JPP
Before ranting about the 6 years age difference and invoking age of consent people should remember that at that time in California there was NO age of consent for gay relationships. It didn’t exist because all gay people of any age were legally deemed incapable of consent and thus all same-sex relationships, regardless of the ages of the participants, were criminal.
frankcar1965
At least he didn’t turn out like Brucilla/Caitlyn the tranay.
BigE
No idea why you would even bring her into this conversation and BTW, your transphobia is showing…
Preppy1000
RIP Mr. Kirk.
nm4047
the last sentence of this article is the part that needs to be emphasised, being gay in the 60’s is well known story, but 21 with 15 would have been the sounding of the death nell. Even today it is questioned.
oaksong
One of my first crushes.
LumpyPillows
This story is actually a mess. Really sloppy writing. Disney did cancel his contract over the 15 year old drama, but that did not end his career. He continued to act, even for Disney. By his own admission his drug abuse ended his career a few years later. Yes, homophobia was and is a problem, but this story is sloppy and inaccurate.
DarkZephyr
Sure. Being gay had nothing to do with it. Back then, Walt Disney was a guest judge on Season 1 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Will and Grace had just gotten their start.
You accuse this article of being sloppy, but so are you, in your oddly vigorous desire to show them as being wrong. Being gay AND drugs played roles in he demise of his career, and Queerty has the right of it. He may not have turned to drugs if it wasn’t for the way gays were treated back then.
Why are you so desperate to downplay the homophobia of that period? I’ve read interviews with him about this stuff in the past. That he was discovered to be gay was the largest factor of all. Don’t pretend it wasn’t.
bsg1967
Trailblazer, came out in 1973 and a gay icon who should be celebrated and remembered.
rick
Tommy introduced himself to my group of pals at Gaylib’s Funky Dance @ Troopers Hall in 1972 He was pretty adamant about telling his ugly Walt story that nite- eventually we peeled away. A year later he did the same thing again at a big gay club on La Cienega– very sad — I always enjoyed watching him even from the premiere episode of Mouse Club- and every flick he was in—
gaym50ish
Scotty Bowers, author of “Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars,” could have discreetly set him up with guys as he did with so many Hollywood stars. Being gay need not have ruined his career — being caught with a 15-year-old did.
SoCalDave
Headlining this about losing his career over being gay and then just glossing right over pedophilia like it was a minor detail. Yowza. Talk about clickbait!
Joseph1971
Exactly! A 15 year old is just that, 15!!!!!!!
joeyt1969
I’m sure Walt fired him over having a relationship with a 15 year old boy rather than being gay.
woodroad34
I have a friend, who was a Mouseketeer in the latter days of the original show (around 1958 or so; he became a Casting Director and now lives in Palm Springs). He claims that he was molested by Jimmy Dodd (the MC of the Mickey Mouse Club). He said a lot of the kids turned out to be gay from that show.
Joseph1971
He dated a 15 year old boy? Or he molested a 15 year old boy? More like the second question. If he was 21 at the time, you mean there were no other guys available that were more age appropriate?? Good thing it wasn’t in the year 2021, and he didn’t live in Florida as I do, because “dating” a 15 year old gets you put on the Sexual Offender’s List for life, and probably quite a long stay in a state prison.
Just saying folks – if you aren’t sure, ask for ID! They have to be 18 or else you are taking a huge chance. Laws may differ from state to state but I can tell you there are plenty of kids on sites like adam4adam or barebackrt that have algebra tests in the morning, despite the fact they claim to be 18 or 19. Do your homework to make sure they don’t have homework in the morning. Just be careful….
catdelouise
I feel this story is really glossing over the fact that he had a sexual relationship with a child. Are we supposed to give him a pass because he was gay?