Tommy Kirk
Tommy Kirk
Thomas Lee "Tommy" Kirkis an American former actor and later a businessman. He is best known for his performances in a number of highly popular movies made by Walt Disney Studios such as Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog, The Swiss Family Robinson and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, as well as beach party movies of the mid 1960s...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth10 December 1941
CityLouisville, KY
CountryUnited States of America
Eventually I became involved with somebody, and I was fired
It wasn't until the early '60s that I began to hear of places where gays congregated. The lifestyle was not recognized and I was very, very lonely.
Disney was a family film studio. I was supposed to be their young, leading man. After they found out I was involved with someone, that was the end of Disney.
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.
After I was fired from Disney, I did some of the worst movies ever made and I got professionally involved with a manager who said it didn't matter what you did as long as you kept working. I wound up completely broke.
Disney was a family film studio and I was supposed to be their young, leading man. After they found out I was involved with someone, that was the end of Disney.
I want to be remembered for Swiss Family Robinson and Old Yeller. I think Swiss is probably my favorite film
After I was fired from Disney, I did some of the worst movies ever made
I'm not ashamed of being gay, never have been and never will be. For that I have no apologies
I said, to hell with the whole thing, to hell with show business. I'm gonna make a new life for myself, and I got off drugs, completely kicked all that stuff
I started my own little carpet and upholstery cleaning business. I've done it for 20 years. I live well
When I was about 17 or 18, 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
I consider my teenage years as being desperately unhappy.