- Luke Halpin
Infobox Person
image_size = 150px
name = Luke Halpin
image_size = 200px
caption = Luke Halpin is a former Americanchild actor known for the TV series "Flipper".
birth_date = Birth date and age|1947|4|4|mf=y
birth_place =Astoria, Queens, New York
dead =
death_date =
death_place = |Luke Halpin (born, April 4, 1947, in
Astoria, Queens, New York ) is anAmerican film and formerTV child actor .Biography
Early life
Luke A. Halpin was born in Astoria, Queens, New York City, to Helen and Eugene Halpin. He has one older brother, Eugene, Jr., and one older sister, Joan. When he was growing up, he also had a dog, Whisky.
Career
His acting career began when a music teacher, impressed by Halpin's "all-American" look, encouraged him to try out acting. Luke turned out to be a natural, and in 1955 he co-starred with Natalie Wood in an episode of "Studio One" entitled "Miracle at Potter's Farm".
Numerous roles followed, and by his mid-teens, Halpin had already appeared on many of the major TV series of the day: "
Armstrong Circle Theatre ", "United States Steel Hour ", "Studio One", "Kraft Television Theatre ", "Hallmark Hall of Fame ", "Everglades", "The Phil Silvers Show ", "The Defenders", "Route 66", "Naked City", and had a recurring role for six months on the soap opera "Young Doctor Malone ".In addition to television, Halpin's early career also included several stage roles. He appeared with Mary Martin in both "Annie Get Your Gun" and "
Peter Pan ", and made his Broadway debut in "Take Me Along " starring Jackie Gleason."Flipper"
The young TV/stage veteran got his most memorable role when he was picked to be Sandy Ricks in the 1962 (released 1963) feature "Flipper". The successful film spawned a sequel, "
Flipper's New Adventure " (1964), and a TV series which co-starred Brian Kelly as Porter Ricks. Kelly played a young widowed father to Halpin, who was only sixteen years younger than Kelly, andTommy Norden .Character actor Andy Devine also appeared in the series."Flipper" ran for 88 episodes (1964-1967), and is still in syndication. The TV series made Halpin a popular
teen idol among younger viewers. He was often featured in teen magazines, including "Bravo", "Teen Life", "16 Magazine", and the earliest issues of "Tiger Beat". On the basis of his appearance in the original "Flipper" movie, Luke was a guest "contestant" on the panel show "To Tell The Truth " prior to "Flipper's" move to television.Later work
Following the end of the "Flipper" series, Luke appeared in feature films, including "Island of the Lost" (1967), "
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium " (1969), and "Shock Waves" (1977). TV guest appearances in the years shortly after "Flipper" included "Judd for the Defense", "The Dating Game", "Death Valley Days", and "Bracken's World". One notable later appearance was in the TV-movie "The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd" in 1979.Current activity
Halpin currently works as a pilot and marine technician for a film production company.
External links
*imdb name|id=0356983|name=Luke Halpin
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