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Actor Who Brought Everyone of a Certain Age to Tears in ‘Old Yeller’ Dead at 66

Oct 7, 2015  •  Post A Comment

An actor who was part of many young film goers’ first big heartbreaking movie experience as a cast member on the 1957 Disney classic “Old Yeller” has died. Entertainment Weekly reports that Kevin Corcoran died Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., of complications from cancer. He was 66.

Corcoran appeared in “Old Yeller” as a child star, playing the youngest son of the family at the center of the movie. He later became a producer, working on TV series including “Sons of Anarchy” and “The Shield.”

“Born in Santa Monica and raised with seven siblings, who also acted, Corcoran appeared in several Disney productions in the 1950s,” EW reports. “He often played variations of a rambunctious kid named Moochie, as in three Mickey Mouse Club serials and the movie ‘The Shaggy Dog.'”

He reprised his “Old Yeller” role as Arliss Coates in a sequel to the movie, “Savage Sam,” released in 1963.

“Corcoran’s other movie credits include ‘Toby Tyler’ (aka ‘Ten Weeks With a Circus’), ‘Swiss Family Robinson,’ ‘Babes in Toyland’ and ‘A Tiger Walks,'” EW notes.

Behind the cameras, Corcoran was also an assistant director on “Murder, She Wrote” and “Baywatch.” He was named a Disney Legend in 2006.

Here’s a brief behind-the-scenes clip featuring Corcoran at work on “Savage Sam”:

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