Luke Halpin
Encyclopedia
Luke Halpin is an American
actor
. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor
at the age of eight, Halpin is perhaps best known for his role as Sandy Ricks in the feature films Flipper
and Flipper's New Adventure
, as well as for reprising his role for the television series adaptation, also titled Flipper
.
, New York City
to parents, Helen and Eugene Halpin. He has one older brother, Eugene, Jr., and one older sister, Joan.
entitled Miracle at Potter's Farm. Numerous roles followed, and by his mid-teens, Halpin had 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
, The 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
.
Halpin's early career also included several stage roles. He made his Broadway debut in Take Me Along
starring Jackie Gleason, and appeared with Mary Martin in both Annie Get Your Gun
and Peter Pan
.
. 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, and Tommy 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.
(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.
, Porky's Revenge!, and Speed 2: Cruise Control
as well as for the television series Miami Vice
. He also continued to make cameo appearance
s, most notably, on the television series Key West
, and in the 1996 feature film remake, Flipper
, starring a 15-year-old Elijah Wood
as Sandy Ricks.
Halpin lives on Florida's
west coast with his second wife, Deborah. He has three sons, Kyle Austin Halpin (born in October 1980), Blair Luke Halpin (born in December 1982), and Courtney Luke Halpin (born in April 1990).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. Beginning a prolific career as a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
at the age of eight, Halpin is perhaps best known for his role as Sandy Ricks in the feature films Flipper
Flipper (1963 film)
Flipper is an American feature film released on August 14, 1963 written by Ricou Browning and Jack Cowden. Produced by Ivan Tors and directed by James B. Clark, it portrays a 12-year old boy living with his parents on the Florida Keys, who befriends an injured wild dolphin...
and Flipper's New Adventure
Flipper's New Adventure
Flipper's New Adventure is an American feature film released on June 24, 1964 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, written by Art Arthur, and directed by Leon Benson...
, as well as for reprising his role for the television series adaptation, also titled Flipper
Flipper (1964 TV series)
Flipper, from Ivan Tors Films in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, is an American television program first broadcast on NBC from September 19, 1964, until April 15, 1967. Flipper, a bottlenose dolphin, is the companion animal of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at fictional Coral Key Park...
.
Early life
Halpin was born Luke Austin Halpin on April 4, 1947 in Astoria, QueensAstoria, Queens
Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. Located in Community Board 1, Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City, Sunnyside , and Woodside...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to parents, Helen and Eugene Halpin. He has one older brother, Eugene, Jr., and one older sister, Joan.
Early Career
Halpin's career began when a music teacher, impressed by Halpin's "all-American" look, encouraged him to try acting. In 1955 he co-starred with Natalie Wood in an episode of Studio OneStudio One (TV series)
Studio One is a long-running American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by the 26-year-old Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC.-Radio:...
entitled Miracle at Potter's Farm. Numerous roles followed, and by his mid-teens, Halpin had appeared on many of the major TV series of the day: Armstrong Circle Theatre
Armstrong Circle Theatre
Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from 1950 to 1957 on NBC, and then until 1963 on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour.-Synopsis:...
, United States Steel Hour, Studio One
Studio One (TV series)
Studio One is a long-running American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by the 26-year-old Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC.-Radio:...
, Kraft Television Theatre
Kraft Television Theatre
Kraft Television Theatre is an American drama/anthology television series that began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. In January 1948, it moved to 9pm on Wednesdays, continuing in that timeslot until 1958. Initially produced by the J...
, Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
, The Everglades
The Everglades (TV series)
The Everglades is an American crime-adventure television series that aired in first-run syndication for one season from 1961–62 and in reruns. Ron Hayes starred as Constable Lincoln Vail, a law enforcement officer of the fictional Everglades County Patrol who traveled the Florida Everglades...
, The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
, The Defenders, Route 66
Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
, Naked City
Naked City (TV series)
Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
, and had a recurring role for six months on the soap opera Young Doctor Malone
Young Doctor Malone
Young Doctor Malone is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963...
.
Halpin's early career also included several stage roles. He made his Broadway debut in Take Me Along
Take Me Along
Take Me Along is a musical based on the Eugene O'Neill play Ah, Wilderness, with music and lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Joseph Stein and Robert Russell.-Background:...
starring Jackie Gleason, and appeared with Mary Martin in both Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
and Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
.
Flipper
Halpin's most famous role came when he was picked to play Sandy Ricks in the 1962 (released 1963) feature FlipperFlipper (1963 film)
Flipper is an American feature film released on August 14, 1963 written by Ricou Browning and Jack Cowden. Produced by Ivan Tors and directed by James B. Clark, it portrays a 12-year old boy living with his parents on the Florida Keys, who befriends an injured wild dolphin...
. The successful film spawned a sequel, Flipper's New Adventure
Flipper's New Adventure
Flipper's New Adventure is an American feature film released on June 24, 1964 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, written by Art Arthur, and directed by Leon Benson...
(1964), and a TV series which co-starred Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly (actor)
Brian Kelly was an American actor best known for his role as Porter Ricks, the widowed father of two sons on the NBC television series Flipper, and as Scott Ross in the ABC advernture series Straightaway, with co-star John Ashley.-Early years:Born in Detroit, Michigan, Kelly was the son of former...
as Porter Ricks. Kelly played a young widowed father to Halpin, who was only sixteen years younger than Kelly, and Tommy Norden
Tommy Norden
-Career:Tommy Norden is best known for his years playing Bud Ricks, the red-haired, younger brother of Sandy Ricks , on the television series Flipper, starring Brian Kelly and Andy Devine....
. Character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
Andy Devine
Andy Devine
Andrew Vabre "Andy" Devine was an American character actor and comic cowboy sidekick known for his distinctive raspy voice.-Early life:...
also appeared in the series.
Flipper
Flipper (1964 TV series)
Flipper, from Ivan Tors Films in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, is an American television program first broadcast on NBC from September 19, 1964, until April 15, 1967. Flipper, a bottlenose dolphin, is the companion animal of Porter Ricks, Chief Warden at fictional Coral Key Park...
ran for 88 episodes (1964–1967), and is still in syndication. The TV series made Halpin a popular teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
among younger viewers. He was often featured in teen magazines, including Bravo
Bravo (magazine)
Bravo is the largest teen magazine within the German-language sphere. The first issue was published in 1956, subtitled as "the magazine for film and television" . Marilyn Monroe's portrait graced the first published issue, the never-published dummy issue cover displayed Elvis Presley.-History:The...
, Teen Life, 16 Magazine
16 magazine
16 Magazine was a fan magazine based out of New York City. It was the first magazine marketed to adolescents that focused exclusively on celebrities...
, and the earliest issues of Tiger Beat
Tiger Beat
Tiger Beat is an American fan magazine marketed primarily to adolescent girls. It is currently published by Laufer Media, Inc. of Los Angeles, California, which also produces its sister publication, Bop....
. On the basis of his appearance in the original Flipper
Flipper (1963 film)
Flipper is an American feature film released on August 14, 1963 written by Ricou Browning and Jack Cowden. Produced by Ivan Tors and directed by James B. Clark, it portrays a 12-year old boy living with his parents on the Florida Keys, who befriends an injured wild dolphin...
movie, Luke was a guest "contestant" on the panel show To Tell The Truth
To Tell the Truth
To Tell the Truth is an American television panel game show created by Bob Stewart and produced by Goodson-Todman Productions that has aired in various forms since 1956 both on networks and in syndication...
prior to Flipper's move to television.
Later work
Following the end of the Flipper series, Halpin appeared in feature films, including Island of the Lost (1967), If It's Tuesday, This Must Be BelgiumIf It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium is a 1969 romantic comedy film made by Wolper Pictures and released by United Artists. It was directed by Mel Stuart, filmed on location throughout Europe, and features many cameo appearances from various stars....
(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.
After acting
Following an acting career that spanned three decades, Halpin began working as a stuntman, marine coordinator, diver, and speedboat pilot for such feature films as Never Say Never AgainNever Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again is a 1983 spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which was previously filmed in 1965 as Thunderball...
, Porky's Revenge!, and Speed 2: Cruise Control
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Speed 2: Cruise Control is a 1997 action–thriller film, and a sequel to Speed . The film was produced and directed by Jan de Bont, and written by Randall McCormick and Jeff Nathanson, based on a story by de Bont and McCormick. Sandra Bullock stars in the film, reprising her role from Speed,...
as well as for the television series Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
. He also continued to make cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
s, most notably, on the television series Key West
Key West (TV series)
Key West was a short-lived 1993 hour long comedy-drama television series set in Key West, Florida. Thirteen episodes aired on Fox between January and June 1993. It was created by David Beaird and Allan Marcil...
, and in the 1996 feature film remake, Flipper
Flipper (1996 film)
Flipper is a 1996 remake of the 1963 film of the same name, starring Paul Hogan and Elijah Wood. The movie is about a boy who has to spend the summer with his uncle Porter , who lives in the Florida Keys...
, starring a 15-year-old Elijah Wood
Elijah Wood
Elijah Jordan Wood is an American actor. He made his film debut with a minor part in Back to the Future Part II , then landed a succession of larger roles that made him a critically acclaimed child actor by age 9. He is best known for his high-profile role as Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson's...
as Sandy Ricks.
Halpin lives on Florida's
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
west coast with his second wife, Deborah. He has three sons, Kyle Austin Halpin (born in October 1980), Blair Luke Halpin (born in December 1982), and Courtney Luke Halpin (born in April 1990).