Kevin Corcoran, the former child star who played the youngest son in Old Yeller and went on to work as a producer on such TV series as Sons of Anarchy and The Shield, died Tuesday in Santa Monica, Calif., from complications of cancer. He was 66.
Corcorans niece Karnel Watkins confirmed the news to EW.
Born in Santa Monica and raised with seven siblings, who also acted, Corcoran appeared in several Disney productions in the 1950s. He often played variations of a rambunctious kid named Moochie, as in three Mickey Mouse Club serials and the movie The Shaggy Dog.
Corcorans most famous role was young Arliss Coates in Old Yeller, the 1957 tearjerker about a frontier family and their loyal yellow hound. He would reprise the role in a 1963 sequel, Savage Sam. Corcorans other movie credits include Toby Tyler (aka Ten Weeks With a Circus), Swiss Family Robinson, Babes in Toyland, and A Tiger Walks.
After getting a theater arts degree from Cal State Northridge, Corcoran enjoyed a second act as an assistant director (Murder, She Wrote; Baywatch) and producer (Return From Witch Mountain, Sons of Anarchy). He was named a Disney Legend in 2006.
Corcorans survivors include his wife of 43 years, Laura, and four siblings.