Kirk was born in Louisville, Kentucky, one of four sons. His father, Louis, was a mechanic who worked for the highway department; his mother, Lucy, was a legal secretary. Looking for better job opportuniti… See more

In April 1956, 14-year-old Kirk was cast as Joe Hardy for The Mickey Mouse Club serial The Hardy Boys, alongside Tim Considine as Frank Hardy. The first of the serials, The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, was filmed in Ju… See more

Kirk began to work steadily in television throughout 1956 and 1957 in episodes of Lux Video Theatre ("Green Promise"), Frontier ("The Devil and Doctor O'Hara"), Big Town ("Adult Delinquents"), Crossroads ("The Rabb… See more