Luke Halpin

Luke Austin Halpin (born April 4, 1947) is a former American actor, stuntman, marine coordinator, diver and pilot. He became a child actor at the age of eight and is widely 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 NBC television series adaptation, Flipper. Early life Halpin was born in Astoria, Queens, New York City, the son of Eugene A. Halpin and Helen Joan (Szczepanski) Halpin. His father was of Irish and German descent, and his maternal grandparents were Polish. He grew up with his family in Long Island City. He has an older brother, Eugene Jr., and an older sister, Joan. He and his siblings were raised as Roman Catholics. Career 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 One 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, The United States Steel Hour, Kraft Television Theatre, Hallmark Hall of Fame, The Phil Silvers Show, Harbormaster, The Defenders, Route 66, Naked City, The Everglades, and had a recurring role for six months on the soap opera Young Doctor Malone.