‘My Three Sons’ Star Tim Considine Dies At 81

Tim Considine, the oldest son on the sitcom My Three Sons, died Thursday in Los Angeles at the age of 78. He died at 81.

Considine was born on December 31, 1940. John W. Considine was a movie producer. His mother was the daughter of Alexander Pantages. John Considine was active in the entertainment industry. Tim followed in their footsteps when he made his movie debut at age 12 as the son of a comedian in The Clown.

Prior to joining The Mickey Mouse Club, Considine was a child star guest-starring on shows like Im the Law, The Ford Television Theatre, and Your Jeweler. He appeared in four segments on The Mickey Mouse Club from 1955 to 1959 as Spin, Marty, and Frank, as well as opposite Annette Funicello in The Mystery of the Ghost Farm.

Considine was in a family film with his father. My Three Sons, which began on ABC in 1960 and featured Considine as the older brother Mike, was broadcasted one year later. William Frawley was featured as his grandfather.

Considine left the series in the fall of 1965, after a disagreement with Don Fedderson, the executive producer, over Considine's wish to direct but not co-star in the series. In the sixth season premiere of CBS, he married Sally and moved East to accept a teaching position. Barry Livingston is the third son and Considine is never mentioned again.

Considine played a shell-shocked soldier in the film "Patton", which was nominated for an Oscar.

Considine had guest appearances on TV shows like Ironside, Gunsmoke, and The Smith Family before going into a career as an automobile historian, photographer, and writer. He was the author of The Photographic Dictionary of Soccer, The Language of Sport, American Grand Prix Racing: A Century of Drivers and Cars, and Twice Around the Clock: The Americans at LeMans. He has written for William Safire in The New York Times magazine.

His survivors include his wife, Willett, his son, siblings, and his grandsons. He was married to actress Charlotte Stewart from 1965 to 1969 and they divorced in 1969.