Question: How old is the actor who started in the 1957 American drama film, "Old Yeller".
Context: A Dog of Flanders is an American film, released in 1959 by 20th Century Fox in CinemaScope and Color by De Luxe.  Based on the 1872 novel of the same name by Ouida.  It was directed by James B. Clark, with stars David Ladd, Donald Crisp and Theodore Bikel.  The film has a happy ending for the boy and his dog.  "Patrasche" is played by Spike the Mastador, best known for playing the title character in Old Yeller. Young and Dangerous is a 1957 American drama film directed by William F. Claxton and written by James Landis.  The film stars Lili Gentle, Mark Damon, Edward Binns, Frances Mercer, George Brenlin and Connie Stevens.  The film was released on October 30, 1957, by 20th Century Fox. Lure of the Swamp is a 1957 American drama film directed by Hubert Cornfield and written by William George.  The film stars Marshall Thompson, Willard Parker, Joan Vohs, Jack Elam, Leo Gordon and Joan Lora.  The film was released in May 1957, by 20th Century Fox. Ruddell Bird "Rudd" Weatherwax (September 23, 1907 – February 25, 1985) was an American actor and animal trainer and breeder.  He and his brother Frank are best remembered for training dogs for motion pictures and television.  Their collie, Pal, became the original Lassie, handled by Rudd for the 1943 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film "Lassie Come Home".  He also handled the dogs for the "Lassie" television series which ran from 1954 to 1974, and trained Spike for the 1957 feature film "Old Yeller".  After his death, his son, Robert, took over the training of the animals Frederick Benjamin "Fred" Gipson (February 7, 1908 – August 14, 1973) was an American author.  He is best known for writing the 1956 novel "Old Yeller", which became a popular 1957 Walt Disney film.  Gipson was born on a farm near Mason in the Texas Hill Country, the son of Beck Gipson and Emma Deishler.  After working at a variety of farming and ranching jobs, he enrolled in 1933 at the University of Texas at Austin.  There he wrote for the "Daily Texan" and "The Ranger", but he left school before graduating to become a newspaper journalist. The Buster Keaton Story is a 1957 American drama film directed by Sidney Sheldon and written by Sidney Sheldon and Robert Smith.  The film stars Donald O'Connor, Ann Blyth, Rhonda Fleming, Peter Lorre, Larry Keating and Jackie Coogan.  The film was released on April 21, 1957, by Paramount Pictures.  The film was described by AllMovie as "sublimely inaccurate" regarding details of Keaton's life.  It was produced by Paramount Pictures, which paid Keaton $50,000 for the rights to his life story, allowing Keaton to remain financially solvent for the remainder of his life. Old Yeller is a 1957 American drama film produced by Walt Disney.  It stars Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire and Beverly Washburn.  It is about a boy and a stray dog in post-Civil War Texas.  The film is based upon the 1956 Newbery Honor-winning book of the same name by Fred Gipson.  Gipson also cowrote the screenplay with William Tunberg.  The success of the "Old Yeller" film led to a sequel, "Savage Sam", which was also based on a book by Gipson. Thomas Lee "Tommy" Kirk (born December 10, 1941) is an American former actor and later a businessman.  He is best known for his performances in a number of highly popular movies made by Walt Disney Studios such as "Old Yeller", "The Shaggy Dog", "The Swiss Family Robinson" and "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones", as well as beach party movies of the mid 1960s. Old Yeller is a 1956 children's novel written by Fred Gipson and illustrated by Carl Burger.  It was nominated for the Newberry Medal.  The title is taken from the name of the yellow dog who is the center of the book's story.  In 1957 Walt Disney released a film adaptation starring Tommy Kirk, Fess Parker, Dorothy McGuire, Kevin Corcoran, Jeff York, and Beverly Washburn. Spike was a lop-eared yellow Mastador (Mastiff/ Labrador Retriever mix) and a dog actor best known for his performance as Old Yeller in the 1957 Disney film of the same name co-starring Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, and Kevin Corcoran.  Spike was rescued as a pup from a shelter in Van Nuys, California and became the pet and pupil of animal trainer Frank Weatherwax.
Answer: born December 10, 1941