in
A Christmas Carol (1938)
Hollywood and Broadway Known for his innocent, dreamy, doe-eyed look, Kilburn achieved fame at the age of 11 portraying
Tiny Tim in the 1938
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film version of
A Christmas Carol, and also as four generations of the Colley family in
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). As a child actor, Kilburn also played leading roles in two films which starred
Freddie Bartholomew:
Lord Jeff (1938) and
Swiss Family Robinson (1940). He was featured in
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) with
Basil Rathbone. In addition to
Lord Jeff (1938), he worked alongside
Mickey Rooney in
Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever (1939),
A Yank at Eton (1942), and
National Velvet (1944). In 1946 he was Joe, the horse's groom, in
Black Beauty. In his early 20s, in 1947 and 1948, he was in four back-to-back
Bulldog Drummond films, as Seymour, a reporter; and in 1950 he had small roles in two seagoing films. After high school, Kilburn concentrated on stage work, and studied drama at
UCLA. He thereafter remained committed to live performances, as both actor and director. Meadow Brook Theatre is the largest non-profit professional theater in Michigan and presents classic plays, comedies, and musicals. The theater is known for its annual production of Dickens'
A Christmas Carol, adapted by Kilburn's partner,
Charles Nolte. ==Personal life==