Charles Herbert

Charles Herbert, a former child actor whose credits included dozens of movies and television shows, died Oct. 31 of a heart attack. He was 66.

The death was announced by actor Paul Petersen, who acted with Herbert in the 1958 movie "Houseboat" that starred Cary Grant and Sophia Loren.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, Petersen said, "There are phone calls you wish you didn't answer. One such came last night when Jerry Saperstein called to tell me his younger brother, Charlie, had passed away last Saturday of a sudden heart attack. You may not know the name unless you're a Sci-Fi fan."

He described his longtime friend upbeat "and positive, looking forward to the next Sci-Fi convention." Herbert acted during the 1950s and '60s, most notably in the horror films "The Fly" in 1958 and "13 Ghosts" in 1960. He also had roles in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" and "Please Don't Eat the Daisies."

Herbert started acting at age 4 on the television series "Half Pint Panel."

As a teen in the 1960s, Herbert made TV appearances on classic series including "Wagon Train," "Rawhide," "The Twilight Zone," "Family Affair" and "My Three Sons."

He was born Dec. 23, 1948, as Charles Herbert Saperstein in Culver City, California.

Herbert ended up broke, but he received help over the last decade through Petersen's organization, A Minor Consideration, which provides financial and emotional assistance to present and former child actors.