 York served in the United States Army during World War II.During his early career, the tall, dark-haired actor was a natural to play characters such as Pat Ryan in the 1940 serial "Terry and the Pirates" and was given the lead in the 1940 film "Li'l Abner".However, he is perhaps most remembered for his role as Bud Searcy in Disney's classic "Old Yeller" and its 1963 sequel "Savage Sam".