Christopher Shea

Child actor Christopher Dylan Shea was born on February 5, 1958, in Los Angeles County, California. He was the older brother of fellow child actors Eric Shea and Stephen Shea. Christopher had a regular part as "Joey Starett" on the short-lived western TV series Shane (1966). He also made guest appearances on episodes of such TV series as Bonanza (1959), The Invaders (1967), Green Acres (1965) and The Odd Couple (1970). He was best-known as the voice of the precocious "Linus Van Pelt" in a handful of delightful "Peanuts" TV specials that include the much-beloved holiday favorites, A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966). He lived in Humboldt County in California for over 20 years. He died at age 52 from natural causes near his home in Honeydew, California, on August 10, 2010; he's survived by his wife, Sara Straton, and daughters Nicea and Teal Straton-Shea.