Walter Burke
Walter Burke | |
---|---|
Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
Died | August 4, 1984 , U.S. | (aged 75)
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1925–1981 |
Spouse |
Kathryn Patricia Rooney
(m. 1937; died 1956) |
Children | 4 |
Walter Lawrence Burke (August 25, 1908 – August 4, 1984) was an American character actor of stage, film, and television whose career in entertainment spanned over a half century. Although he was a native of New York, Burke's Irish ancestry often led to his being cast in roles as an Irishman or Englishman. His small stature and distinctive voice and face also made him easily recognizable to audiences even when he was performing in minor supporting roles.
Early life and stage career
Walter Burke was born in the
Burke began acting on stage as a teenager, making his
Film
Burke debuted in
Television
In 1951, Burke played a jockey in the early television series
In 1960 he played prosecutor James Blackburn on
Personal life
Burke married Kathryn Patricia Rooney in 1937 and they had four children, Catherine, Margaret, Deborah and Leslie. Kathryn Rooney died on May 21, 1956.[citation needed]
Burke split most of his later life between Hollywood, where he worked, and his farm in Monroe County, Pennsylvania. While back east, he would sometimes teach dramatics at a local college.[citation needed]
Death
On August 4, 1984, Burke died from
Broadway stage credits
- Dearest Enemy, Knickerbocker Theatre, (1925–1926) ... as ensemble
- Padlocks of 1927, Shubert Theatre, (1927) ... as performer
- Faust, Gallo Theatre, (1928) ... as A Soldier
- Casino Theatre, (1930) ... as Registrar
- Yolanda of Cyprus, Casino Theatre, (1930) ... as Tremitus
- Help Yourself, Manhattan Theatre, (1936) ... as Frederick Bittlesby
- Red Harvest, National Theatre, (1937) ... as Courier Rockman
- A Hero Is Born, Adelphi Theater, (1937) ... as William / A Gentleman of Uncertain Age
- The Old Foolishness, Windsor Theatre, (1940) ... as Dan Dorian
- Not in Our Stars, Biltmore Theatre, (1941) ... as Kevlin Hoolihan
- Under This Roof, Windsor Theatre, (1942) ... as Shawn O'Shaughnessy
- The Eve of St. Mark, Cort Theatre, (1942–1943) ... as Private Thomas Mulveroy
- The World's Full of Girls, Royale Theatre, (1943) ... as Nick
- Alvin Theater, (1944–1945) ... as Quartermaster Bates
- Up in Central Park, New Century Theatre (1945–1946) ... as Danny O'Cahane
- Billy Budd, Biltmore Theatre, (1951) ... as O'Daniel
- Three Wishes for Jamie, Mark Hellinger Theatre, (1952) ... as Power O'Malley
- Martin Beck Theatre, (1956–1957) ... as Snobby Price
Filmography
- The Naked City (1948) as Pete Backalis (uncredited)
- All the King's Men (1949) as Sugar Boy
- Mystery Street (1950) as Ornithologist
- The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) as Danny the Bellhop (uncredited)
- Dark City (1950) as George the Bartender (uncredited)
- Double Deal (1950) as Wally, Karne's Thug (uncredited)
- M (1951) as MacMahan
- The Guy Who Came Back (1951) as O'Mara
- Never Love a Stranger (1958) as Jimmy Keough (uncredited)
- The Crimson Kimono (1959) as Ziggy (uncredited)
- Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) as Wart
- Jack the Giant Killer (1962) as Garna
- Beauty and the Beast (1962) as Grimaldi
- How the West Was Won (1962) as Poker Player in wagon (uncredited)
- The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze (1963) as Lory Filch
- The Wheeler Dealers (1963) as Billy Joe (uncredited)
- My Fair Lady (1964) as Bystander (uncredited)
- The Plainsman (1966) as Abe Ireland
- Double Trouble (1967) as Mate
- Stranger on the Run (1967, TV Movie) as Abraham Berk
- The President's Analyst (1967) as Henry Lux, FBR Chief
- Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) as Fred Johnson
- Support Your Local Gunfighter (1970) as Morris
- Chandler (1971) as Zeno
- The Stone Killer (1973) as JD, marijuana dealer
Television credits (partial)
- Martin Kane: "A Jockey Is Murdered" (1951) ... as Eddie Stevens
- Johnny Midnight as McVey in untitled episode
- Peter Gunn: "The Torch" (1958) ... as Ditto
- Tales of Wells Fargo "The Little Man" (1959) ... as Marty Saunders
- Gunsmoke: "Wind" (1959) ... as a Bystander
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1959) (Season 4 Episode 21: "Relative Value") ... as Benny
- Yancy Derringer: "Panic in Town" (1959) ... as Sneaky Joe
- Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond: "Front Runner" (1959) ... as jockey Sam Barry
- Lawman: "Red Ransom" (1959) ... as Whiskey Jimmie
- Rescue 8: "Left Hook to Hades" (1959) ... as Mike Thompson
- Perry Mason: "The Case of the Jaded Joker" (1959) ... as Freddie Green
- Perry Mason: "The Case of the Ominous Outcast" (1960) ... as James Blackburn
- Sugarfoot: "The Mysterious Stranger" (1959) ... as Bartender
- The Man from Blackhawk: 2 episodes, "Death Is the Best Policy" (1959) as Tyce; "The Harpoon Story" (1960) ... as Tom Abbott
- Gunsmoke: 2 episodes: "Hinka Do" (S5E21 - 1960) ... as Herman & "Circus Trick" (S10E20 - 1965) ... as "Mr. Elko"
- The Alaskans: 3 episodes, "The Blizzard" (1959) and "The Devil Made Fire" (1960) ... as Jenks in both segments; "Kangaroo Court" (1960) ... as Sid Queed
- The Islanders: 2 episodes, "Operation Dollar Sign" and "The Phanton Captain" (1960) ... as Mesrob in both segments
- 77 Sunset Strip: 3 episodes, "The Double Death of Benny Markham (1960) ....as Benny Markham, "The Baker Street Caper" (1962) ... as Riordan, and "Terror in Silence (1963) .... as Joe Dolan
- Rawhide: "The Incident of the Deserter" (1960) ... as Mr. Dimity
- Bat Masterson: "Bat Trap" (1960) ... uncredited
- Tombstone Territory: "Memory" (1960) ... as Harry Ames
- Perry Mason: "The Case of the Missing Melody" (1961) ... as Jack Grabba
- The Lawless Years: "The Miles Miller Story" (1961) ... as Miles Miller
- G.E. True: "A Friendly Tribe" (1961) ... as L.B. Prentiss
- Bonanza: 3 episodes, "Bank Run" (1961) .... as Tim O'Brien, "Destiny's Child" (1966) .... as Jesse Pierson, "The Twenty-Sixth Grave" (1972) .... as Campbell
- The Wide Country: "Good Old Uncle Walt" (1962) ... as Tim Mayhew
- Follow the Sun: "Annie Beeler's Place" (1962) ... as Gympy
- Empire: "Where the Hawk Is Wheeling" (1963) ... as Micah
- The Lloyd Bridges Show: "The Rising Moon" (1963) ... as O'Farrell
- The Outer Limits: "The Mutant" (1964)
- The Outer Limits: "The Invisibles" (1964)
- Perry Mason: "The Case of the Wooden Nickels" (1964) ... as Jerry Kelso, Panhandler
- Perry Mason: "The Case of the Crafty Kidnapper" (1966) ... as Private Investigator Adams
- This Man Dawson: "Plague" (1960) ... as "Jumpy" Higgins
- The Twilight Zone: "The Big Tall Wish" (1960) ... as Joe Mizell
- Hawaiian Eye: "Talk and You're Dead" (1961) ... as Kilgore
- Have Gun–Will Travel: Season 2 Episode 36 (1963) ... Mr. Abbott: A school teacher who disclosed information to Paladin about the murder of a man by the ex-sheriff.
- Arrest & Trial: "The Black Flower" (1964) ... as Hoby Osborne
- Mickey with Mickey Rooney: "For the Love of Grandpa Toddie" (1964) .... as Grandfather Toddie
- Bewitched: "It's Magic" (Season 1 Episode 16) (1964) ... Zeno the Great, a hapless magician
- The Munsters: "Movie Star Munster" (1965) ... as Alfred Swanson
- Hogan's Heroes: "The Safecracker Suite" (Season 1 Episode 27) (1966) ... Alfred Burke a.k.a. Alfie the Artiste, an English safecracking master
- The Fugitive: "Joshua's Kingdom" (1966) ... as Doc
- Batman: "Fine Feathered Finks" and "The Penguin's a Jinx", Episodes 3 and 4 (1966) as Sparrow
- Rango: "The Rustlers" (1967) as Brooks
- Lost in Space: "The Toymaker" (Season 2 Episode 18) (1967).... as the Toymaker, Mr. O.M. (Old Man)
- The F.B.I.: "The Two Million Dollar Hit" (1974) .... as Arnie Hellings
- I Dream of Jeannie: "One Jeannie Beats Four of a Kind" (1970) ... as The Boss
- The Big Valley (TV series) 4 episodes, "The Iron Box" (1966) ... as Young Billy, "The Disappearance" (1967) ... as George Gates, "Fall of a Hero" (1968) ... as T.J. Dyce, "Point and Counterpoint" (1969) ...as Ned Stokely
- Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea: "Terrible Leprechaun" (Season 4) (1968) ... as Leprechaun Mickey and Patrik
- Ironside: "All in a Day's Work" (Season 1 Episode 21) (1968) ... as the Informer
- Mission: Impossible: "Image" (Season 6 Episode 17) (1972) ... as Nate Ullstead
- Ghost Story "The Concrete Captain" (Episode 2) (1972) ... as Daniel
- Adam-12: "Backup 1-L20" (1972) ... as Billy Fuller
Notes
- ^
- ^ "A New Version of 'Faust'" in the New York Times, January 11, 1928, p. 26.
- ^ "'Yolanda' Sung by Americans" in the New York Times, January 9, 1930, p. 28.
- ^ "Walter Burke, a character actor who appeared in a..." UPI Archives. United Press International. August 16, 1984. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
External links
- Walter Burke at IMDb
- Walter Burke at AllMovie
- Walter Burke at Turner Classic Movies
- Walter Burke at the Internet Broadway Database
- Walter Burke at Find a Grave