Walter Lawrence Burke (August 25, 1908 – August 4, 1984) was an American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

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

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to Irish immigrant parents Bedelia (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

McNamara) and Thomas Burke. His father bred trotting horses, with one farm each in Ireland and Scotland. Burke began acting on stage as a teenager, making his Broadway debut in '' Dearest Enemy'' at the Knickerbocker Theatre during the 1925–1926 season. The following year he performed in the musical revue ''Padlocks of 1927'' at the Shubert Theatre. He then joined the American Opera Company's troupe in January 1928, performing a non-singing role in an English-language adaption of ''

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

''. He continued with that company through January 1930, taking part in adaptions of ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'' and ''Yolanda of Cyprus'' at the Casino Theatre."'Yolanda' Sung by Americans" in the ''New York Times'', January 9, 1930, p. 28. His other Broadway credits included '' Help Yourself!'' (1936), ''

Red Harvest ''Red Harvest'' ( 1929) is a novel by American writer Dashiell Hammett. The story is narrated by the Continental Op, a frequent character in Hammett's fiction, much of which is drawn from his own experiences as an operative of the Pinkerton ...

'' (1937), ''A Hero Is Born'' (1937), ''The Old Foolishness'' (1940), '' Under This Roof'' (1942), '' The Eve of St. Mark'' (1942-1943), '' The World's Full of Girls'' (1943), '' Sadie Thompson'' (1944-1945), ''

Up in Central Park ''Up in Central Park'' is a Broadway musical with a book by Herbert Fields and Dorothy Fields, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and music by Sigmund Romberg. The musical, originally called "Central Park" before Broadway (see image of sheet music), was ...

'' (1945-1947), ''

Billy Budd ''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'', also known as ''Billy Budd, Foretopman'', is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed vers ...

'' (1951), '' Three Wishes for Jamie'' (1952), and ''

Major Barbara ''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...

'' (1957).

Film

Burke debuted in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

films in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

, with ''

The Naked City ''The Naked City'' (a.k.a. ''Naked City'') is a 1948 American crime procedural produced by Mark Hellinger, directed by Jules Dassin and written by Albert Maltz and Malvin Wald, from a story by Malvin Ward. Starring Barry Fitzgerald, with ...

'', and the following year had a memorable role in the

Oscar-winning The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

film ''

All the King's Men ''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U. ...

''. Burke would appear in twenty-two more films, and three more Broadway productions, but both film and the stage would soon take a backseat to his television work.

Television

In 1951, Burke played a jockey in the early television series '' Martin Kane''. From then until 1980, he would appear in episodes of 103 different television series, as well as three made-for-television movies. Though never a series regular, he often played different roles in multiple episodes of the same shows. In 1959–60, he appeared five times as Tim Potter in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

Black Saddle ''Black Saddle'' is an American Western television series starring Peter Breck that aired 44 half-hour black-and-white episodes from January 10, 1959, to May 6, 1960. The first season of 20 episodes aired on NBC from January 1959 to September ...

'' starring

Peter Breck Joseph Peter Breck (March 13, 1929 – February 6, 2012) was an American character actor. The rugged, dark-haired Breck played the gambler and gunfighter Doc Holliday on the ABC/ Warner Bros. Television series '' Maverick'' as well as Victoria B ...

. That same season, he appeared on

Andrew Duggan Andrew Duggan (December 28, 1923 – May 15, 1988) was an American character actor. His work includes 185 screen credits between 1949 and 1987 for roles in both film and television, as well a number more on stage. Background Duggan was born i ...

's ''

Bourbon Street Beat ''Bourbon Street Beat'' is a private detective television series that aired on the ABC network from October 5, 1959, to July 4, 1960, starring Richard Long as Rex Randolph and Andrew Duggan as Cal Calhoun, with Arlene Howell as detective agen ...

'' and

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

's ''

Johnny Staccato ''Johnny Staccato'' is an American private detective television series starring John Cassavetes that ran on NBC from September 10, 1959, through March 24, 1960. The program was initially titled ''Staccato''. Synopsis Titular character Johnny ...

'' detective series. He portrayed defendant Freddie Green in

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

's ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'' in the 1959 episode, "The Case of the Jaded Joker," the first of five appearances in diverse roles. In 1959, he played the title character in the ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series starring Dale Robertson in 201 episodes that aired from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until i ...

'' episode "The Little Man." Between 1959 and 1969, Burke made guest appearances on five episodes of the western drama series ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

''. In 1960 he played prosecutor James Blackburn on ''

'' in "The Case of the Ominous Outcast." Among his other roles he played a panhandler and a private detective. He guest-starred as Hatfield in the 1961 episode "The Drought" of the syndicated western series ''

Two Faces West ''Two Faces West'' is an American syndicated Western television series set in the Wild West running from October 1960 to July 1961 for a total of 39 half-hour episodes (one per week on a continuous run). It was produced by Donald Gold and Jon ...

''. In the 1962–1963 season, he appeared on the CBS

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

The Lloyd Bridges Show ''The Lloyd Bridges Show'' is an American anthology drama television series produced by Aaron Spelling that aired on CBS from September 11, 1962 to May 28, 1963, starring and hosted by Lloyd Bridges. Broadcast history ''The Lloyd Bridges Show'', ...

''. In the 1965–1966 season, Burke appeared on another ABC western, '' The Legend of Jesse James''. Burke played a magician called "Zeno the Great" in a 1965 (first season) episode of ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typi ...

'' entitled "It's Magic". He portrayed Alfred Swanson in the 1965 episode "Movie Star Munster" (S1, Ep28) of the television series, ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...

''. Burke also appeared on an episode of ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'', playing Mr. O.M. in "''The Toymaker''" (1967). He also appeared in an episode of "Wild Wild West" as the mayor of a town under siege, in ''

Hogan's Heroes ''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom created by Bernard Fein and Albert S. Ruddy which is set in a Prisoner-of-war camp, prisoner-of-war (POW) camp in Nazi Germany during World War II, and centers around a group of Allied prisoner ...

'' as the master safe cracker Alfie the Artiste, and in two episodes of "Bonanza", as Jesse in "Destiny's Child", and as an unsuspecting witness in a trial. Burke performed as well in the Western series '' The Virginian'', portraying the character Billy Neal in the 1970 episode "The Gift".

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. Burke split most of his later life between

, where he worked, and his farm in

Monroe County, Pennsylvania Monroe County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 168,327. Its county seat is Stroudsburg. The county is part of the Northeast Pennsylvania region of the state. The county was formed fr ...

. While back east, he would sometimes teach dramatics at a local college.

Death

On August 4, 1984, Burke died from

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

while living at the

Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital In physics, motion is when an object changes its position with respect to a reference point in a given time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed, and frame of reference to an observ ...

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...

Broadway stage credits

* '' Dearest Enemy'', Knickerbocker Theatre, (1925–1926) ... as ensemble * ''Padlocks of 1927'', Shubert Theatre, (1927) ... as performer * ''

'', 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 The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 48th Street (Manhattan), West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater ...

, (1942–1943) ... as Private Thomas Mulveroy * ''The World's Full of Girls'',

Royale Theatre The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre (formerly the Royale Theatre and the John Golden Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 242 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened ...

, (1943) ... as Nick * '' Sadie Thompson'',

Alvin Theater The Neil Simon Theatre, originally the Alvin Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 250 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1927, the theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp an ...

, (1944–1945) ... as Quartermaster Bates * ''Up in Central Park'',

New Century Theatre The New Century Theatre was a Broadway theater in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, at 205–207 West 58th Street and 926–932 Seventh Avenue. Opened on October 6, 1921, as Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, the theater was desi ...

(1945–1946) ... as Danny O'Cahane * ''

'', Biltmore Theatre, (1951) ... as O'Daniel * '' Three Wishes for Jamie'',

Mark Hellinger Theatre The Mark Hellinger Theatre (formerly the 51st Street Theatre and the Hollywood Theatre) is a church building at 237 West 51st Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, which formerly operated as a cinema and Broadway th ...

, (1952) ... as Power O'Malley * ''

'', Martin Beck Theatre, (1956–1957) ... as Snobby Price

Filmography

* ''

'' (1948) as Pete Backalis (uncredited) * ''

'' (1949) as Sugar Boy * ''Mystery Street'' (1950) as Ornithologist * ''The Killer That Stalked New York'' (1950) as Danny the Bellhop (uncredited) * ''Dark City (1950 film), Dark City'' (1950) as George the Bartender (uncredited) * ''Double Deal (1950 film), Double Deal'' (1950) as Wally, Karne's Thug (uncredited) * ''M (1951 film), 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 film), Jack the Giant Killer'' (1962) as Garna * ''Beauty and the Beast (1962 film), Beauty and the Beast'' (1962) as Grimaldi * ''How the West Was Won (film), 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 (film), My Fair Lady'' (1964) as Bystander (uncredited) * ''The Plainsman (1966 film), The Plainsman'' (1966) as Abe Ireland * ''Double Trouble (1967 film), 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 (film), 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 (TV series), Johnny Midnight'' as McVey in untitled episode * ''Peter Gunn:'' "The Torch" (1958) ... as Ditto * ''

'' "The Little Man" (1959) ... as Marty Saunders * ''

:'' "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 (TV series), Lawman:'' "Red Ransom" (1959) ... as Whiskey Jimmie Lawman (1961) S4 E15 "By The Book"...as Ernie * ''Rescue 8:'' "Left Hook to Hades" (1959) ... as Mike Thompson * ''

:'' "The Case of the Jaded Joker" (1959) ... as Freddie Green * ''

:'' "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 * ''

'': 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 (TV series), 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 (TV series), Rawhide'': "The Incident of the Deserter" (1960) ... as Mr. Dimity * ''Bat Masterson (TV series), Bat Masterson:'' "Bat Trap" (1960) ... uncredited * ''Tombstone Territory:'' "Memory" (1960) ... as Harry Ames * ''

:'' "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 (1962 TV series), Empire'': "Where the Hawk Is Wheeling" (1963) ... as Micah * ''

'': "The Rising Moon" (1963) ... as O'Farrell * ''The Outer Limits (1963 TV series), The Outer Limits'': "The Mutant" (1964) * ''The Outer Limits (1963 TV series), The Outer Limits'': "The Invisibles (The Outer Limits), The Invisibles" (1964) * ''

:'' "The Case of the Wooden Nickels" (1964) ... as Jerry Kelso, Panhandler * ''

:'' "The Case of the Crafty Kidnapper" (1966) ... as Private Investigator Adams * ''This Man Dawson:'' "Plague" (1960) ... as "Jumpy" Higgins * ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), 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 (TV series), Mickey'' with Mickey Rooney: "For the Love of Grandpa Toddie" (1964) .... as Grandfather Toddie * ''

'': "It's Magic" (Season 1 Episode 16) (1964) ... Zeno the Great, a hapless magician * ''

'': "Movie Star Munster" (1965) ... as Alfred Swanson * ''

'': "The Safecracker Suite" (Season 1 Episode 27) (1966) ... Alfred Burke a.k.a. Alfie the Artiste, an English safecracking master * ''The Fugitive (1963 TV series), The Fugitive'': "Joshua's Kingdom" (1966) ... as Doc * ''Batman (TV series), Batman'': "Fine Feathered Finks" and "The Penguin's a Jinx", Episodes 3 and 4 (1966) as Sparrow * ''Rango (TV series), Rango'': "The Rustlers" (1967) as Brooks * ''

'': "The Toymaker" (Season 2 Episode 18) (1967).... as the Toymaker, Mr. O.M. (Old Man) * ''The F.B.I. (TV series), 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, 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 (TV series), Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'': "Terrible Leprechaun" (Season 4) (1968) ... as Leprechaun Mickey and Patrik * ''Ironside (TV series), Ironside'': "All in a Day's Work" (Season 1 Episode 21) (1968) ... as the Informer * ''Mission: Impossible (1966 TV series), Mission: Impossible'': "Image" (Season 6 Episode 17) (1972) ... as Nate Ullstead * ''Ghost Story (TV series), Ghost Story'' "The Concrete Captain" (Episode 2) (1972) ... as Daniel * ''Adam-12'': "Backup 1-L20" (1972) ... as Billy Fuller

Notes

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burke, Walter 1908 births 1984 deaths American male stage actors American male film actors American male radio actors American male television actors American people of Irish descent Deaths from emphysema Male actors from Brooklyn 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Los Angeles Western (genre) television actors