James Burke (actor)
Encyclopedia
James Burke was an American
actor
born in New York City
. He made his stage debut in New York around 1912 and went to Hollywood in 1933. He made over 200 film appearances during his career, which ranged from 1932 to 1964. He appeared in The Maltese Falcon
, At the Circus
, Lone Star
, and many others.
In the early 1950s, Burke appeared with Tom Conway
in the ABC
detective
drama series then called Inspector Mark Saber -- Homicide Detective, later renamed, reformatted, and switched to NBC
under the title Saber of London
. From 1960-1961, Burke appeared in the role of Zeke Bonner in seven episodes of the ABC western
television series Stagecoach West
.
Burke suffered from a heart condition, which took his life at the age of eighty-one.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He made his stage debut in New York around 1912 and went to Hollywood in 1933. He made over 200 film appearances during his career, which ranged from 1932 to 1964. He appeared in The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
, At the Circus
At the Circus
At the Circus is a 1939 Marx Brothers comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in which they save a circus from bankruptcy...
, Lone Star
Lone Star (1952 film)
Lone Star is a 1952 Western film starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Broderick Crawford, Ed Begley, and Lionel Barrymore as President Andrew Jackson...
, and many others.
In the early 1950s, Burke appeared with Tom Conway
Tom Conway
Tom Conway was a British film and radio actor, and elder brother of actor George Sanders.-Early life:...
in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
drama series then called Inspector Mark Saber -- Homicide Detective, later renamed, reformatted, and switched to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
under the title Saber of London
Saber of London
Saber of London is a half-hour 1950s detective television series about a British police captain named Mark Saber, who works, in the original version of the program, in the homicide department of a large American city. Tom Conway portrayed Mark Saber from October 1951 to June 1954...
. From 1960-1961, Burke appeared in the role of Zeke Bonner in seven episodes of the ABC western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series Stagecoach West
Stagecoach West (TV series)
Stagecoach West is a highly-acclaimed Western drama television series which ran for thirty-eight episodes on the ABC network from October 4, 1960, until June 27, 1961. Characters Luke Perry and Simon Kane operate the Timberland Stage Line from Missouri to San Francisco...
.
Burke suffered from a heart condition, which took his life at the age of eighty-one.
Partial filmography
- Lady by ChoiceLady by ChoiceLady by Choice is a 1934 romantic drama film starring Carole Lombard as a fan dancer and May Robson as a homeless drunk who is asked to pose as the dancer's mother for a publicity stunt, with unexpected consequences.-Plot:...
(1934) - It's a GiftIt's a GiftIt's a Gift is a 1934 comedy film starring W. C. Fields, considered by film historians to be one of Fields' best and funniest films.It concerns the trials and tribulations of a grocery store owner as he battles a shrewish wife, an incompetent assistant, and assorted annoying children, customers,...
(1934) - City LimitsCity Limits (1934 film)City Limits is a 1934 American comedy film directed by William Nigh and starring Frank Craven, Sally Blane, Ray Walker and Claude Gillingwater...
(1934) - Mississippi (1935)
- The Call of the WildThe Call of the Wild (1935 film)The Call of the Wild is a 1935 American adventure film adaptation of Jack London's novel of the same name. A prospector heading for the Alaska gold rush rescues a sled dog from its cruel master. Stars Clark Gable and Loretta Young had an affair during the film's production, resulting in Young's...
(1935) - Great GuyGreat GuyGreat Guy is a crime film starring James Cagney and Mae Clarke. An honest inspector for the New York Department of Weights and Measures takes on corrupt merchants and politicians.-Cast:*James Cagney as Johnny Cave*Mae Clarke as Janet Henry...
(1936) - Dead EndDead EndDead End is a 1937 crime drama film. It is an adaptation of the Sidney Kingsley 1935 Broadway play of the same name. It stars Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea, and Sylvia Sidney...
(1937) - The Perfect SpecimenThe Perfect SpecimenThe Perfect Specimen is a 1937 film directed by Michael Curtiz. The film is based on a novel by Samuel Hopkins Adams....
(1937) - The Affairs of AnnabelThe Affairs of AnnabelThe Affairs of Annabel is a 1938 comedy starring Lucille Ball and Jack Oakie. Oakie plays Lannie Morgan, Wonder Pictures publicity man working with film star Annabel Allison , her first starring comedy role.-Plot:...
(1938) - The Mad Miss MantonThe Mad Miss MantonThe Mad Miss Manton is a 1938 screwball comedy and mystery film starring Barbara Stanwyck as fun-loving socialite Melsa Manton and Henry Fonda as newspaper editor Peter Ames. Melsa and her debutante friends hunt for a murderer while eating bonbons, flirting with Ames, and otherwise behaving like...
(1938) - At the CircusAt the CircusAt the Circus is a 1939 Marx Brothers comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in which they save a circus from bankruptcy...
(1939) - The Maltese FalconThe Maltese Falcon (1941 film)The Maltese Falcon is a 1941 Warner Bros. film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett and a remake of the 1931 film of the same name...
(1941) - Bowery BombshellBowery BombshellBowery Bonbshell is a 1946 film starring the comedy team of The Bowery Boys. It is the third film in the series.-Plot:Sweet Shop owner Louie needs to raise $300. The Boys try to sell their car to raise the money, but are unable to because the car falls apart when they try to show it to a...
(1946) - Body and SoulBody and Soul (1947 film)Body and Soul is a 1947 film noir which tells the story of a boxer who becomes involved with crooked promoters. It stars John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere and William Conrad....
(1947) - Nightmare AlleyNightmare Alley (1947 film)Nightmare Alley is a 20th Century Fox film noir starring Tyrone Power and Joan Blondell, and directed by Edmund Goulding. The movie rights for the 1946 novel of the same name, written by William Lindsay Gresham, were bought by Power, who planned on starring in the film...
(1947) - June BrideJune BrideJune Bride is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Bretaigne Windust. Ranald MacDougall's screenplay, based on the unproduced play Feature for June by Eileen Tighe and Graeme Lorimer, was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Comedy. The film starred Bette...
(1948) - Take Me Out to the Ball GameTake Me Out to the Ball Game (film)Take Me Out to the Ball Game is a 1949 Technicolor musical film starring Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, and Gene Kelly. The movie was directed by Busby Berkeley. The title and nominal theme is taken from the unofficial anthem of American baseball, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"...
(1949) (uncredited) - Copper CanyonCopper Canyon (film)Copper Canyon is a 1950 film directed by John Farrow. It stars Ray Milland and Hedy Lamarr.-Cast:*Ray Milland as Johnny Carter*Hedy Lamarr as Lisa Roselle*Macdonald Carey as Deputy Lane Travis*Mona Freeman as Caroline Desmond...
(1950) - Here Comes the GroomHere Comes the GroomHere Comes the Groom is a 1951 musical romantic comedy film starring Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Directed and produced by Frank Capra, the film was released by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:...
(1951) - Lone StarLone Star (1952 film)Lone Star is a 1952 Western film starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Broderick Crawford, Ed Begley, and Lionel Barrymore as President Andrew Jackson...
(1952)