James Burke
Born: 1886-09-23 in New York City, New York, USA
Died: 1968-05-23
Known For: Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James Burke (September 24, 1886 – May 23, 1968) was an American film and television 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 was more often than not cast as a cop, usually a none-too-bright one, most notably as Sgt. Velie in Columbia's Ellery Queen mysteries in the early 1940s. He appeared in The Maltese Falcon, At the Circus, Lone Star, and many others. One of his best roles was as Charles Ruggles' rowdy rancher pal in Ruggles of Red Gap. 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, starring Wayne Rogers, Robert Bray, and Richard Eyer. Burke suffered from a heart condition, which took his life at the age of eighty-one.
Filmography
1975
- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
1974
- Dinah! as Self
1959
- The DuPont Show with June Allyson as Policeman
- Alias Jesse James as Charlie (uncredited)
1958
- Wanted: Dead or Alive as Sheriff John Tatum
- Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1957
- Trackdown
- The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour as Horse Handler (uncredited)
- Public Pigeon No. 1 as Harrigan
- The Unholy Wife as Sheriff Tom Watling
1955
- Cheyenne as Buckshot
- The 20th Century Fox Hour
1952
- Lone Star as Luther Kilgore
- We're Not Married! as Willie's Sergeant (uncredited)
- My Little Margie
- Denver and Rio Grande as Sheriff Ed Johnson
- Toughest Man in Arizona
1951
- I Love Lucy as Mr. Watson
- The Last Outpost as Stagecoach driver (uncredited)
- Raton Pass as Hank
- Warpath as Oldtimer
- Here Comes the Groom as O'Neill, Policeman
- His Kind of Woman as Barkeeper in Nogales (uncredited)
1950
- Copper Canyon as Jeb Bassett
- Let's Dance as George (uncredited)
- Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone as The Train Conductor
1949
- Shamrock Hill as Michael Rogan
- Alias Nick Beal as Bum
- Red, Hot and Blue as Doorman (uncredited)
1948
- Beyond Glory as Jim, the Bartender (uncredited)
- The Big Clock as O'Brien
- Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven as Cop (uncredited)
- Night Wind as Sheriff Hamilton
- June Bride as Luke Potter
- The Timber Trail as Jed Baker
1947
- California as Pokey
- Nightmare Alley as Rural Marshal (uncredited)
- Song of the Thin Man as Policeman Callahan (uncredited)
- Body and Soul as Arnold (uncredited)
- Philo Vance's Gamble as Lt. Burke
- Easy Come, Easy Go as Harry Weston
- Down to Earth as Detective Kelly
- The Gas House Kids in Hollywood as Police Lt. Burke
1946
- The Virginian as Andy Jones (uncredited)
- Young Widow as Motorcycle Cop (Uncredited)
- Bowery Bombshell as Detective O'Malley
- Two Years Before the Mast as Carrick
1945
- Shady Lady as Crane
- Anchors Aweigh as Studio Cop
- The Horn Blows at Midnight as Policeman (uncredited)
- How DOooo You Do as Detective
- I Love a Bandleader as Charles Gibley
1944
- 3 Men in White as First Policeman (uncredited)
- Casanova Brown as O'Leary (uncredited)
1943
- Dixie as Riverboat Captain (uncredited)
- Riding High as Pete
- No Place for a Lady as Police Substation Chief Moriarty
- Thank Your Lucky Stars as Bill, Intern Guard (uncredited)
1942
- Army Surgeon as Brooklyn
- A Night to Remember as Pat Murphy (uncredited)
- A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen as Sgt. Velie
- A Close Call for Ellery Queen as Sgt. Velie
- It Happened in Flatbush as Umpire Shaunnessy
- My Favorite Blonde as Union Secretary
- All Through the Night as Police Lt. Forbes
- Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen as Police Sergeant Velie
1941
- Pot o' Gold as Lt. Grady
- The Maltese Falcon as Luke
- Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime as Sgt. Velie
- Reaching for the Sun as Norm
- Million Dollar Baby as Callahan
- Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring as Sgt. Velie
- Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery as Sgt. Velie
1940
- Double Alibi as Police Captain Orr
- Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise as Wilkie, house detective
- No Time for Comedy as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- Little Nellie Kelly as Sergeant McGowan
- The Saint Takes Over as Patrolman Mike
- Opened by Mistake as Police Sergeant Wilkins
- The Golden Fleecing as Sibley
- The Way of All Flesh as Frisco
- Ellery Queen, Master Detective as Sgt. Velle
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Taxi Driver
1939
- Beau Geste as Lieutenant Dufour
- Sudden Money as McPherson
- Dodge City as Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited)
- At the Circus as John Carter
- The Cisco Kid and the Lady as Pop Saunders
- Fast and Furious as Clancy
- On Borrowed Time as Sheriff Burlingame
- The Saint Strikes Back as Headquarters Police Officer
- I'm from Missouri as Walt Bliss
- The Family Next Door as Policeman
- Within the Law as 'Red'
1938
- The Mad Miss Manton as Sullivan
- Joy of Living as Mac
- You Can't Take It with You as Chief Detective (uncredited)
- The Affairs of Annabel as Muldoon
- Men with Wings as J.A. Nolan
- The Dawn Patrol as Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
- Flight Into Nowhere as Ike Matthews
- Little Orphan Annie as Mike Moriarty
1937
- Dead End as Police Officer Mulligan
- The Perfect Specimen as Constable Snodgrass
- Life Begins with Love as Darby McGraw
- Champagne Waltz as Mr. Scribner
- High, Wide and Handsome as Stackpole
1936
- Klondike Annie
- Great Guy as Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley
- Forgotten Faces as Sgt. Johnny Donovan / Harry's friend
- Laughing at Trouble as Bill Norton
- 36 Hours to Kill as Doyle - Process Server
- Rhythm on the Range as Wabash
- Song and Dance Man as Lt. Mike Boyle
- Can This Be Dixie? as Sheriff N.B.F. Rider
- The Leathernecks Have Landed as Corrigan
- Dancing Feet as Phil Moore
1935
- Coronado as Slug Moran
- Frisco Waterfront as Corrigan
- Dinky as Truck Driver
- Mississippi as Skeptical Passenger in Pilot House (uncredited)
- Hot Money as Police Sgt. Burke
- Here Comes Cookie as Broken-Nose Reilly
- Ruggles of Red Gap as Jeff Tuttle
- Call of the Wild as Ole
- Music Is Magic as Mickey (uncredited)
- The Farmer Takes a Wife as Man Hauling Rifles and Bullets
- Welcome Home as Michael Shaughnessy
- Man on the Flying Trapeze as Patrolman
- So Red the Rose as Major Rushton
- The Mystery Man as Managing Editor Marvin
- Make a Million as Pete
- The Affair of Susan as Hogan
- Broadway Gondolier as Uncle Andy
- After the Dance as Police Lieutenant
- Case of the Missing Man as Police Sergeant Rorty
1934
- Queen Christina as Blacksmith - 4th Rabble Rouser (uncredited)
- City Limits as King, a Hobo
- Treasure Island as Pirate of the Spanish Main
- Sadie McKee as Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
- Wharf Angel as Brooklyn Jack
- The Scarlet Empress
- Love Time as Emperor Francis I
- Lady by Choice as Brannigan
- Such Women Are Dangerous as Detective
- Gambling Lady as Detective Making Raid (uncredited)
- A Very Honorable Guy as Sergeant
- Friends of Mr. Sweeney as Policeman Arresting Wynn
- It Happened One Night as Detective (uncredited)
- All of Me as Welfare Island Guard (uncredited)
- The Merry Frinks as 3rd Expressman (uncredited)
- Six of a Kind as Detective (uncredited)
- Little Miss Marker as Detective Reardon (uncredited)
- Twentieth Century as Sheriff (uncredited)
- Ticket to a Crime as Detective Lt. John Aloysius McGinnis
1933
- Lady Killer as Panhandler (uncredited)
- The Bowery as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
- Torch Singer as Taxi Driver
- Bombshell as First Immigration Officer (uncredited)
- The Kennel Murder Case as Policeman Who Lets Dog Out (uncredited)
- To the Last Man as Kentucky Sheriff (uncredited)
- Face in the Sky as Cop (uncredited)
- The Girl in 419 as Detective Jackson
- College Humor as Cromwell Dexter
- A Lady's Profession as Mulroy