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
1960
- Stagecoach West as James Burke
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)
- The Unholy Wife as Sheriff Tom Watling
- Public Pigeon No. 1 as Harrigan
1955
- Cheyenne as Buckshot
- The 20th Century Fox Hour
1952
- My Little Margie
- We're Not Married! as Willie's Sergeant (uncredited)
- Denver and Rio Grande as Sheriff Ed Johnson
- Lone Star as Luther Kilgore
- Toughest Man in Arizona
1951
- I Love Lucy as Mr. Watson
- Warpath as Oldtimer
- His Kind of Woman as Barkeeper in Nogales (uncredited)
- The Last Outpost as Stagecoach driver (uncredited)
- Raton Pass as Hank
- Here Comes the Groom as O'Neill, Policeman
1950
- Let's Dance as George (uncredited)
- Copper Canyon as Jeb Bassett
- Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone as The Train Conductor
1949
- Alias Nick Beal as Bum
- Red, Hot and Blue as Doorman (uncredited)
- Shamrock Hill as Michael Rogan
1948
- June Bride as Luke Potter
- The Big Clock as O'Brien
- Beyond Glory as Jim, the Bartender (uncredited)
- Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven as Cop (uncredited)
- Night Wind as Sheriff Hamilton
- The Timber Trail as Jed Baker
1947
- Nightmare Alley as Rural Marshal (uncredited)
- Body and Soul as Arnold (uncredited)
- Down to Earth as Detective Kelly
- California as Pokey
- Song of the Thin Man as Policeman Callahan (uncredited)
- Easy Come, Easy Go as Harry Weston
- The Gas House Kids in Hollywood as Police Lt. Burke
- Philo Vance's Gamble as Lt. Burke
1946
- The Virginian as Andy Jones (uncredited)
- Young Widow as Motorcycle Cop (Uncredited)
- Two Years Before the Mast as Carrick
- Bowery Bombshell as Detective O'Malley
1945
- Anchors Aweigh as Studio Cop
- Shady Lady as Crane
- The Horn Blows at Midnight as Policeman (uncredited)
- How DOooo You Do as Detective
- I Love a Bandleader as Charles Gibley
1944
- Casanova Brown as O'Leary (uncredited)
- 3 Men in White as First Policeman (uncredited)
1943
- Dixie as Riverboat Captain (uncredited)
- Riding High as Pete
- Thank Your Lucky Stars as Bill, Intern Guard (uncredited)
- No Place for a Lady as Police Substation Chief Moriarty
1942
- A Night to Remember as Pat Murphy (uncredited)
- My Favorite Blonde as Union Secretary
- All Through the Night as Police Lt. Forbes
- Army Surgeon as Brooklyn
- It Happened in Flatbush as Umpire Shaunnessy
- A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen as Sgt. Velie
- A Close Call for Ellery Queen as Sgt. Velie
- Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen as Police Sergeant Velie
1941
- The Maltese Falcon as Luke
- Pot o' Gold as Lt. Grady
- Million Dollar Baby as Callahan
- Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime as Sgt. Velie
- Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring as Sgt. Velie
- Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery as Sgt. Velie
- Reaching for the Sun as Norm
1940
- No Time for Comedy as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- Opened by Mistake as Police Sergeant Wilkins
- The Saint Takes Over as Patrolman Mike
- Little Nellie Kelly as Sergeant McGowan
- The Golden Fleecing as Sibley
- Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise as Wilkie, house detective
- The Way of All Flesh as Frisco
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Taxi Driver
- Double Alibi as Police Captain Orr
- Ellery Queen, Master Detective as Sgt. Velle
1939
- On Borrowed Time as Sheriff Burlingame
- Dodge City as Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited)
- Within the Law as 'Red'
- Beau Geste as Lieutenant Dufour
- Fast and Furious as Clancy
- At the Circus as John Carter
- The Saint Strikes Back as Headquarters Police Officer
- Sudden Money as McPherson
- The Family Next Door as Policeman
- I'm from Missouri as Walt Bliss
- The Cisco Kid and the Lady as Pop Saunders
1938
- You Can't Take It with You as Chief Detective (uncredited)
- The Dawn Patrol as Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
- Men with Wings as J.A. Nolan
- Joy of Living as Mac
- The Mad Miss Manton as Sullivan
- Little Orphan Annie as Mike Moriarty
- The Affairs of Annabel as Muldoon
- Flight Into Nowhere as Ike Matthews
1937
- Dead End as Mulligan
- Life Begins with Love as Darby McGraw
- The Perfect Specimen as Constable Snodgrass
- Champagne Waltz as Mr. Scribner
- High, Wide and Handsome as Stackpole
1936
- 36 Hours to Kill as Doyle - Process Server
- Great Guy as Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley
- Klondike Annie
- Song and Dance Man as Lt. Mike Boyle
- Rhythm on the Range as Wabash
- The Leathernecks Have Landed as Corrigan
- Laughing at Trouble as Bill Norton
- Dancing Feet as Phil Moore
- Forgotten Faces as Sgt. Johnny Donovan / Harry's friend
- Can This Be Dixie? as Sheriff N.B.F. Rider
1935
- Call of the Wild as Ole
- Music Is Magic as Mickey (uncredited)
- So Red the Rose as Major Rushton
- Ruggles of Red Gap as Jeff Tuttle
- Mississippi as Skeptical Passenger in Pilot House (uncredited)
- The Farmer Takes a Wife as Man Hauling Rifles and Bullets
- Broadway Gondolier as Uncle Andy
- The Mystery Man as Managing Editor Marvin
- Dinky as Truck Driver
- Make a Million as Pete
- Here Comes Cookie as Broken-Nose Reilly
- Case of the Missing Man as Police Sergeant Rorty
- Man on the Flying Trapeze as Patrolman
- After the Dance as Police Lieutenant
- The Affair of Susan as Hogan
- Welcome Home as Michael Shaughnessy
- Coronado as Slug Moran
- Frisco Waterfront as Corrigan
- Hot Money as Police Sgt. Burke
1934
- Treasure Island as Pirate of the Spanish Main
- It Happened One Night as Detective (uncredited)
- Queen Christina as Blacksmith - 4th Rabble Rouser (uncredited)
- The Scarlet Empress
- Little Miss Marker as Detective Reardon (uncredited)
- Gambling Lady as Detective Making Raid (uncredited)
- Twentieth Century as Sheriff (uncredited)
- Sisters Under the Skin as Conroy
- The Merry Frinks as 3rd Expressman (uncredited)
- Six of a Kind as Detective (uncredited)
- Sadie McKee as Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
- Friends of Mr. Sweeney as Policeman Arresting Wynn
- All of Me as Welfare Island Guard (uncredited)
- Ticket to a Crime as Detective Lt. John Aloysius McGinnis
- Wharf Angel as Brooklyn Jack
- Love Time as Emperor Francis I
- A Very Honorable Guy as Sergeant
- Lady by Choice as Brannigan
- City Limits as King, a Hobo
- Such Women Are Dangerous as Detective
1933
- College Humor as Cromwell Dexter
- A Lady's Profession as Mulroy
- To the Last Man as Kentucky Sheriff (uncredited)
- Lady Killer as Panhandler (uncredited)
- The Kennel Murder Case as Policeman Who Lets Dog Out (uncredited)
- The Girl in 419 as Detective Jackson
- Bombshell as First Immigration Officer (uncredited)
- Face in the Sky as Cop (uncredited)
- The Bowery as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
- Torch Singer as Taxi Driver