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