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)
- The Last Outpost as Stagecoach driver (uncredited)
- Warpath as Oldtimer
- Here Comes the Groom as O'Neill, Policeman
- Raton Pass as Hank
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)
- Song of the Thin Man as Policeman Callahan (uncredited)
- Down to Earth as Detective Kelly
- California as Pokey
- Easy Come, Easy Go as Harry Weston
- Philo Vance's Gamble as Lt. Burke
- The Gas House Kids in Hollywood as Police Lt. Burke
1946
- The Virginian as Andy Jones (uncredited)
- Two Years Before the Mast as Carrick
- 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
- 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
- All Through the Night as Police Lt. Forbes
- A Night to Remember as Pat Murphy (uncredited)
- My Favorite Blonde as Union Secretary
- It Happened in Flatbush as Umpire Shaunnessy
- Army Surgeon as Brooklyn
- A Close Call for Ellery Queen as Sgt. Velie
- Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen as Police Sergeant Velie
- A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen as Sgt. Velie
1941
- The Maltese Falcon as Luke
- Pot o' Gold as Lt. Grady
- Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime as Sgt. Velie
- Million Dollar Baby as Callahan
- Reaching for the Sun as Norm
- Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery as Sgt. Velie
- Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring as Sgt. Velie
1940
- No Time for Comedy as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Taxi Driver
- The Way of All Flesh as Frisco
- The Saint Takes Over as Patrolman Mike
- Little Nellie Kelly as Sergeant McGowan
- Double Alibi as Police Captain Orr
- The Golden Fleecing as Sibley
- Opened by Mistake as Police Sergeant Wilkins
- Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise as Wilkie, house detective
- Ellery Queen, Master Detective as Sgt. Velle
1939
- Beau Geste as Lieutenant Dufour
- Dodge City as Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited)
- At the Circus as John Carter
- On Borrowed Time as Sheriff Burlingame
- Fast and Furious as Clancy
- 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'
- Sudden Money as McPherson
- The Cisco Kid and the Lady as Pop Saunders
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
- Men with Wings as J.A. Nolan
- Little Orphan Annie as Mike Moriarty
- The Affairs of Annabel as Muldoon
- Flight Into Nowhere as Ike Matthews
1937
- Dead End as Mulligan
- Champagne Waltz as Mr. Scribner
- Life Begins with Love as Darby McGraw
- High, Wide and Handsome as Stackpole
- The Perfect Specimen as Constable Snodgrass
1936
- Great Guy as Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley
- Song and Dance Man as Lt. Mike Boyle
- Rhythm on the Range as Wabash
- 36 Hours to Kill as Doyle - Process Server
- Klondike Annie
- Laughing at Trouble as Bill Norton
- Dancing Feet as Phil Moore
- Forgotten Faces as Sgt. Johnny Donovan / Harry's friend
- The Leathernecks Have Landed as Corrigan
- Can This Be Dixie? as Sheriff N.B.F. Rider
1935
- Call of the Wild as Ole
- The Farmer Takes a Wife as Man Hauling Rifles and Bullets
- So Red the Rose as Major Rushton
- Broadway Gondolier as Uncle Andy
- Ruggles of Red Gap as Jeff Tuttle
- Mississippi as Skeptical Passenger in Pilot House (uncredited)
- After the Dance as Police Lieutenant
- Man on the Flying Trapeze as Patrolman
- Music Is Magic as Mickey (uncredited)
- The Case of the Missing Man as Police Sergeant Rorty
- Dinky as Truck Driver
- Frisco Waterfront as Corrigan
- The Mystery Man as Managing Editor Marvin
- Here Comes Cookie as Broken-Nose Reilly
- Coronado as Slug Moran
- Welcome Home as Michael Shaughnessy
- Make a Million as Pete
- Hot Money as Police Sgt. Burke
- The Affair of Susan as Hogan
1934
- It Happened One Night as Detective (uncredited)
- The Scarlet Empress
- Queen Christina as Blacksmith - 4th Rabble Rouser (uncredited)
- Treasure Island as Pirate of the Spanish Main
- Little Miss Marker as Detective Reardon (uncredited)
- Sadie McKee as Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
- Twentieth Century as Sheriff (uncredited)
- Friends of Mr. Sweeney as Policeman Arresting Wynn
- Sisters Under the Skin as Conroy
- Six of a Kind as Detective (uncredited)
- Gambling Lady as Detective Making Raid (uncredited)
- The Merry Frinks as 3rd Expressman (uncredited)
- All of Me as Welfare Island Guard (uncredited)
- Such Women Are Dangerous as Detective
- City Limits as King, a Hobo
- Love Time as Emperor Francis I
- Wharf Angel as Brooklyn Jack
- Lady by Choice as Brannigan
- Ticket to a Crime as Detective Lt. John Aloysius McGinnis
- A Very Honorable Guy as Sergeant
1933
- The Kennel Murder Case as Policeman Who Lets Dog Out (uncredited)
- College Humor as Cromwell Dexter
- Bombshell as First Immigration Officer (uncredited)
- Lady Killer as Panhandler (uncredited)
- The Bowery as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
- To the Last Man as Kentucky Sheriff (uncredited)
- A Lady's Profession as Mulroy
- Torch Singer as Taxi Driver
- The Girl in 419 as Detective Jackson
- Face in the Sky as Cop (uncredited)