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
- Lone Star as Luther Kilgore
- We're Not Married! as Willie's Sergeant (uncredited)
- Toughest Man in Arizona
- Denver and Rio Grande as Sheriff Ed Johnson
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
- 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
- Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven as Cop (uncredited)
- The Timber Trail as Jed Baker
- June Bride as Luke Potter
- Beyond Glory as Jim, the Bartender (uncredited)
- Night Wind as Sheriff Hamilton
1947
- Nightmare Alley as Rural Marshal (uncredited)
- California as Pokey
- Body and Soul as Arnold (uncredited)
- Song of the Thin Man as Policeman Callahan (uncredited)
- Down to Earth as Detective Kelly
- Philo Vance's Gamble as Lt. Burke
- The Gas House Kids in Hollywood as Police Lt. Burke
- Easy Come, Easy Go as Harry Weston
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
- The Horn Blows at Midnight as Policeman (uncredited)
- How DOooo You Do as Detective
- Shady Lady as Crane
- 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)
- A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen as Sgt. Velie
- My Favorite Blonde as Union Secretary
- It Happened in Flatbush as Umpire Shaunnessy
- Army Surgeon as Brooklyn
- Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen as Police Sergeant Velie
- A Close Call for Ellery Queen as Sgt. Velie
1941
- The Maltese Falcon as Luke
- Pot o' Gold as Lt. Grady
- Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery as Sgt. Velie
- Million Dollar Baby as Callahan
- Reaching for the Sun as Norm
- Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime as Sgt. Velie
- Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring as Sgt. Velie
1940
- Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise as Wilkie, house detective
- The Saint Takes Over as Patrolman Mike
- Little Nellie Kelly as Sergeant McGowan
- Double Alibi as Police Captain Orr
- The Way of All Flesh as Frisco
- No Time for Comedy as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- Buck Benny Rides Again as Taxi Driver
- The Golden Fleecing as Sibley
- Ellery Queen, Master Detective as Sgt. Velle
- Opened by Mistake as Police Sergeant Wilkins
1939
- Dodge City as Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited)
- Beau Geste as Lieutenant Dufour
- Fast and Furious as Clancy
- At the Circus as John Carter
- On Borrowed Time as Sheriff Burlingame
- Within the Law as 'Red'
- I'm from Missouri as Walt Bliss
- Sudden Money as McPherson
- The Saint Strikes Back as Headquarters Police Officer
- The Cisco Kid and the Lady as Pop Saunders
- The Family Next Door as Policeman
1938
- You Can't Take It with You as Chief Detective (uncredited)
- The Mad Miss Manton as Sullivan
- The Affairs of Annabel as Muldoon
- The Dawn Patrol as Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
- Joy of Living as Mac
- 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
- The Perfect Specimen as Constable Snodgrass
- Champagne Waltz as Mr. Scribner
1936
- Rhythm on the Range as Wabash
- The Leathernecks Have Landed as Corrigan
- Klondike Annie
- Great Guy as Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley
- Can This Be Dixie? as Sheriff N.B.F. Rider
- 36 Hours to Kill as Doyle - Process Server
- Laughing at Trouble as Bill Norton
- Forgotten Faces as Sgt. Johnny Donovan / Harry's friend
- Dancing Feet as Phil Moore
- Song and Dance Man as Lt. Mike Boyle
1935
- Call of the Wild as Ole
- Ruggles of Red Gap as Jeff Tuttle
- Mississippi as Skeptical Passenger in Pilot House (uncredited)
- So Red the Rose as Major Rushton
- Dinky as Truck Driver
- Man on the Flying Trapeze as Patrolman
- Here Comes Cookie as Broken-Nose Reilly
- The Farmer Takes a Wife as Man Hauling Rifles and Bullets
- Broadway Gondolier as Uncle Andy
- The Mystery Man as Managing Editor Marvin
- After the Dance as Police Lieutenant
- Frisco Waterfront as Corrigan
- Coronado as Slug Moran
- Welcome Home as Michael Shaughnessy
- Music Is Magic as Mickey (uncredited)
- Hot Money as Police Sgt. Burke
- Case of the Missing Man as Police Sergeant Rorty
- The Affair of Susan as Hogan
- Make a Million as Pete
1934
- It Happened One Night as Detective (uncredited)
- Queen Christina as Blacksmith - 4th Rabble Rouser (uncredited)
- Twentieth Century as Sheriff (uncredited)
- The Scarlet Empress
- Treasure Island as Pirate of the Spanish Main
- Sadie McKee as Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
- Ticket to a Crime as Detective Lt. John Aloysius McGinnis
- Friends of Mr. Sweeney as Policeman Arresting Wynn
- Wharf Angel as Brooklyn Jack
- Lady by Choice as Brannigan
- Gambling Lady as Detective Making Raid (uncredited)
- A Very Honorable Guy as Sergeant
- All of Me as Welfare Island Guard (uncredited)
- Such Women Are Dangerous as Detective
- Little Miss Marker as Detective Reardon (uncredited)
- City Limits as King, a Hobo
- Love Time as Emperor Francis I
- Six of a Kind as Detective (uncredited)
- Sisters Under the Skin as Conroy
- The Merry Frinks as 3rd Expressman (uncredited)
1933
- Lady Killer as Panhandler (uncredited)
- 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)
- The Bowery as Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
- Torch Singer as Taxi Driver
- College Humor as Cromwell Dexter
- Face in the Sky as Cop (uncredited)
- The Girl in 419 as Detective Jackson
- A Lady's Profession as Mulroy