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.
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Recent movies
| # | Name | Character | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Unholy Wife (1957) | Sheriff Tom Watling | 2 | |
| 2 | We're Not Married! (1952) | Willie's Sergeant (uncredited) | - | - |
| 3 | His Kind of Woman (1951) | Barkeeper in Nogales (uncredited) | 7 | |
| 4 | Alias Nick Beal (1949) | Bum | 5 | |
| 5 | The Big Clock (1948) | O'Brien | 4 | |
| 6 | Song of the Thin Man (1947) | Policeman Callahan (uncredited) | 9 | |
| 7 | Body and Soul (1947) | Arnold (uncredited) | 6.5 | |
| 8 | Nightmare Alley (1947) | Rural Marshal (uncredited) | 6 | |
| 9 | Down to Earth (1947) | Detective Kelly | 4 | |
| 10 | Anchors Aweigh (1945) | Studio Cop | 3.5 | |
| 11 | My Favorite Blonde (1942) | Union Secretary | 4 | |
| 12 | All Through the Night (1942) | Police Lt. Forbes | 6 | |
| 13 | Million Dollar Baby (1941) | Callahan | - | - |
| 14 | The Maltese Falcon (1941) | Luke | 8.1 | |
| 15 | Dodge City (1939) | Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited) | 4 | |
| 16 | On Borrowed Time (1939) | Sheriff Burlingame | 5 | |
| 17 | At the Circus (1939) | John Carter | 6 | |
| 18 | Fast and Furious (1939) | Clancy | - | - |
| 19 | The Saint Strikes Back (1939) | Headquarters Police Officer | 6 | |
| 20 | You Can't Take It with You (1938) | Chief Detective (uncredited) | 6.7 | |
| 21 | The Dawn Patrol (1938) | Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver | 4 | |
| 22 | Dead End (1937) | Mulligan | 4 | |
| 23 | Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) | Jeff Tuttle | 5 | |
| 24 | Call of the Wild (1935) | Ole | - | - |
| 25 | Twentieth Century (1934) | Sheriff (uncredited) | 6 | |
| 26 | Little Miss Marker (1934) | Detective Reardon (uncredited) | 6 | |
| 27 | Gambling Lady (1934) | Detective Making Raid (uncredited) | 5 | |
| 28 | The Scarlet Empress (1934) | - | 7 | |
| 29 | It Happened One Night (1934) | Detective (uncredited) | 8.1 | |
| 30 | Treasure Island (1934) | Pirate of the Spanish Main | 7 | |
| 31 | Queen Christina (1934) | Blacksmith - 4th Rabble Rouser (uncredited) | 6 | |
| 32 | Bombshell (1933) | First Immigration Officer (uncredited) | 5 | |
| 33 | Lady Killer (1933) | Panhandler (uncredited) | 6.5 | |
| 34 | The Bowery (1933) | Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited) | 6 |
