Raye Birk
Acting
Born May 27, 1943, Flint, Michigan, USA
Raye Birk (born May 27, 1943, Flint, Michigan) is an American film and television actor best known for playing the role of Pahpshmir in the first and last of the Naked Gun movies. He was the main villain in Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult. He has also starred in Due South as the terrorist Francis Bolt in the Episodes "All the Queens Horses", "Red, White and Blue", "Call of the Wild Part One" and "Call of the Wild Part Two". He also had roles in the X-Files and Babylon 5. His other film credits include roles in Best Defense (1984), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Doc Hollywood (1991) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). In addition to these roles, he had a frequently occurring role as the assistant principal on The Wonder Years; starting with the pilot episode, when he had a conference with Kevin Arnold's parents for throwing food in the cafeteria. While generally antagonist, a more sympathetic role on the show was seen in the award winning episode "Goodbye" where he confides in Kevin that he is Kevin's new math teacher as Kevin's hardnosed algebra teacher has just died. He was also on a pair of Home Improvement episodes as one of Tim's poker buddies. Raye appeared in several episodes on the TV series Night Court. He appeared twice on The Golden Girls, both times playing a wedding caterer. Furthermore, in 1985, 1986 and 1992, he appeared on three episodes of Cheers as Walt Twitchell, a mailman who got into minor altercations with Cliff Clavin. Birk reprised the role of Twitchell in a 2002 episode of the Cheers spinoff series, Frasier, in which the title character (played by Kelsey Grammer) returned to Boston and re-acquainted himself with old friends from the bar. He played a recurring role on Coach as university band director Riley Pringle from 1989 to 1993. He also appeared in an episode of Mr. Belvedere as an accordion player. In 2004–2008, he played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Raye has been married to his wife Candace Barrett for 41 years. They have one son, Joshua, who is a professor of medieval history.
Filmography
- 2016New Neighbors
- 2009A Serious Man — Dr. Shapiro
- 2005Factotum — Heathercliff
- 2005North Country — Tom Motel Clerk
- 2005Sweet Land — Postal Clerk
- Black Scorpion — Dr. Phineas Phoenix
- 1998Star Trek: Insurrection — Son'a Doctor
- 3rd Rock from the Sun — Jeweler
- 1996After Jimmy — John Davies
- 1996The Big Squeeze — Contractor
- Caroline in the City — Danny
- 1995Illegal in Blue — Gary Dedmarch
- 1995My Brother's Keeper — Dr. Roth
- Nowhere Man — Tobe Alder
- Babylon 5 — William
- 1994Cries from the Heart
- Due South — Francis Bolt
- ER — Mr. Hartley
- 1994Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult — Papshmir
- Touched by an Angel — Mr. McFarlane
- 1993Barbarians at the Gate — Travis Gaines
- 1993Caught in the Act — Sterling
- Frasier — Walt Twitchell
- Saved by the Bell: The New Class — Superintendent Stoneman
- The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. — Prosecuting Attorney
- The X-Files — Dr. Jeff Eckerle
- 1992Class Act — Principal Kratz
- 1991Aftermath: A Test of Love — Dr. Frenzel
- 1991Doc Hollywood — Simon Tidwell, First Patient
- Home Improvement — Fred
- Silk Stalkings — Atticus Dunn
- 1991Under Cover — Grimbach
- Under Cover — Grimbach
- 1990Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again — Judge Brown
- 1990Challenger — Joseph Kilminster
- Wings — Prince Restivon
- Working Girl — Mr. Dixon
- Coach — Riley Pringle
- 1989Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson — Sam Morgan
- Seinfeld — Mr. Pless
- Snoops — Mr. Nelson
- 1989The War of the Roses — Auctioneer (uncredited)
- Dear John — Dr. Hendricks
- Eisenhower and Lutz — Bjorn
- Empty Nest — Judge Talmadge, Albert
- Murphy Brown — Barney
- 1988The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! — Pahpshmir
- The Wonder Years — Mr. Diperna
- Beauty and the Beast — Edmonton
- 1987Burglar — The Jogger
- J.J. Starbuck
- Star Trek: The Next Generation — Wrenn
- The Popcorn Kid — Leonard Brown
- 1987The Stepford Children — George Larson
- 1987Throw Momma from the Train — Pinsky
- ALF — Lenny Scott, Officer Griswald
- Fresno — Mr. Loats
- L.A. Law — Judge Steven Lang
- Matlock — Simon Le Simple
- 1985Deadly Messages — Harding
- The Golden Girls — Caterer
- The Twilight Zone — Time-Traveller (segment "Lost and Found")
- 1984Best Defense — Sonny
- Blue Thunder — Martin C. Sharp
- 1984Mister Roberts — Dowdy
- Night Court — Dworkin, God #1, Ward, Frank Pepitone
- Cheers — Walt Twitchell
- Newhart — Whitley McVeigh
- St. Elsewhere — Irish Patient
- 1981A Christmas Carol — Marley's Ghost
- 1976The Taming of the Shrew — Gremio
- Columbo — Howard Seltzer
- 1970Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. — Mort Catafalque
- Hawaii Five-O — Parole Officer
- Seed of Doubt — Dr. Bill Larson