James Burke
Acting
Born September 23, 1886, New York City, New York, USA
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
- Stagecoach West — James Burke, Zeke Bonner
- 1959Alias Jesse James — Charlie (uncredited)
- The DuPont Show with June Allyson — Policeman
- Wanted: Dead or Alive — Sheriff John Tatum, Sheriff M. Comstock, Sheriff Blore
- Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
- 1957Public Pigeon No. 1 — Harrigan
- The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour — Horse Handler (uncredited)
- 1957The Unholy Wife — Sheriff Tom Watling
- Trackdown
- Cheyenne — Buckshot
- The 20th Century Fox Hour
- Lassie
- 1954Lucky Me — Mahoney
- 1952Denver and Rio Grande — Sheriff Ed Johnson
- 1952Lone Star — Luther Kilgore
- My Little Margie
- 1952Toughest Man in Arizona
- 1952We're Not Married! — Willie's Sergeant (uncredited)
- 1951Here Comes the Groom — O'Neill, Policeman
- 1951His Kind of Woman — Barkeeper in Nogales (uncredited)
- I Love Lucy — Mr. Watson
- 1951Raton Pass — Hank
- 1951The Last Outpost — Stagecoach driver (uncredited)
- 1951Warpath — Oldtimer
- 1950Copper Canyon — Jeb Bassett
- 1950Let's Dance — George (uncredited)
- 1950Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone — The Train Conductor
- 1949Alias Nick Beal — Bum
- 1949Red, Hot and Blue — Doorman (uncredited)
- 1949Shamrock Hill — Michael Rogan
- 1948Beyond Glory — Jim, the Bartender (uncredited)
- 1948June Bride — Luke Potter
- 1948Night Wind — Sheriff Hamilton
- 1948Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven — Cop (uncredited)
- 1948The Big Clock — O'Brien
- 1948The Timber Trail — Jed Baker
- 1947Body and Soul — Arnold (uncredited)
- 1947California — Pokey
- 1947Down to Earth — Detective Kelly
- 1947Easy Come, Easy Go — Harry Weston
- 1947Nightmare Alley — Rural Marshal (uncredited)
- 1947Philo Vance's Gamble — Lt. Burke
- 1947Song of the Thin Man — Policeman Callahan (uncredited)
- 1947The Gas House Kids in Hollywood — Police Lt. Burke
- 1946Bowery Bombshell — Detective O'Malley
- 1946The Virginian — Andy Jones (uncredited)
- 1946Two Years Before the Mast — Carrick
- 1946Young Widow — Motorcycle Cop (Uncredited)
- 1945Anchors Aweigh — Studio Cop
- 1945How DOooo You Do — Detective
- 1945I Love a Bandleader — Charles Gibley
- 1945Shady Lady — Crane
- 1945The Horn Blows at Midnight — Policeman (uncredited)
- 19443 Men in White — First Policeman (uncredited)
- 1944Casanova Brown — O'Leary (uncredited)
- 1943Dixie — Riverboat Captain (uncredited)
- 1943No Place for a Lady — Police Substation Chief Moriarty
- 1943Riding High — Pete
- 1943Thank Your Lucky Stars — Bill, Intern Guard (uncredited)
- 1942A Close Call for Ellery Queen — Sgt. Velie
- 1942A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen — Sgt. Velie
- 1942A Night to Remember — Pat Murphy (uncredited)
- 1942All Through the Night — Police Lt. Forbes
- 1942Army Surgeon — Brooklyn
- 1942Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen — Police Sergeant Velie
- 1942It Happened in Flatbush — Umpire Shaunnessy
- 1942My Favorite Blonde — Union Secretary
- 1941Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring — Sgt. Velie
- 1941Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime — Sgt. Velie
- 1941Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery — Sergeant Velie
- 1941Million Dollar Baby — Callahan
- 1941Pot o' Gold — Lt. Grady
- 1941Reaching for the Sun — Norm
- 1941The Maltese Falcon — Luke
- 1940Buck Benny Rides Again — Taxi Driver
- 1940Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise — Wilkie, house detective
- 1940Double Alibi — Police Captain Orr
- 1940Ellery Queen, Master Detective — Sgt. Velle
- 1940Little Nellie Kelly — Sergeant McGowan
- 1940No Time for Comedy — Police Sergeant (uncredited)
- 1940Opened by Mistake — Police Sergeant Wilkins
- 1940The Golden Fleecing — Sibley
- 1940The Saint Takes Over — Patrolman Mike
- 1940The Way of All Flesh — Frisco
- 1939At the Circus — John Carter
- 1939Beau Geste — Lieutenant Dufour
- 1939Dodge City — Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited)
- 1939Fast and Furious — Clancy
- 1939I'm from Missouri — Walt Bliss
- 1939On Borrowed Time — Sheriff Burlingame
- 1939Sudden Money — McPherson
- 1939The Cisco Kid and the Lady — Pop Saunders
- 1939The Family Next Door — Policeman
- 1939The Saint Strikes Back — Headquarters Police Officer
- 1939Within the Law — 'Red'
- 1938Flight Into Nowhere — Ike Matthews
- 1938Joy of Living — Mac
- 1938Little Orphan Annie — Mike Moriarty
- 1938Men with Wings — J.A. Nolan
- 1938The Affairs of Annabel — Muldoon
- 1938The Dawn Patrol — Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
- 1938The Mad Miss Manton — Sullivan
- 1938You Can't Take It with You — Chief Detective (uncredited)
- 1937Champagne Waltz — Mr. Scribner
- 1937Dead End — Mulligan
- 1937High, Wide and Handsome — Stackpole
- 1937Life Begins with Love — Darby McGraw
- 1937The Perfect Specimen — Constable Snodgrass
- 193636 Hours to Kill — Doyle - Process Server
- 1936Can This Be Dixie? — Sheriff N.B.F. Rider
- 1936Dancing Feet — Phil Moore
- 1936Forgotten Faces — Sgt. Johnny Donovan / Harry's friend
- 1936Great Guy — Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley
- 1936Klondike Annie
- 1936Laughing at Trouble — Bill Norton
- 1936Rhythm on the Range — Wabash
- 1936Song and Dance Man — Lt. Mike Boyle
- 1936The Leathernecks Have Landed — Corrigan
- 1935After the Dance — Police Lieutenant
- 1935Broadway Gondolier — Uncle Andy
- 1935Call of the Wild — Ole
- 1935Coronado — Slug Moran
- 1935Dinky — Truck Driver
- 1935Frisco Waterfront — Corrigan
- 1935Here Comes Cookie — Broken-Nose Reilly
- 1935Hot Money — Police Sgt. Burke
- 1935Make a Million — Pete
- 1935Man on the Flying Trapeze — Patrolman
- 1935Mississippi — Skeptical Passenger in Pilot House (uncredited)
- 1935Music Is Magic — Mickey (uncredited)
- 1935Ruggles of Red Gap — Jeff Tuttle
- 1935So Red the Rose — Major Rushton
- 1935The Affair of Susan — Hogan
- 1935The Case of the Missing Man — Police Sergeant Rorty
- 1935The Farmer Takes a Wife — Man Hauling Rifles and Bullets
- 1935The Mystery Man — Managing Editor Marvin
- 1935Welcome Home — Michael Shaughnessy
- 1934A Very Honorable Guy — Sergeant
- 1934All of Me — Welfare Island Guard (uncredited)
- 1934City Limits — King, a Hobo
- 1934Friends of Mr. Sweeney — Policeman Arresting Wynn
- 1934Gambling Lady — Detective Making Raid (uncredited)
- 1934It Happened One Night — Detective (uncredited)
- 1934Lady by Choice — Brannigan
- 1934Little Miss Marker — Detective Reardon (uncredited)
- 1934Love Time — Emperor Francis I
- 1934Queen Christina — Blacksmith - 4th Rabble Rouser (uncredited)
- 1934Sadie McKee — Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
- 1934Sisters Under the Skin — Conroy
- 1934Six of a Kind — Detective (uncredited)
- 1934Such Women Are Dangerous — Detective
- 1934The Merry Frinks — 3rd Expressman (uncredited)
- 1934The Scarlet Empress
- 1934Ticket to a Crime — Detective Lt. John Aloysius McGinnis
- 1934Treasure Island — Pirate of the Spanish Main
- 1934Twentieth Century — Sheriff (uncredited)
- 1934Wharf Angel — Brooklyn Jack
- 1933A Lady's Profession — Mulroy
- 1933Bombshell — First Immigration Officer (uncredited)
- 1933College Humor — Cromwell Dexter
- 1933Face in the Sky — Cop (uncredited)
- 1933Lady Killer — Panhandler (uncredited)
- 1933The Bowery — Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
- 1933The Girl in 419 — Detective Jackson
- 1933The Kennel Murder Case — Policeman Who Lets Dog Out (uncredited)
- 1933To the Last Man — Kentucky Sheriff (uncredited)
- 1933Torch Singer — Taxi Driver
- 1932The Hollywood Handicap
Appearances as themselves (2)
- 1975Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? — Self (archive footage)
- Dinah! — Self