James Burke
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.
Photos
Movies (158)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975 · Self (archive footage)
Alias Jesse James
1959 · Charlie (uncredited)
The Unholy Wife
1957 · Sheriff Tom Watling
Public Pigeon No. 1
1957 · Harrigan
Lucky Me
1954 · Mahoney
Lone Star
1952 · Luther Kilgore
Toughest Man in Arizona
1952
We're Not Married!
1952 · Willie's Sergeant (uncredited)
Denver and Rio Grande
1952 · Sheriff Ed Johnson
Warpath
1951 · Oldtimer
Here Comes the Groom
1951 · O'Neill, Policeman
His Kind of Woman
1951 · Barkeeper in Nogales (uncredited)
Raton Pass
1951 · Hank
The Last Outpost
1951 · Stagecoach driver (uncredited)
Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone
1950 · The Train Conductor
Let's Dance
1950 · George (uncredited)
Copper Canyon
1950 · Jeb Bassett
Red, Hot and Blue
1949 · Doorman (uncredited)
Alias Nick Beal
1949 · Bum
Shamrock Hill
1949 · Michael Rogan
June Bride
1948 · Luke Potter
Night Wind
1948 · Sheriff Hamilton
Beyond Glory
1948 · Jim, the Bartender (uncredited)
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
1948 · Cop (uncredited)
The Timber Trail
1948 · Jed Baker
The Big Clock
1948 · O'Brien
Body and Soul
1947 · Arnold (uncredited)
Nightmare Alley
1947 · Rural Marshal (uncredited)
Song of the Thin Man
1947 · Policeman Callahan (uncredited)
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
1947 · Police Lt. Burke
Down to Earth
1947 · Detective Kelly
Philo Vance's Gamble
1947 · Lt. Burke
Easy Come, Easy Go
1947 · Harry Weston
California
1947 · Pokey
Two Years Before the Mast
1946 · Carrick
Bowery Bombshell
1946 · Detective O'Malley
The Virginian
1946 · Andy Jones (uncredited)
Young Widow
1946 · Motorcycle Cop (Uncredited)
How DOooo You Do
1945 · Detective
I Love a Bandleader
1945 · Charles Gibley
Shady Lady
1945 · Crane
Anchors Aweigh
1945 · Studio Cop
The Horn Blows at Midnight
1945 · Policeman (uncredited)
Casanova Brown
1944 · O'Leary (uncredited)
3 Men in White
1944 · First Policeman (uncredited)
Riding High
1943 · Pete
Thank Your Lucky Stars
1943 · Bill, Intern Guard (uncredited)
Dixie
1943 · Riverboat Captain (uncredited)
No Place for a Lady
1943 · Police Substation Chief Moriarty
A Night to Remember
1942 · Pat Murphy (uncredited)
Army Surgeon
1942 · Brooklyn
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
1942 · Police Sergeant Velie
It Happened in Flatbush
1942 · Umpire Shaunnessy
A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen
1942 · Sgt. Velie
My Favorite Blonde
1942 · Union Secretary
A Close Call for Ellery Queen
1942 · Sgt. Velie
All Through the Night
1942 · Police Lt. Forbes
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
1941 · Sgt. Velie
The Maltese Falcon
1941 · Luke
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
1941 · Sgt. Velie
Million Dollar Baby
1941 · Callahan
Reaching for the Sun
1941 · Norm
Pot o' Gold
1941 · Lt. Grady
Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
1941 · Sergeant Velie
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
1940 · Sgt. Velle
Little Nellie Kelly
1940 · Sergeant McGowan
No Time for Comedy
1940 · Police Sergeant (uncredited)
The Golden Fleecing
1940 · Sibley
The Way of All Flesh
1940 · Frisco
The Saint Takes Over
1940 · Patrolman Mike
Buck Benny Rides Again
1940 · Taxi Driver
Opened by Mistake
1940 · Police Sergeant Wilkins
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise
1940 · Wilkie, house detective
Double Alibi
1940 · Police Captain Orr
The Cisco Kid and the Lady
1939 · Pop Saunders
At the Circus
1939 · John Carter
Fast and Furious
1939 · Clancy
Beau Geste
1939 · Lieutenant Dufour
On Borrowed Time
1939 · Sheriff Burlingame
Dodge City
1939 · Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited)
I'm from Missouri
1939 · Walt Bliss
Sudden Money
1939 · McPherson
The Family Next Door
1939 · Policeman
Within the Law
1939 · 'Red'
The Saint Strikes Back
1939 · Headquarters Police Officer
The Dawn Patrol
1938 · Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
Little Orphan Annie
1938 · Mike Moriarty
The Mad Miss Manton
1938 · Sullivan
The Affairs of Annabel
1938 · Muldoon
You Can't Take It with You
1938 · Chief Detective (uncredited)
Men with Wings
1938 · J.A. Nolan
Joy of Living
1938 · Mac
Flight Into Nowhere
1938 · Ike Matthews
The Perfect Specimen
1937 · Constable Snodgrass
Life Begins with Love
1937 · Darby McGraw
Dead End
1937 · Mulligan
High, Wide and Handsome
1937 · Stackpole
Champagne Waltz
1937 · Mr. Scribner
Laughing at Trouble
1936 · Bill Norton
Great Guy
1936 · Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley
Can This Be Dixie?
1936 · Sheriff N.B.F. Rider
36 Hours to Kill
1936 · Doyle - Process Server
Rhythm on the Range
1936 · Wabash
Forgotten Faces
1936 · Sgt. Johnny Donovan / Harry's friend
Song and Dance Man
1936 · Lt. Mike Boyle
Klondike Annie
1936
The Leathernecks Have Landed
1936 · Corrigan
Dancing Feet
1936 · Phil Moore
So Red the Rose
1935 · Major Rushton
Frisco Waterfront
1935 · Corrigan
Coronado
1935 · Slug Moran
Hot Money
1935 · Police Sgt. Burke
Music Is Magic
1935 · Mickey (uncredited)
The Case of the Missing Man
1935 · Police Sergeant Rorty
The Affair of Susan
1935 · Hogan
Here Comes Cookie
1935 · Broken-Nose Reilly
Welcome Home
1935 · Michael Shaughnessy
Call of the Wild
1935 · Ole
Man on the Flying Trapeze
1935 · Patrolman
Broadway Gondolier
1935 · Uncle Andy
Make a Million
1935 · Pete
The Farmer Takes a Wife
1935 · Man Hauling Rifles and Bullets
After the Dance
1935 · Police Lieutenant
Dinky
1935 · Truck Driver
Mississippi
1935 · Skeptical Passenger in Pilot House (uncredited)
Ruggles of Red Gap
1935 · Jeff Tuttle
The Mystery Man
1935 · Managing Editor Marvin
Ticket to a Crime
1934 · Detective Lt. John Aloysius McGinnis
Love Time
1934 · Emperor Francis I
Lady by Choice
1934 · Brannigan
Treasure Island
1934 · Pirate of the Spanish Main
Friends of Mr. Sweeney
1934 · Policeman Arresting Wynn
Such Women Are Dangerous
1934 · Detective
Little Miss Marker
1934 · Detective Reardon (uncredited)
The Merry Frinks
1934 · 3rd Expressman (uncredited)
Twentieth Century
1934 · Sheriff (uncredited)
The Scarlet Empress
1934
Sadie McKee
1934 · Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
A Very Honorable Guy
1934 · Sergeant
Sisters Under the Skin
1934 · Conroy
City Limits
1934 · King, a Hobo
Wharf Angel
1934 · Brooklyn Jack
Gambling Lady
1934 · Detective Making Raid (uncredited)
It Happened One Night
1934 · Detective (uncredited)
Six of a Kind
1934 · Detective (uncredited)
Queen Christina
1934 · Blacksmith - 4th Rabble Rouser (uncredited)
All of Me
1934 · Welfare Island Guard (uncredited)
Lady Killer
1933 · Panhandler (uncredited)
The Kennel Murder Case
1933 · Policeman Who Lets Dog Out (uncredited)
Bombshell
1933 · First Immigration Officer (uncredited)
The Bowery
1933 · Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
To the Last Man
1933 · Kentucky Sheriff (uncredited)
Torch Singer
1933 · Taxi Driver
College Humor
1933 · Cromwell Dexter
The Girl in 419
1933 · Detective Jackson
A Lady's Profession
1933 · Mulroy
Face in the Sky
1933 · Cop (uncredited)
The Hollywood Handicap
1932
TV shows (12)
Dinah!
1974 · Self
Stagecoach West
1960 · James Burke, Zeke Bonner
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959 · Policeman
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1958
Wanted: Dead or Alive
1958 · Sheriff John Tatum, Sheriff M. Comstock, Sheriff Blore
The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour
1957 · Horse Handler (uncredited)
Trackdown
1957
The 20th Century Fox Hour
1955
Cheyenne
1955 · Buckshot
Lassie
1954
My Little Margie
1952
I Love Lucy
1951 · Mr. Watson