Paul Burke (actor)

Paul Burke (July 21, 1926 – September 13, 2009)^[1] was an American actor best known for his lead roles in two 1960s ABC television series, Naked City and Twelve O'Clock High. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of New York Police Department detective Adam Flint in Naked City.^[2]

Life and career

Burke was born in New Orleans, the son of Santa Maria (Palermo) and Martin Joseph "Marty" Burke, a boxer who fought Gene Tunney and later owned a restaurant and a nightclub known as "Marty Burke's" in the New Orleans French Quarter.^[3]

After training at the Pasadena Playhouse, Burke's film career began with a small role in the movie Golden Girl. Early in his career, Burke guest starred in the syndicated series, Highway Patrol and Men of Annapolis. In 1956–1957, Burke was cast as Dr. Noah McCann in Noah's Ark, a Jack Webb-produced weekly program which aired on NBC, the story of a pair of dedicated veterinarians. Victor Rodman played the older colleague, Dr. Sam Rinehart.

In the 1957–1958 season, Burke appeared as Jeff Kittridge in five episodes of Barry Sullivan's adventure/drama series, Harbormaster. Burke also guest starred on episodes of Tightrope, Dragnet, Adventures of Superman, The Man and the Challenge, and M Squad. In the 1959–1960 season, he appeared as Robertson in the NBC espionage series Five Fingers, starring with David Hedison.

After Five Fingers, Burke was cast in the lead role of the police show Naked City, in which he appeared as Adam Flint from 1960 to 1963. Burke then appeared in the starring role of Captain (later Major, then Colonel) Joe Gallagher on Twelve O'Clock High between 1964 and 1967, during which time he met his wife, Lyn. The Twelve O'Clock High role was Burke's last lead television role.

In 1967, Burke starred in the film Valley of the Dolls as Lyon Burke, the young lawyer who befriended all three female stars and had a tempestuous relationship with Anne Welles. He also played a police officer who pursued an art thief played by Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair.^[2]

During the 1970s, he appeared in three episodes each of ABC's The Love Boat and CBS's Medical Center. In 1984, he appeared as C.C. Capwell in twenty-one episodes of the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara. He appeared in supporting roles in a number of television series, including recurring roles in Dynasty from 1982–1988 and in Tom Selleck's Magnum, P.I. from 1981–1985 as Rear Admiral Hawkes. Burke also served as a television commercial spokesman for the Radio Shack electronics retailer.

Harry Connick Sr.

In 1989, Burke and Harry Connick Sr., New Orleans District Attorney, were indicted on racketeering charges for aiding and abetting a gambling operation by returning gambling records to an arrested gambler.^[4] They were both acquitted of the charges.^[5]

Later years and death

Burke was the grandfather of actress Alia Shawkat.

He retired from acting in the early 1990s. Suffering from leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, he died at his home in Palm Springs, California.^[2] He was 83.

His second wife, Lyn Peters, died in Palm Springs on September 10, 2013, at the age of 72.^[6]

Selected filmography

References

External links

• Paul Burke at the Internet Movie Database
• Paul Burke at AllMovie
• "Star With a Wall Around Him," TV Guide, May 1962
• Fox, Margalit. "Paul Burke, 'Naked City' Star, Dies at 83", The New York Times, Wednesday, September 16, 2009.