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.
158 movies · 12 shows
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
1975·6.3
Alias Jesse James
1959·6.0
The Unholy Wife
1957·4.7
Public Pigeon No. 1
1957·6.3
Lucky Me
1954·6.8
Lone Star
1952·5.7
Toughest Man in Arizona
1952·7.0
We're Not Married!
1952·5.9
Denver and Rio Grande
1952·5.6
Warpath
1951·6.0
Here Comes the Groom
1951·5.4
His Kind of Woman
1951·6.8
Raton Pass
1951·4.9
The Last Outpost
1951·6.1
Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone
1950·7.0
Let's Dance
1950·6.1
Copper Canyon
1950·5.7
Red, Hot and Blue
1949·6.2
Alias Nick Beal
1949·6.8
Shamrock Hill
1949·4.5
June Bride
1948·7.1
Night Wind
1948·9.0
Beyond Glory
1948·8.0
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven
1948·5.8
The Timber Trail
1948·10.0
The Big Clock
1948·7.3
Body and Soul
1947·6.7
Nightmare Alley
1947·7.2
Song of the Thin Man
1947·6.7
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood
1947·8.0
Down to Earth
1947·6.0
Philo Vance's Gamble
1947·6.3
Easy Come, Easy Go
1947·7.0
California
1947·6.8
Two Years Before the Mast
1946·6.5
Bowery Bombshell
1946·6.5
The Virginian
1946·6.2
Young Widow
1946·4.8
How DOooo You Do
1945·7.5
I Love a Bandleader
1945·8.0
Shady Lady
1945·6.0
Anchors Aweigh
1945·6.8
The Horn Blows at Midnight
1945·5.9
Casanova Brown
1944·6.4
3 Men in White
1944·6.4
Riding High
1943·5.6
Thank Your Lucky Stars
1943·6.2
Dixie
1943·5.0
No Place for a Lady
1943·6.0
A Night to Remember
1942·6.7
Army Surgeon
1942·6.0
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen
1942·6.5
It Happened in Flatbush
1942·5.4
A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen
1942·6.3
My Favorite Blonde
1942·6.4
A Close Call for Ellery Queen
1942·6.1
All Through the Night
1942·6.7
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring
1941·5.6
The Maltese Falcon
1941·7.7
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
1941·5.8
Million Dollar Baby
1941·6.3
Reaching for the Sun
1941·7.3
Pot o' Gold
1941·5.7
Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery
1941·6.5
Ellery Queen, Master Detective
1940·5.8
Little Nellie Kelly
1940·6.8
No Time for Comedy
1940·5.3
The Golden Fleecing
1940·5.9
The Way of All Flesh
1940·4.6
The Saint Takes Over
1940·6.7
Buck Benny Rides Again
1940·5.0
Opened by Mistake
1940·7.0
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise
1940·6.8
Double Alibi
1940·5.3
The Cisco Kid and the Lady
1939·5.4
At the Circus
1939·6.4
Fast and Furious
1939·5.2
Beau Geste
1939·7.0
On Borrowed Time
1939·7.6
Dodge City
1939·6.9
I'm from Missouri
1939·7.0
Sudden Money
1939·7.0
The Family Next Door
1939·5.8
Within the Law
1939·6.5
The Saint Strikes Back
1939·5.8
The Dawn Patrol
1938·6.8
Little Orphan Annie
1938·8.0
The Mad Miss Manton
1938·6.4
The Affairs of Annabel
1938·5.4
You Can't Take It with You
1938·7.5
Men with Wings
1938·5.4
Joy of Living
1938·5.9
Flight Into Nowhere
1938·5.3
The Perfect Specimen
1937·6.4
Life Begins with Love
1937·6.7
Dead End
1937·7.1
High, Wide and Handsome
1937·6.2
Champagne Waltz
1937·10.0
Laughing at Trouble
1936·8.0
Great Guy
1936·6.3
Can This Be Dixie?
1936·7.0
36 Hours to Kill
1936·6.1
Rhythm on the Range
1936·5.5
Forgotten Faces
1936·5.5
Song and Dance Man
1936·7.0
Klondike Annie
1936·6.3
The Leathernecks Have Landed
1936·7.0
Dancing Feet
1936·6.0
So Red the Rose
1935·7.7
Frisco Waterfront
1935·9.0
Coronado
1935·5.0
Hot Money
1935·10.0
Music Is Magic
1935·5.3
The Case of the Missing Man
1935·7.0
The Affair of Susan
1935·10.0
Here Comes Cookie
1935·7.2
Welcome Home
1935·9.0
Call of the Wild
1935·6.2
Man on the Flying Trapeze
1935·6.2
Broadway Gondolier
1935·6.0
Make a Million
1935·6.3
The Farmer Takes a Wife
1935·6.2
After the Dance
1935·6.5
Dinky
1935·7.3
Mississippi
1935·6.8
Ruggles of Red Gap
1935·7.1
The Mystery Man
1935·5.6
Ticket to a Crime
1934·6.0
Love Time
1934·10.0
Lady by Choice
1934·6.9
Treasure Island
1934·6.5
Friends of Mr. Sweeney
1934·6.8
Such Women Are Dangerous
1934·7.0
Little Miss Marker
1934·6.5
The Merry Frinks
1934·4.8
Twentieth Century
1934·6.8
The Scarlet Empress
1934·6.9
Sadie McKee
1934·7.0
A Very Honorable Guy
1934·6.0
Sisters Under the Skin
1934·10.0
City Limits
1934·5.5
Wharf Angel
1934·4.2
Gambling Lady
1934·6.2
It Happened One Night
1934·7.8
Six of a Kind
1934·5.9
Queen Christina
1934·6.9
All of Me
1934·7.0
Lady Killer
1933·6.9
The Kennel Murder Case
1933·6.1
Bombshell
1933·6.5
The Bowery
1933·5.4
To the Last Man
1933·5.9
Torch Singer
1933·5.4
College Humor
1933·5.6
The Girl in 419
1933·4.2
A Lady's Profession
1933·7.0
Face in the Sky
1933·5.8
The Hollywood Handicap
1932·7.0