The Maltese Falcon1941
As Luke
TMDb 7.7 / 10
James Burke
Born
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 (158)
It Happened One Night1934
As Detective (uncredited)
TMDb 7.8 / 10
You Can't Take It with You1938
As Chief Detective (uncredited)
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Queen Christina1934
As Blacksmith - 4th Rabble Rouser (uncredited)
TMDb 6.9 / 10
His Kind of Woman1951
As Barkeeper in Nogales (uncredited)
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Nightmare Alley1947
As Rural Marshal (uncredited)
TMDb 7.2 / 10
Sisters Under the Skin1934
As Conroy
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Anchors Aweigh1945
As Studio Cop
TMDb 6.8 / 10
The Big Clock1948
As O'Brien
TMDb 7.3 / 10
At the Circus1939
As John Carter
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Treasure Island1934
As Pirate of the Spanish Main
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Alias Jesse James1959
As Charlie (uncredited)
TMDb 6.1 / 10
Dodge City1939
As Cattle Auctioneer (uncredited)
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Call of the Wild1935
As Ole
TMDb 6.3 / 10
We're Not Married!1952
As Willie's Sergeant (uncredited)
TMDb 5.9 / 10
June Bride1948
As Luke Potter
TMDb 7.1 / 10
Body and Soul1947
As Arnold (uncredited)
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Here Comes the Groom1951
As O'Neill, Policeman
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Song of the Thin Man1947
As Policeman Callahan (uncredited)
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Alias Nick Beal1949
As Bum
TMDb 6.8 / 10
On Borrowed Time1939
As Sheriff Burlingame
TMDb 7.6 / 10
All Through the Night1942
As Police Lt. Forbes
TMDb 6.7 / 10
The Scarlet Empress1934
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?1975
As Self (archive footage)
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Casanova Brown1944
As O'Leary (uncredited)
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Dead End1937
As Mulligan
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Down to Earth1947
As Detective Kelly
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Denver and Rio Grande1952
As Sheriff Ed Johnson
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Lone Star1952
As Luther Kilgore
TMDb 5.7 / 10
The Mad Miss Manton1938
As Sullivan
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Joy of Living1938
As Mac
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Red, Hot and Blue1949
As Doorman (uncredited)
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Thank Your Lucky Stars1943
As Bill, Intern Guard (uncredited)
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Beau Geste1939
As Lieutenant Dufour
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Kennel Murder Case1933
As Policeman Who Lets Dog Out (uncredited)
TMDb 6.1 / 10
No Time for Comedy1940
As Police Sergeant (uncredited)
TMDb 5.3 / 10
The Farmer Takes a Wife1935
As Man Hauling Rifles and Bullets
TMDb 6.2 / 10
The Horn Blows at Midnight1945
As Policeman (uncredited)
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Sadie McKee1934
As Motorcycle Cop (uncredited)
TMDb 7.0 / 10
A Night to Remember1942
As Pat Murphy (uncredited)
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Warpath1951
As Oldtimer
TMDb 6.0 / 10
My Favorite Blonde1942
As Union Secretary
TMDb 6.4 / 10
So Red the Rose1935
As Major Rushton
TMDb 7.8 / 10
Twentieth Century1934
As Sheriff (uncredited)
TMDb 6.8 / 10
36 Hours to Kill1936
As Doyle - Process Server
TMDb 6.1 / 10
The Virginian1946
As Andy Jones (uncredited)
TMDb 6.2 / 10
The Unholy Wife1957
As Sheriff Tom Watling
TMDb 4.7 / 10
Public Pigeon No. 11957
As Harrigan
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Two Years Before the Mast1946
As Carrick
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Torch Singer1933
As Taxi Driver
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Men with Wings1938
As J.A. Nolan
TMDb 5.4 / 10
The Bowery1933
As Recruiting Sergeant (uncredited)
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Little Miss Marker1934
As Detective Reardon (uncredited)
TMDb 6.5 / 10
The Girl in 4191933
As Detective Jackson
TMDb 4.2 / 10
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime1941
As Sgt. Velie
TMDb 5.8 / 10
High, Wide and Handsome1937
As Stackpole
TMDb 6.2 / 10
The Saint Strikes Back1939
As Headquarters Police Officer
TMDb 5.8 / 10
To the Last Man1933
As Kentucky Sheriff (uncredited)
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Gambling Lady1934
As Detective Making Raid (uncredited)
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Young Widow1946
As Motorcycle Cop (Uncredited)
TMDb 4.8 / 10
Ellery Queen's Penthouse Mystery1941
As Sgt. Velie
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Six of a Kind1934
As Detective (uncredited)
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Great Guy1936
As Patrick James Aloysius 'Pat' Haley
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Buck Benny Rides Again1940
As Taxi Driver
TMDb 5.0 / 10
The Last Outpost1951
As Stagecoach driver (uncredited)
TMDb 6.1 / 10
It Happened in Flatbush1942
As Umpire Shaunnessy
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Rhythm on the Range1936
As Wabash
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Million Dollar Baby1941
As Callahan
TMDb 6.3 / 10
The Affairs of Annabel1938
As Muldoon
TMDb 5.4 / 10
Copper Canyon1950
As Jeb Bassett
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Shady Lady1945
As Crane
TMDb 6.0 / 10
The Case of the Missing Man1935
As Police Sergeant Rorty
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Toughest Man in Arizona1952
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Ruggles of Red Gap1935
As Jeff Tuttle
TMDb 7.1 / 10
The Cisco Kid and the Lady1939
As Pop Saunders
TMDb 5.4 / 10
A Lady's Profession1933
As Mulroy
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Lucky Me1954
As Mahoney
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Pot o' Gold1941
As Lt. Grady
TMDb 5.7 / 10
Can This Be Dixie?1936
As Sheriff N.B.F. Rider
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Philo Vance's Gamble1947
As Lt. Burke
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Song and Dance Man1936
As Lt. Mike Boyle
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise1940
As Wilkie, house detective
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Life Begins with Love1937
As Darby McGraw
TMDb 6.7 / 10
No Place for a Lady1943
As Police Substation Chief Moriarty
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Champagne Waltz1937
As Mr. Scribner
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Ellery Queen, Master Detective1940
As Sgt. Velle
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Man on the Flying Trapeze1935
As Patrolman
TMDb 6.2 / 10
Bombshell1933
As First Immigration Officer (uncredited)
TMDb 6.5 / 10
The Way of All Flesh1940
As Frisco
TMDb 4.6 / 10
3 Men in White1944
As First Policeman (uncredited)
TMDb 6.4 / 10
Little Nellie Kelly1940
As Sergeant McGowan
TMDb 6.8 / 10
The Family Next Door1939
As Policeman
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone1950
As The Train Conductor
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Easy Come, Easy Go1947
As Harry Weston
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Friends of Mr. Sweeney1934
As Policeman Arresting Wynn
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Ticket to a Crime1934
As Detective Lt. John Aloysius McGinnis
TMDb 6.0 / 10
California1947
As Pokey
TMDb 6.8 / 10
A Close Call for Ellery Queen1942
As Sgt. Velie
TMDb 6.1 / 10
College Humor1933
As Cromwell Dexter
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Fast and Furious1939
As Clancy
TMDb 5.2 / 10
Lady Killer1933
As Panhandler (uncredited)
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Beyond Glory1948
As Jim, the Bartender (uncredited)
TMDb 8.0 / 10
The Gas House Kids in Hollywood1947
As Police Lt. Burke
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Reaching for the Sun1941
As Norm
TMDb 7.3 / 10
The Golden Fleecing1940
As Sibley
TMDb 5.9 / 10
Let's Dance1950
As George (uncredited)
TMDb 6.1 / 10
The Mystery Man1935
As Managing Editor Marvin
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Dixie1943
As Riverboat Captain (uncredited)
TMDb 5.0 / 10
The Perfect Specimen1937
As Constable Snodgrass
TMDb 6.4 / 10
A Desperate Chance for Ellery Queen1942
As Sgt. Velie
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Mississippi1935
As Skeptical Passenger in Pilot House (uncredited)
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Raton Pass1951
As Hank
TMDb 4.9 / 10
Here Comes Cookie1935
As Broken-Nose Reilly
TMDb 7.2 / 10
Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring1941
As Sgt. Velie
TMDb 5.6 / 10
After the Dance1935
As Police Lieutenant
TMDb 6.5 / 10
I'm from Missouri1939
As Walt Bliss
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Dawn Patrol1938
As Flaherty - Motorcycle Driver
TMDb 6.8 / 10
Bowery Bombshell1946
As Detective O'Malley
TMDb 6.5 / 10
How DOooo You Do1945
As Detective
TMDb 7.5 / 10
Face in the Sky1933
As Cop (uncredited)
TMDb 5.8 / 10
Such Women Are Dangerous1934
As Detective
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven1948
As Cop (uncredited)
TMDb 5.8 / 10
A Very Honorable Guy1934
As Sergeant
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Opened by Mistake1940
As Police Sergeant Wilkins
TMDb 7.0 / 10
City Limits1934
As King, a Hobo
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Klondike Annie1936
TMDb 6.3 / 10
The Saint Takes Over1940
As Patrolman Mike
TMDb 6.7 / 10
Night Wind1948
As Sheriff Hamilton
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Dinky1935
As Truck Driver
TMDb 7.3 / 10
The Affair of Susan1935
As Hogan
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Army Surgeon1942
As Brooklyn
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Dancing Feet1936
As Phil Moore
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Within the Law1939
As 'Red'
TMDb 6.5 / 10
The Timber Trail1948
As Jed Baker
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Laughing at Trouble1936
As Bill Norton
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Love Time1934
As Emperor Francis I
TMDb 10.0 / 10
The Leathernecks Have Landed1936
As Corrigan
TMDb 7.0 / 10
The Merry Frinks1934
As 3rd Expressman (uncredited)
TMDb 4.8 / 10
Riding High1943
As Pete
TMDb 5.6 / 10
Broadway Gondolier1935
As Uncle Andy
TMDb 6.0 / 10
Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen1942
As Police Sergeant Velie
TMDb 6.5 / 10
Coronado1935
As Slug Moran
TMDb 5.0 / 10
Shamrock Hill1949
As Michael Rogan
TMDb 4.5 / 10
Make a Million1935
As Pete
TMDb 6.3 / 10
Forgotten Faces1936
As Sgt. Johnny Donovan / Harry's friend
TMDb 5.5 / 10
Flight Into Nowhere1938
As Ike Matthews
TMDb 5.3 / 10
I Love a Bandleader1945
As Charles Gibley
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Welcome Home1935
As Michael Shaughnessy
TMDb 9.0 / 10
Sudden Money1939
As McPherson
TMDb 7.0 / 10
All of Me1934
As Welfare Island Guard (uncredited)
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Wharf Angel1934
As Brooklyn Jack
TMDb 4.2 / 10
Music Is Magic1935
As Mickey (uncredited)
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Little Orphan Annie
Little Orphan Annie1938
As Mike Moriarty
TMDb 8.0 / 10
Hot Money1935
As Police Sgt. Burke
TMDb 10.0 / 10
Double Alibi1940
As Police Captain Orr
TMDb 5.3 / 10
Lady by Choice1934
As Brannigan
TMDb 6.9 / 10
Frisco Waterfront1935
As Corrigan
TMDb 9.0 / 10
The Hollywood Handicap
The Hollywood Handicap1932
TMDb 7.0 / 10
Filmography and biography: TMDb