fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Alfred Burke (28 February 1918 – 16 February 2011)[1] was an English actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Frank Marker in the drama series Public Eye, which ran on television for ten years.

Alfred Burke
Burke in The Angry Silence
Born	(1918-02-28)28 February 1918 Peckham, London, England
Died	16 February 2011(2011-02-16) (aged 92) Barnes, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1946–2008

Early life

Born in London's south-east district of Peckham, the son of Sarah Ann O'Leary and William Burke,[2] he was educated at Leo Street Boys' School and Walworth Central School. Burke started work aged 14, working in a railway repair firm in the City of London after leaving school. He became a club steward and also worked in a silk warehouse, joining a local amateur dramatics group before moving to Morley College and winning a scholarship to RADA in 1937. His acting career started two years later at the Barn Theatre in Shere, Surrey. His budding career was interrupted by the Second World War, when he registered as a conscientious objector, and was directed to work on the land.[1]

Career

In the late 1940s, he worked with the Young and Old Vic and other companies. His London debut was in 1950 at the Watergate Theatre, appearing in Pablo Picasso's play Desire Caught by the Tail. He then spent three years with Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1950–53) and appeared in the 1954 West End hit Sailor Beware!.[3]

Burke built a solid reputation across a wide range of character roles in films and on television. His acting career included: The Angry Silence, Touch and Go, Interpol, Yangtse Incident and Buccaneers, as well as such televised plays as The Tip and Treasure Island.

His most famous role was the enquiry agent Frank Marker in the ABC/Thames television series Public Eye, which ran from 1965 to 1975. His low-key, understated but always compelling portrayal of the down-at-heel private eye made the series one of the most popular and highly rated detective dramas on British television.

After Public Eye ended Burke appeared in a host of guises, from Long John Silver to Pope John Paul II's father. In the television series Minder he appeared in the episode Come in T-64, Your Time Is Ticking Away as Kevin, partner to Arthur Daley in his latest scheme, a minicab service. He was also the formidable headmaster "Thrasher" Harris in Home To Roost. He played Major (later Oberst) Richter in both series of Enemy at the Door and Dr Anderson in the Bergerac episode titled Poison. Later he was seen as Armando Dippet in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

On stage Burke appeared in several productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company, including Richard II, Romeo and Juliet, Roberto Zucco, The Tempest, Peer Gynt, Measure for Measure, Troilus and Cressida, Two Shakespearean Actors, All's Well That Ends Well and Antony and Cleopatra. In 2008 he appeared at the National Theatre as the Shepherd in a new version of Sophocles' Oedipus by Frank McGuinness.[4]

Death

Burke died from a chest infection on 16 February 2011, twelve days before his 93rd birthday, and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. He was survived by his wife, Barbara (née Bonelle) and their four children: Jacob and Harriet (twins), and Kelly and Louisa (twins).

Selected filmography

Television roles

Comedy

Year	Title	Role
1963	On the Knocker	Frank

Selected drama appearances

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1956-64	ITV Play of the Week	Thirteen appearances	Including adaptations of "The Birthday Party" and "The Crucible"
1959-69	Armchair Theatre	Six appearances
1961-66	The Avengers	Three appearances	"Dragonsfield", "The Mauritius Penny", "The Girl from Auntie"
1963-64	The Saint	Two appearances	"The Wonderful War" and "Starring the Saint"
1965–75	Public Eye	Frank Marker
1969	Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)	Henry Foster	Series 1, Episode 3: "All Work and No Pay"
1973	The Brontes of Haworth	The Reverend Patrick Brontë
1978–80	Enemy at the Door	Major Dieter Richter
1979	Minder	Kevin	Season 1, Episode 8
1980	Tales of the Unexpected	Herbert	Season 3, Episode 1: 'The Flypaper'
1981	The Borgias	Giuliano della Rovere	6 Episodes, 1981
1986	Bergerac	Doctor Anderson	Season 5, Episode 8: ‘Poison’
1988	Sophia and Constance	Mr Critchlow

Selected theatre

• Dr Rance in What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton. Directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1977)
• Serebryakov in Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. Directed by Michael Elliott at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. 1977)
• Vincentio in Measure for Measure. Directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester. (1981)

References

External links

• Alfred Burke at IMDb
• FilmReference
• Interview with Alfred Burke – British Library sound recording

На других языках

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- [en] Alfred Burke

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[ru] Бёрк, Альфред

А́льфред Бёрк (англ. Alfred Burke; 28 февраля 1918, Пекэм  (англ.) (рус., Англия, Великобритания — 16 февраля 2011, Барнс  (англ.) (рус., Англия, Великобритания) — британский актёр.

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