Robert John Burke
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Robert John Burke (b. September 12, 1960 in Northport, Long Island, New York), is an American actor.
He is first generation Irish-American. He attended the acting conservatory of the State University of New York at Purchase. Burke's largest mainstream role was when he took over for Peter Weller in Robocop 3. Burke has also had recurring roles on Law & Order, and appeared on The Sopranos in 2004, and is currently with the cast of Denis Leary's Rescue Me.
Burke is also a regular performer in Hal Hartley indie films, appearing as the leading role in 1989's The Unbelievable Truth (see photo), playing an ex-con who gets mixed up with a schoolgirl; 1992's Simple Men, playing a man who, having sworn to destroy the first woman he meets, falls in love with the owner of a diner in the middle of nowhere; and 2001's No Such Thing, in which he plays a foul-mouthed mythical beast living in Iceland. In 1996, he played the lead role in the critically acclaimed Stephen King adaptation Thinner. He also cameoed in Hartley's 1995 film Flirt.
More recently, 2005 was a big year for Burke; having a small, yet memorable role in the John Polson film Hide and Seek, a psychological thriller, starring Robert De Niro and Dakota Fanning. And he made cameo appearances in the Academy Award-nominated films Munich, directed by Steven Spielberg, and Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney. Burke was working on TV series Kidnapped for NBC before it was cancelled, and is currently a featured character on ABC's series Six Degrees.
[edit] Trivia
- Burke spent several days at Ground Zero after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks assisting with the search and rescue. He has since became an FDNY New York State certified fire fighter.
- Holds a 3rd degree Black Belt in Matsubayashi Shorin-ryu Okinawan Karate.
- Has a twin brother, who made a cameo appearance in Burke's 1993 film Dust Devil, playing his twin.
