Robert John Burke

Born: 1960-09-12

A born-and-bred New Yorker, Robert John Burke made his film debut while in his early 20s with a small part in the drama "The Chosen" (1981), based on the Chaim Potok story. He went on to study acting at SUNY Purchase where he met aspiring filmmaker Hal Hartley, who cast him as one of the leads in his debut feature "The Unbelievable Truth," an offbeat indie tale where he played a man trying to escape his troubled past. Working with Hartley again on the charming brother-centric dark comedy "Simple Men," Burke caught a major break when Hollywood producers decided that his chiseled jawline was the right one to replace Peter Weller's in the sci-fi/action sequel "RoboCop 3." Despite Burke's efforts, the movie tanked, and he went on to smaller roles in major films, including the lauded Western "Tombstone" (1993) and the prison-break movie "Fled" (1996). Burke landed his second chance in a Hollywood starring role with the Stephen King adaptation "Thinner" (1996), but the macabre tale, which featured him under heavy makeup to depict a callous man who magically loses weight, was deemed almost universally unlikable.Though Burke's leading-man days were mostly behind him, his beastly role in Hartley's "No Such Thing" (2001) aside, he soldiered on, and began increasingly working on television with recurring roles on the grim prison drama "Oz" and the police procedural "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC, 1999- ). Appearing in George Clooney's first two movies as director, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" (2002) and "Good Night, and Good Luck." (2005), Burke nonetheless became more familiar to TV audiences, particularly when he signed on to play Mickey Gavin, the ex-priest cousin of Denis Leary's lead character on the firefighter series "Rescue Me," a part that dovetailed with Burke's real-life second job as a New York State fireman.Often cast as a tough guy, the ruggedly handsome and tall actor continued to play imposing figures such as Major General James "Chaos" Mattis in the Iraq War miniseries "Generation Kill" (HBO, 2008) and Bart Bass, the controlling billionaire father of Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick) on the soapy drama "Gossip Girl." Before long, he was juggling his ongoing "Law & Order: SVU" part with regular spots on the military drama "Army Wives" (Lifetime, 2007- ) and the tense crime show "Person of Interest" (CBS, 2011- ), while still finding time for supporting turns in films, including the Denzel Washington/Mark Wahlberg action movie "2 Guns" (2013).


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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

as Smitty
Released: 2022-11-09

Queen Ramonda, Shuri, M’Baku, Okoye and the Dora Milaje fight to protect their nation from...

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Tombstone

as Frank McLaury
Released: 1993-12-25

Legendary marshal Wyatt Earp, now a weary gunfighter, joins his brothers Morgan and Virgil to...

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Cop Land

as Officer B
Released: 1997-08-15

Freddy Heflin is the sheriff of a place everyone calls “Cop Land” — a small and seemingly...

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as Robocop
Released: 1993-01-21

The mega corporation Omni Consumer Products is still bent on creating their pet project, Delta...

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Released: 2011-03-08

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Boston Strangler

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Released: 2023-03-16

Reporters Loretta McLaughlin and Jean Cole bravely pursue the story of the Boston Strangler at...

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Released: 2013-08-02

A DEA agent and an undercover Naval Intelligence officer who have been tasked with investigating...

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Safe

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Released: 2012-04-16

After a former elite agent rescues a 12-year-old Chinese girl who's been abducted, they find...

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Colorado Springs, late 1970s. Ron Stallworth, an African American police officer, and Flip...

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Munich

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Released: 2005-12-23

During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered...

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Thinner

as Billy Halleck
Released: 1996-10-25

An obese lawyer finds himself growing "Thinner" when an old Romani man places a hex on him. Now...

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Brooklyn's Finest

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Released: 2010-03-04

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Hide and Seek

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Miracle at St. Anna

as General Ned Almond
Released: 2008-09-15

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True Story

as Greg Ganley
Released: 2015-04-17

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Speak

as Mr. Neck
Released: 2004-01-20

Freshman high-school student Melinda has refused to speak ever since she called the cops on a...

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Good Night, and Good Luck.

as Charlie Mack
Released: 2005-09-16

The story of journalist Edward R. Murrow's stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's...

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Looking for Mr. Goodbar

as Patrick
Released: 1977-10-19

A dedicated schoolteacher spends her nights cruising bars, looking for abusive men with whom she...

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Boarding School

as Mr. Holcomb
Released: 2018-08-30

When troubled 12-year-old Jacob Felsen is sent away to boarding school, he enters every kid’s...

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The Ex

as Colonel
Released: 2006-12-01

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Fled

as Pat Schiller
Released: 1996-07-19

During a routine prison work detail, convict Piper is chained to Dodge, a cyberhacker, when...

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Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

as Instructor Jenks
Released: 2002-12-31

Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off screen. Television producer by...

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Intrusion

as Detective Steven Morse
Released: 2021-09-22

When a husband and wife move to a small town, a home invasion leaves the wife traumatized and...

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Rambling Rose

as Dave Wilkie
Released: 1991-09-10

Rose is taken in by the Hillyer family to serve as a 1930s housemaid so that she can avoid...

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Heaven & Earth

as Paul
Released: 1993-12-25

Le Ly lives in a small Vietnamese village whose serenity is shattered when war breaks out....

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The Chosen

as Levi Saunders
Released: 1981-08-20

In a 1940s New York, two Jewish teenage boys are determined to remain friends despite the deep...

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Connie and Carla

as Rudy
Released: 2004-04-16

After accidentally witnessing a mafia hit in the Windy City, gal pals Connie and Carla skip town...

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The Oh in Ohio

as Binky Taylor
Released: 2006-03-30

Priscilla and Jack appear to be the perfect couple, but they have a secret: She is sexually...

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Simple Men

as Bill McCabe
Released: 1992-10-14

Dennis is a handsome and bookish college student. His brother, Bill, is a roughhewn ladies' man...

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Dust Devil

as Dust Devil
Released: 1992-07-11

A woman on the run from her abusive husband encounters a mysterious hitch-hiker.

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If Lucy Fell

as Handsome Man
Released: 1996-03-08

Joe and Lucy are roommates and best friends. Lucy, whose love life is embarrassingly dull,...

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The Retaliators

as Captain Briggs
Released: 2022-09-08

An upstanding pastor uncovers a dark and twisted underworld as he searches for answers...

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The Unbelievable Truth

as Josh
Released: 1990-07-20

After serving time for murder, Josh Hutton returns to his home town where he meets Audry Hugo....

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Ned Rifle

as Chet
Released: 2014-09-07

Henry’s and Fay's son Ned sets out to find and kill his father for destroying his mother's life....

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Flirt

as Men's Room Man #2
Released: 1995-09-14

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Killer: A Journal of Murder

as R.G. Greiser
Released: 1996-09-06

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A Far Off Place

as Paul Parker
Released: 1993-03-12

Thrown together under incredible circumstances, two strangers must discover courage and strength...

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Gangster Wars

as Officer Reardon
Released: 1981-04-09

The film tells the story of three teenagers, based on real life gangsters Charles "Lucky"...

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No Such Thing

as The Monster
Released: 2001-05-12

A young journalist journeys to Iceland to find her missing fiancé only to encounter a mythical...

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A Bright Shining Lie

as Frank Drummond
Released: 1998-05-30

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We Only Know So Much

as Hal
Released: 2018-06-23

A married woman has an affair with a suicidal lover while caring for her husband's sick relatives.

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Being

as Sheriff Campbell
Released: 2020-01-07

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First Love, Last Rites

as Henry
Released: 1998-08-07

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as Dave
Released: 1986-05-12

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Future '38

as General Sportwood
Released: 2017-12-01

An American Agent from 1938 travels through time to hamstring Hitler! Transported to the year...

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Flirt

as Men's Room Man
Released: 1993-09-11

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Triggered

as David
Released: 2022-04-03

A US Senator faces her greatest challenge when a home invasion takes a shocking turn.

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Piggie

as Jim
Released: 2003-06-13

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Mayday - Flug in den Tod

as Tom Hutton
Released: 1997-01-01

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Midnight Flight

as Paul Bacon
Released: 1998-06-02

An American woman is stranded in a German airport when she witnesses someone sabotaging a plane.

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Bait

as Uncle Mack
Released: 2015-09-18

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Somewhere in the City

as Frankie
Released: 1998-06-11

The film portrays life of New York City's Lower East Side inhabitants. Introvert therapist Betty...

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Crazy for a Kiss

as Steve
Released: 1995-04-23

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Where There's Smoke

as Captain Frascone
Released: 2017-04-01

After a tragic accident, a firefighter must convince the city commissioner he's able to return...

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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

as Ed Tucker
First aired: 1999-09-20

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In...

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Law & Order

as Milton Danbury
First aired: 1990-09-13

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing...

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Law & Order

as Arthur "Buzz" Palley
First aired: 1990-09-13

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing...

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Law & Order

as Ron Innes
First aired: 1990-09-13

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing...

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Blue Bloods

as Jyle Hogan
First aired: 2010-09-24

A drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement....

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CSI: Miami

as Jim Resdon
First aired: 2002-09-23

CSI: Miami follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as...

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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

as IAB Lieutenant Ed Tucker
First aired: 2014-04-27

A half-hour satirical look at the week in news, politics and current events.

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Sex and the City

as Walker Lewis
First aired: 1998-06-06

Based on the bestselling book by Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City tells the story of four best...

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Person of Interest

as Officer Patrick Simmons
First aired: 2011-09-22

John Reese, former CIA paramilitary operative, is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive...

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White Collar

as Patrick O'Leary
First aired: 2009-10-23

In exchange for his freedom, charming con artist Neal Caffrey provides his expertise to help...

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The Sopranos

as Officer Zmuida
First aired: 1999-01-10

The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he...

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Gossip Girl

as Bart Bass
First aired: 2007-09-19

An exclusive group of privileged teens from a posh prep school on Manhattan's Upper East Side...

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Oz

as Special Agent Pierce Taylor
First aired: 1997-07-12

The daily lives of prisoners in Emerald City, an experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum...

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The Equalizer

as O'Toole
First aired: 1985-09-18

Robert McCall is a former agent of a secret government agency who is now running his own private...

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From the Earth to the Moon

as Bill Anders
First aired: 1998-04-05

The story of the United States' space program, from its beginnings in 1961 to the final moon...

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Witchblade

as uncredited
First aired: 2001-06-12

Sara "Pez" Pezzini searches for justice which brings her into contact with the Witchblade. An...

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Project Blue Book

as William Fairchild
First aired: 2019-01-08

A chronicle of the true top secret U.S. Air Force-sponsored investigations into UFO-related...

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Rescue Me

as Mickey Gavin
First aired: 2004-07-21

Rescue Me revolves around the lives of the men in a New York City firehouse, the crew of 62...

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Allegiance

as Special Agent Brock
First aired: 2015-02-05

Alex O'Connor, a young idealistic CIA analyst specializing in Russian affairs, learns a shocking...

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Kidnapped

as Bellows
First aired: 2006-09-20

Kidnapped is an American television drama series from Sony Pictures Television which aired on...

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Golden Boy

as Andrew Lightstone
First aired: 2013-02-26

Golden Boy is an American crime drama series created by Nicholas Wootton, which is produced by...

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