Robert John Burke
Robert John Burke
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).
Acted Movies
Director: Matt Ruskin
Writers: Matt Ruskin,
Cast: Alessandro Nivola, Carrie Coon, Chris Cooper, David Dastmalchian, Keira Knightley, Morgan Spector, Peter Gerety, Robert John Burke, Rory Cochrane, Ryan Winkles,
Director: Samuel Gonzalez Jr.
Writers: Darren Geare,
Cast: Abbey Hafer, Ivan L. Moody, Jacoby Shaddix, Joseph Gatt, Katie Kelly, Marc Menchaca, Michael Lombardi, Robert John Burke, Robert Knepper, Spencer Charnas,
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Writers: Blake Masters,
Cast: Bill Paxton, Denzel Washington, Edward James Olmos, Fred Ward, Greg Sproles, James Marsden, Mark Wahlberg, Patrick Fischler, Paula Patton, Robert John Burke,
Director: Boaz Yakin
Writers: Boaz Yakin,
Cast: Anson Mount, Catherine Chan, Chris Sarandon, Elissa Middleton, Igor Jijikine, James Hong, Jason Statham, Joseph Sikora, Reggie Lee, Robert John Burke,
Director: Neil Burger
Writers: Leslie Dixon,
Cast: Abbie Cornish, Andrew Howard, Anna Friel, Bradley Cooper, Darren Goldstein, Johnny Whitworth, Ned Eisenberg, Robert De Niro, Robert John Burke, Tomas Arana,
Director: Michael Lembeck
Writers: Nia Vardalos,
Cast: Alec Mapa, Boris McGiver, Dash Mihok, David Duchovny, Ian Gomez, Nia Vardalos, Nick Sandow, Robert John Burke, Stephen Spinella, Toni Collette,
Director: Jessica Sharzer
Writers: Jessica Sharzer,
Cast: Allison Siko, D. B. Sweeney, Elizabeth Perkins, Eric Lively, Hallee Hirsh, Kristen Stewart, Michael Angarano, Richard Hagerman, Robert John Burke, Steve Zahn,
Director: Hal Hartley
Writers: Hal Hartley,
Cast: Annika Peterson, Baltasar Kormákur, Bill Sage, Erica Gimpel, Helen Mirren, James Urbaniak, Julie Christie, Paul Lazar, Robert John Burke, Sarah Polley,
Director: Mikael Salomon
Writers: Sally Robinson,
Cast: Daniel Gerroll, Ethan Embry, Fidelis Cheza, Jack Thompson, Maximilian Schell, Miles Anderson, Patricia Kalember, Reese Witherspoon, Robert John Burke, Sarel Bok,
Director: Hal Hartley
Writers: Hal Hartley,
Cast: Bill Sage, Christopher Cooke, Elina Löwensohn, Holly Marie Combs, Jeffrey Howard, Joe Stevens, Karen Sillas, Mark Chandler Bailey, Martin Donovan, Robert John Burke,
Director: Richard Stanley
Writers: Richard Stanley,
Cast: Andre Odendaal, Chelsea Field, John Matshikiza, Luke Cornell, Marianne Sägebrecht, Robert John Burke, Rufus Swart, Russell Copley, William Hootkins, Zakes Mokae,
Director: Martha Coolidge
Writers: Calder Willingham,
Cast: Diane Ladd, Evan Lockwood, John Heard, Kevin Conway, Laura Dern, Lisa Jakub, Lukas Haas, Matthew Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Robert John Burke,
Director: Hal Hartley
Writers: Hal Hartley,
Cast: Adrienne Shelly, Christopher Cooke, David Healy, Edie Falco, Gary Sauer, Julia McNeal, Katherine Mayfield, Mark Chandler Bailey, Matt Malloy, Robert John Burke,