Paul Burke
1965 photo of Burke as Joe Gallagher in12 O'Clock High
Born	Paul Raymond Burke[1] (1926-07-21)July 21, 1926 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	September 13, 2009(2009-09-13) (aged 83) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Pasadena Playhouse
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1951–1990
Spouses	Peggy Pryor ​ ​ (m. 1946; div. 1972)​ Lyn Peters ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	4
Relatives	Alia Shawkat (granddaughter)

Paul Raymond Burke (July 21, 1926 – September 13, 2009)^[2] was an American actor, best known for his lead roles in two 1960sABC television series,Naked City and12 O'Clock High. He was twice nominated for anEmmy Award for his portrayal ofNew York Police Department detective Adam Flint inNaked City.^[3]

Burke was born inNew Orleans, the son of Santa Maria (née Palermo) and Martin Joseph "Marty" Burke, aboxer who twice foughtGene Tunney and later owned a restaurant andnightclub known as Marty Burke's in the New OrleansFrench Quarter.^[4]

After training at thePasadena Playhouse, Burke's film career began with a small role in the movieGolden Girl. Early in his career, Burke guest-starred in thesyndicated seriesHighway Patrol andMen of Annapolis. In 1956–57, Burke was cast as Dr. Noah McCann inNoah's Ark, a weekly program produced byJack Webb which aired onNBC, the story of a pair of dedicatedveterinarians.Victor Rodman played the older colleague, Dr. Sam Rinehart.

AfterFive Fingers Burke was cast in the lead role of the police showNaked City, in which he appeared as Adam Flint from 1960 to 1963. Burke then appeared in the starring role of Captain (later Maj., then Col.) Joe Gallagher on12 O'Clock High between 1964 and 1967, during which time he met his wife, Lyn. The12 O'Clock High role was Burke's last lead television role.

In 1967, Burke starred in the filmValley of the Dolls as Lyon Burke, the young lawyer who befriended all three female stars and had a tempestuous relationship with Anne Welles. He also played a police officer who pursued a bank robber played bySteve McQueen inThe Thomas Crown Affair.^[3] He appeared in supporting roles in a number of television series, including recurring roles inDynasty from 1982 to 1988 and inTom Selleck'sMagnum, P.I., from 1981 to 1985 as Rear Admiral Hawkes. Burke also served as a television commercial spokesman for the electronics retailerRadioShack, and for Buick Division, General Motors Corporation in the early 1970's. At the end of each Buick commerical, Burke would state Buick's then current motto: "Buick, something to believe in."

In 1989, Burke andHarry Connick Sr., theNew Orleansdistrict attorney, were indicted onracketeering charges for aiding and abetting a gambling operation by returning gambling records to an arrested gambler.^[5] They were both acquitted of the charges.^[6]

Burke is the grandfather of actressAlia Shawkat, whose mother is Burke's daughter, Dina. He retired from acting in the early 1990s. Suffering fromleukemia andnon-Hodgkin's lymphoma, he died in 2009 at his home inPalm Springs, California, aged 83.^[3] His second wife,Lyn Peters, died in Palm Springs on September 10, 2013, at the age of 72.^[7]

• Paul Burke atIMDb
• "Star With a Wall Around Him,"TV Guide, May 1962

• 1926 births
• 2009 deaths
• 20th-century American male actors
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• Deaths from lymphoma in California
• Deaths from leukemia in California
• Deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Male actors from New Orleans
• Male actors from Palm Springs, California

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from December 2013
• Articles with hCards