# Mark Burns (actor)

Mark Burns (30 March 1936 – 8 May 2007) was an English film and television actor.

## Biography

Burns was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire and educated at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire. He originally planned to enter the priesthood, but after a short-service commission with the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars (1955–57), in which he served in Malaya and Northern Ireland, he became an actor. His career began in 1960 with the film Tunes of Glory followed by the TV series Lorna Doone (1963) and Rupert of Hentzau (1964). One of his most prominent roles was as the male lead in the cult 1966 mystery film Death Is a Woman. Burns also appeared in The Saint episode "The Scales of Justice", and The Prisoner episode "It's Your Funeral" as Number Two's assistant.
He played William Morris in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968), Bernie in A Day at the Beach (1970), the pianist Alfred in Death in Venice (1971) and Hans von Bülow in Ludwig (1972). Mark Burns obtained a lead role in House of the Living Dead by Ray Austin in 1974 and won the prize for best actor in 1974 at the Sitges Film Festival. In 1975, together with Lynne Frederick he did A Long Return by Pedro Lazaga. He also appeared in Count Dracula (1977) and The Bitch (1979). His career stagnated in the 1980s and 1990s, his last film being Stardust (2007). He died from lung cancer.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1960 | Sink the Bismarck! | Naval Rating in Phone Montage | Uncredited |
| 1960 | Tunes of Glory | One of the Other Officers | |
| 1960 | Exodus | Lt. O'Hara | |
| 1962 | A Prize of Arms | Lt. Ellison | |
| 1963 | The Day and the Hour | Un aviateur anglais | |
| 1963 | Take Me Over | Bill Light | |
| 1964 | The System | Michael | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Death Is a Woman | Dennis Parbury | |
| 1967 | The Jokers | Capt. Browning | |
| 1967 | It! | First Officer | |
| 1967 | I'll Never Forget What's'isname | Michael Cornwall | |
| 1968 | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Capt. William Morris | |
| 1970 | The Virgin and the Gypsy | Major Eastwood | |
| 1970 | The Adventures of Gerard | Col. Russell | Coldstream Guards |
| 1971 | Death in Venice | Alfred | |
| 1972 | A Time for Loving | Geoff Rolling | |
| 1972 | A Day at the Beach | Bernie | |
| 1973 | Ludwig | Hans Von Bülow | |
| 1973 | Giordano Bruno | Bellarmino | |
| 1974 | House of the Living Dead | Sir Michael Brattling / Dr. Breckinridge Brattling | |
| 1974 | Juggernaut | Hollingsworth | |
| 1975 | Rosebud | Shute | |
| 1975 | The Maids | Monsieur | |
| 1975 | A Long Return | David Ortega | |
| 1977 | Count Dracula | Dr. John Seward | |
| 1978 | The Stud | Leonard | |
| 1979 | The Bitch | Leonard Grant | |
| 1979 | Home Before Midnight | Harry Wilshire | |
| 1981 | Eyewitness | Man on TV | |
| 1981 | La chanson du mal aimé | | |
| 1983 | The Wicked Lady | King Charles II | |
| 1984 | Champions | Thorne | |
| 1984 | The Surrogate | Larry | |
| 1986 | Keeping Track | Reporter at Bank | |
| 1990 | Destroying Angel | Reynold Turot | |
| 1990 | Bullseye! | Nigel Holden | |
| 1993 | Dirty Weekend | Mr. Brown | |
| 1995 | Savage Hearts | Doctor | |
| 1999 | The Clandestine Marriage | Capstick | |
| 2007 | Stardust | New Bishop | Final film role (posthumous release) |