# Alfred Burke

Alfred Burke (28 February 1918 – 16 February 2011) was an English actor who played Frank Marker in the drama series Public Eye, which ran on television for ten years.

## Early life

Born in London's southeast district of Peckham, the son of Irish parents Sarah Ann O'Leary and William Burke, Burke was educated at Leo Street Boys' School and Walworth Central School. Burke started work aged 14, working in a railway repair firm in the City of London after leaving school. He became a club steward and also worked in a silk warehouse, joining a local amateur dramatics group before moving to Morley College and winning a scholarship to RADA in 1937.
Burke's acting career started two years later at the Barn Theatre in Shere, Surrey. His budding career was interrupted by the Second World War, when he registered as a conscientious objector, and was directed to work on the land.

## Career

In the late 1940s, Burke worked with the Young and Old Vic and other companies. His London debut was in 1950 at the Watergate Theatre, appearing in Pablo Picasso's play Desire Caught by the Tail. He then spent three years with Birmingham Repertory Theatre (1950–53) and appeared in the 1954 West End hit Sailor Beware!.
Burke built a solid reputation across a wide range of character roles in films and on television. His acting career included: The Angry Silence, Touch and Go, Interpol, Yangtse Incident and Buccaneers, as well as such televised plays as The Tip and Treasure Island.
Burke's most famous role was the enquiry agent Frank Marker in the ABC/Thames television series Public Eye, which ran from 1965 to 1975. His low-key, understated but always compelling portrayal of the down-at-heel private eye made the series one of the most popular and highly rated detective dramas on British television.
After Public Eye ended Burke appeared in a host of guises, from Long John Silver to Pope John Paul II's father. In the television series Minder he appeared in the episode Come in T-64, Your Time Is Ticking Away as Kevin, partner to Arthur Daley in his latest scheme, a minicab service. He was also the formidable headmaster "Thrasher" Harris in Home To Roost. He played Major (later Oberst) Richter in both series of Enemy at the Door and Dr Anderson in the Bergerac episode "Poison". Later he was seen as Armando Dippet in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
On stage Burke appeared in several productions by the Royal Shakespeare Company, including Richard II, Romeo and Juliet, Roberto Zucco, The Tempest, Peer Gynt, Measure for Measure, Troilus and Cressida, Two Shakespearean Actors, All's Well That Ends Well and Antony and Cleopatra. In 2008 he appeared at the National Theatre as the Shepherd in a new version of Sophocles' Oedipus by Frank McGuinness.
In 2022 a documentary tribute to Burke was released entitled Alfred Burke is Frank Marker.

## Death

Burke died from a chest infection on 16 February 2011, twelve days before his 93rd birthday, and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium. He was survived by his wife, Barbara (née Bonelle) and their four children: Jacob and Harriet (twins), and Kelly and Louisa (twins).

## Filmography

* The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) – dancer (uncredited)
* The Constant Husband (1955) – porter (uncredited)
* Touch and Go (1955) – man on the bridge
* Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (U.S. title Battle Hell) (1957) – Petty Officer
* Interpol (U.S. title Pickup Alley) (1957) – Vincent Cashling
* Let's Be Happy (1957) – French Ticket Clerk
* The Long Haul (1957) – drunk in club (uncredited)
* Bitter Victory (1957) – Lt. Colonel Callander
* High Flight (1957) – Controller, Operations Room
* No Time to Die (U.S. title Tank Force!) (1958) – Captain Ritter
* Law and Disorder (1958) – Willis Pugh, poacher
* The Man Inside (1958) – Mr Pritchard
* The Man Upstairs (1958) – Mr Barnes
* Operation Amsterdam (1959) – dealer
* Model for Murder (1959) – Podd
* The Crowning Touch (1959) – Reg
* Moment of Danger (a.k.a. Malaga) (1960) – Shapley
* The Angry Silence (1960) – Travers
* The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960) – reporter
* Dead Lucky (1960) – Knocker Parsons
* The Pot Carriers (1962) – Lang
* Crooks Anonymous (1962) – Caulfield
* She Knows Y'Know (1962) – Mr Fox
* Mix Me a Person (1962) – Lumley
* On the Beat (1962) – Trigger O'Flynn
* The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963) – Big Eddie
* The Man Who Finally Died (1963) – Heinrich (uncredited)
* Farewell Performance (1963) – Marlon
* Children of the Damned (1964) – Colin Webster
* The Nanny (1965) – Dr Wills
* Night Caller from Outer Space (1965) (a.k.a. Blood Beast from Outer Space) – Detective Superintendent Hartley
* Guns in the Heather (1969) – Kersner
* One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1970) – Alyosha
* The House on Garibaldi Street (1979) – Adolf Eichmann
* A Midsummer Night's Dream (1996), filmed adaptation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production – Egues
* Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) – Professor Armando Dippet (final film role)

## Television roles
### Comedy

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | On the Knocker | Frank | |
| 1985 | Home to Roost | Thrasher Harris | "Bad Apples" (S1,E2) |
| 1994 | Under the Hammer | Peter Pomfret | "The Fatal Attribution" |

### Documentary/Arts

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1974 | 2nd House | reader | "The First Freedom" |
| 1977 | The Lively Arts | reader | "Arnold Schoenberg: Bogey-Man - Prophet - Guardian 1: Crossing the Frontier 1874-1914", "Arnold Schoenberg : Bogey-Man - Prophet - Guardian 2: In Defence of Culture 1914-1951" |
| 1978 | The South Bank Show | reader | "Paganini Superstar" |
| 1978 | Vive a Venezia | reader | |
| 1980 | The Face Behind the Face (portrait of Dmitri Shostakovich) | reader | |

### Drama

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1951–1956 | Sunday Night Theatre (a.k.a. BBC Sunday Night Theatre) | Six appearances | "Counsellor at Law" (1951) – Arthur Sandler, "Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure" (1954) – Johnny Jason, "The Devil Came from Dublin" (1955) – Ignatious Farrell, "Henry Irving" (1956) – Tom Mead, "Epitaph" (1956) – Bowden, "The Seat of the Scornful" (1956) – PC Weems |
| 1954 | Murder Over Draughts | | |
| 1955–1956 | Kathleen | Seamus MacGomigal | |
| 1955–1959 | ITV Television Playhouse (aka Television Playhouse) | Four appearances | "The Last Reunion" (1955) – Ginger, "The Burning Glass" (1956) – Tony Lack, "Bamboo Bars" (1956) – Doctor, "Oggie" (1959) |
| 1955 | The Adventures of Annabel | Neb | "Say It with Music" (S1,E2) |
| 1955 | The Seventh Dungeon | Ranulf | |
| 1956 | Colonel March of Scotland Yard | minister | "The Devil Sells His Soul" |
| 1956 | No Man's Land | Private Schultz | |
| 1956 | Theatre Royal (aka Lilli Palmer Theatre, or Lilli Palmer presents The Quality Theatre) | John | "Forecast Unsettled" |
| 1956 | London Playhouse | Constable Lo Peng | "The Black Judge" |
| 1956 | Without Love | Hart | |
| 1956 | The Bowl of Ramayama | The Vizier | |
| 1956–1957 | Assignment Foreign Legion | Major Lebeque / Corporal Lescaux | |
| 1956–1958 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | Two appearances | "The Lottery" (1956) – Will Sharpe, "The Trap" (1958) – Sir Simon |
| 1956–1964 | ITV Play of the Week | Thirteen appearances | "The Crucible" (1959) – Reverend John Hale, "Yellow Jack" (1956) – Dr. James Carroll, "Boy Meets Girl" (1957) – Robert Law, "Home of the Brave" (1957) – Captain Bitterger, "The Big Knife" (1958) – Smiley Coy, "The Strong Are Lonely" (1958) – Lorenzo Querini, "The Square Ring" (1959) – Frank Ford, "Parnell" (1959) – Timothy Healy, "The Watching Eye" (1960) – Dr. Smithson, "Shadow of Guilt" (1960) – Lieutenant Trant, "The Birthday Party" (1960) – Shamus McCann, "I Can't Bear Violence" (1963) – Inspector Rideout, "The Witnesses" (1964) – Superindentent Ridout |
| 1957 | Romantic Chapter | Philip | |
| 1957 | The Adventures of Aggie (U.S. title Aggie | Paddy O'Rourke | "Cock and Bull"` |
| 1957 | The Buccaneers | Two appearances | "Ghost Ship" – Pirate Mate, "Instrument of War" – Marsh |
| 1957 | Hour of Mystery | Detective Sargeant Wilson | "Confess, Killer" |
| 1957 | Overseas Press Club – Exclusive! | Inspector Maron | "The Billion Franc Mystery " |
| 1957 | The New Adventures of Martin Kane | Greene | "The Taxi Story" |
| 1958–1960 | Boyd Q.C. | Prosecuting counsel | "Mustapha, King of Reefers" (1958), "In a Manner Dangerous" (1959), "Hell Hath No Fury" (1960) |
| 1958 | You're a Long Time Dead | Harry | |
| 1958 | The Royalty | Sam | S2,E5 and S2,E6 |
| 1958 | Pringle | Mr Byward | |
| 1958 | The Adventures of William Tell | Bolf | "The Assassins" |
| 1958 | Murder Bag | Two appearances | "Lockhart Plays with Fire", "Case 27" |
| 1958 | Crime Sheet | | "Lockhart Rings the Bell" |
| 1958 | Charlesworth | Stringer | "All That Glitters" |
| 1958 | International Detective | Mr Molinskys | "The Carrington Case" |
| 1958 | You Are There: The Ordeal of Christabel Pankhurst | | |
| 1959–1969 | Armchair Theatre | Six appearances | "Parole" (1959), "No Gun, No Guilt" (1959) – Ross B. Meinichor, "On the Spot" (1960) – John Kelly, "Power and Glory" (1963) – Baron Sterne, "The Snares of Death" (1967) – Harold Gabbitas, "Edward the Confessor" (1969) – Gland |
| 1959 | The Invisible Man | Bob | "Point of Destruction" (S2,E1) |
| 1959 | Probation Officer | Grantham | S1,E4 and S1,E5 |
| 1959 | Interpol Calling | Martin Becker | "The Angola Brights" |
| 1960–1965 | The Third Man | Two appearances | "The Widow Who Wasn't" (1960) – Braun, "Man at the Top" (1965) – Inspector Dugaine |
| 1960 | ITV Sunday Night Drama | Clay | "Theatre 60: The Devil Makes Sunday" |
| 1960 | No Hiding Place | | "Dog Eat Dog" – Alf Jenkins, "Two Blind Mice" – Frank Baines |
| 1960 | Danger Man | Craven | "The Conspirators" |
| 1961–1963 | Edgar Wallace Mysteries (aka The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre) | Four appearances | "Man at the Carlton Tower" (1961) – Harry Stone, "Backfire!" (1961) – Mitchell Logan, "Locker Sixty-Nine" (1962) – Davison, "The £20,000 Kiss" (1962) – Inspector Waveney |
| 1961–1966 | The Avengers | Three appearances | "Dragonsfield" (S1,E26, 1961) – Saunders, "The Mauritius Penny" (S2,E7, 1962) – Brown, "The Girl from Auntie" (S4,E17, 1966) – Greggorio Auntie |
| 1961 | One Step Beyond (aka Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond) | Scholl | "The Sorcerer" |
| 1961 | Ghost Squad | Kane | "Bullet with My Name on It" |
| 1961 | Top Secret | X | "X" (S1,E10) |
| 1961 | Sir Francis Drake (aka The Adventures of Sir Francis Drake) | Sir Amyas Paulet | "Queen of Scots" |
| 1962–1964 | Z-Cars | Two appearances | "Day Trip" (1962) – Harold Singleton, "Whistle and Come Home" (1964) – Arnie Winter |
| 1962 | BBC Sunday Night Play | Zach Toombs | "The Day Before Atlanta" |
| 1962 | Man of the World | High Lama | "The Frontier" |
| 1962 | Maigret | Police Officer Lecoeur | "Seven Little Crosses" |
| 1963–1964 | The Saint | Two appearances | "Starring the Saint" (1963, S2,E2) – Jack Groom, "The Wonderful War" (1964, S2,E16) – Harry Shannet |
| 1963 | The Plane Makers | Len Gower | "One of Us" |
| 1963 | The Human Jungle | Sergeant Major Bennett | "A Friend of the Sergeant Major" |
| 1963 | The Odd Man | Brother Paul | "This Stuff's Thicker Than Water" |
| 1963 | Drama 61-67 | Mr Foley | "Drama '63: Night of the Leopard" |
| 1963 | Zero One | Jenkins | "The Switch" |
| 1963 | Espionage | Gustave Kolstrom | "Covenant with Death" (1963) |
| 1964 | The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling | Naboth | "A Bank Fraud" |
| 1965–1975 | Public Eye | Frank Marker | |
| 1965 | Thirty-Minute Theatre | First Man | "That's Not My Name" |
| 1966 | The Plane Makers | Joe Panton | "The Switch" |
| 1968 | The Gamblers | Harry Jarman | "The Day the Banana Threw a Gorilla at Rachel" |
| 1968 | The Magical World of Disney | Kersner | "The Secret of Boyne Castle" (parts 1-3) |
| 1969 | Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) | Henry Foster | "All Work and No Pay" (S1,E3) |
| 1969 | As You Like It: An Introduction | Jacques | |
| 1970–1972 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Four appearances | "The Exiles: Zo", "The Exiles: Emma", "The Exiles: Jennie" (1970) – Edgar, "Just in Time for Christmas" (1972) – Leo Nottage |
| 1970 | Big Brother | Max Hughes | "A Little Bit Like a God" |
| 1972 | Love Story | Kapek | "Night of the Tanks" |
| 1972 | Crime of Passion | Paul Fayjac | "Paul" |
| 1973 | The Brontes of Haworth | The Reverend Patrick Brontë | |
| 1973 | The Power of Dawn | Leo Tolstoy | |
| 1976 | Jackanory | Storyteller | "Mr Moon's Last Case" (parts 1-5) |
| 1976 | The Lady of the Camellias | Monsieur Duval | S1,E1 and S1,E2. |
| 1977 | Centre Play | Snow | "The Tip" |
| 1977 | Treasure Island | Long John Silver | |
| 1978–1980 | Enemy at the Door | Major Dieter Richter | |
| 1979 | Minder | Kevin | "Come in T-64, Your Time Is Ticking Away" (S1,E8) |
| 1979 | Orestia | Adolf Eichmann | |
| 1979 | The House on Garibaldi Street | Leader of the Old Men | "Agamemnon" |
| 1980 | ITV Playhouse | Harry | "A Rod of Iron" |
| 1980 | Tales of the Unexpected | Herbert | "The Flypaper" (S3,E1) |
| 1980 | A Question of Guilt | Mr Blandy | 6 Episodes |
| 1981 | The Borgias | Giuliano della Rovere | 6 Episodes |
| 1983 | Number 10 | First Earl of Chatham | "Bloodline" |
| 1983 | No Excuses | Max | "They're Onto Us", "Rock 'N' Roll Mad", "One Easy Lesson" |
| 1983 | Shades of Darkness | Reverend Hibben | "Bewitched" |
| 1983 | Storyboard | Colonel Bressingham | "Inspector Ghote Moves In" |
| 1984 | Pope John Paul II | Karol Wojtyla Sr. | |
| 1984 | Kim | Lurgan | |
| 1984 | The Glory Boys | Jones | |
| 1984 | Unnatural Causes | Colonel Waley | "Ladies' Night" |
| 1986 | Bergerac | Dr Anderson | "Poison" (S5,E8) |
| 1988 | Sophia and Constance | Mr Critchlow | Five episodes |
| 1997 | The Bill | Walter Lilly | "After All These Years" (S13,E138) |
| 2000 | Longitude | Rear Admiral | |
| 2002 | Holby City | Derek Groombridge | "We Band of Brothers" (S4,E28) |

### Selected radio appearances

Sources for this section include the BBC Archive.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1951 | Portrait of an Airman | Neri | BBC Third Programme |
| 1962 | Mr. Larkspur rings the Bell | Fred Baker | Afternoon Theatre, BBC Home Service |
| 1975 | Proms '75 | Narrator | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1976 | Murder International | Dr Lancret | "The Fall", BBC Radio 4 |
| 1976 | Cardinal Richelieu | Cardinal Richelieu | Afternoon Theatre, BBC Radio 4 |
| 1977 | Proms '77 | Reader | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1977 | In Rehearsal: Uncle Vanya | Astrov | BBC Radio 4 |
| 1977 | Schoenberg | Reader | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1978 | Call for the Dead | Mendel | Five episodes, BBC World Service |
| 1979 | Cirrhosis Park | Peter Hardinge | The Monday Play, BBC Radio 4 |
| 1980 | The Sitting Tenant | Granger | Afternoon Theatre, BBC Radio 4 |
| 1980 | Haydn Quartet / Schoenberg Trio | Introduction | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1980 | Geometry | George | Afternoon Theatre, BBC Radio 4 |
| 1980 | Certain Souvenirs | Narrator | Afternoon Theatre, BBC Radio 4 |
| 1982 | Mainly for Pleasure | Introduction | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1982 | Nothing To Declare | Peter Piper | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1983 | A Small Apocalypse | The Writer | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1986 | The Holy Experiment | Senor Querini | The Monday Play, BBC Radio 4 |
| 1986 | La Peste | Fr Panaloux | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1986 | All's Well That Ends Well | Lafew | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1986 | Master Olof | Gert | BBC Radio 3 |
| 1987 | Mr Beluncle | | Three episodes, BBC Radio 4 |
| 1987 | The Spy Who Came In from the Cold | Karden | BBC Radio 4 |
| 2003 | The Six Mothers-In-Law Of Henry VIII | Chronicler | Six episodes, BBC Radio 4 |
| 2003 | Nathan the Wise | The Patriarch | Drama on 3, BBC Radio 4 |

## Selected theatre roles

For a detailed list of Burke's many stage appearances 1947-2008 see his entry at Theatricalia.
* 1964: The pastor in The Father by August Strindberg. Directed by Caspar Wrede, Piccadilly Theatre, London.
* 1970: Henry in Henry IV by Luigi Pirandello. Directed by Bill Hays at the Leeds Playhouse (and later that year at the Edinburgh Festival).
* 1971: August Strindberg in Pictures in a Bath of Acid by Colin Wilson. Directed by Bill Hays at the Leeds Playhouse.
* 1977: Dr Rance in What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton. Directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.
* 1977: Serebryakov in Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. Directed by Michael Elliott at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.
* 1981: Vincentio in Measure for Measure. Directed by Braham Murray at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.
* 1985: Piotr Sorin in The Seagull by Anton Chekhov. Directed by Charles Sturridge at Queen's Theatre, London.