RB
Photo of Robert John Burke

Robert John Burke

ActorBorn September 12, 1960 (64 years)
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).

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • Limitless
  • Brooklyn's Finest
  • The Ex
  • The Oh in Ohio
  • The Chosen
  • The Retaliators
  • State Property
  • Nightmare Weekend
  • The Water Is Wide
  • Future '38

Known For

  • Limitless
  • RoboCop 3
  • Thinner
  • 2 Guns
  • BlacKkKlansman
  • Safe
  • Person of Interest
  • True Story
  • Hide and Seek
  • Intrusion
  • Dust Devil
  • Simple Men
  • Boston Strangler
  • Speak
  • The Unbelievable Truth
  • No Such Thing
  • Rescue Me
  • Fled
  • Project Blue Book
  • Rambling Rose
  • A Far Off Place
  • If Lucy Fell

Featured Videos

    Filmography

    2023
    Boston Strangler · as Eddie Holland
    2023
    The Last of Us (TV Series) · as Seth
    2022
    2021
    The Retaliators · as Captain Briggs
    2021
    Intrusion · as Detective Steven Morse
    2019
    Project Blue Book (TV Series) · as William Fairchild
    2019
    Being · as Sheriff Campbell
    2018
    Boarding School · as Mr. Holcomb
    2018
    BlacKkKlansman · as Chief Bridges
    2018
    2018
    The Finest · as Lt Reddick
    2017
    Future '38 · as General Sportwood
    2017
    Where There's Smoke · as Captain Frascone
    2015
    True Story · as Greg Ganley
    2015
    Allegiance (TV Series) · as Special Agent Brock
    2014
    Ned Rifle · as Chet
    2014
    Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (TV Series) · as Iab Lieutenant Ed Tucker
    2014
    2013
    2 Guns · as Jessup
    2013
    Golden Boy (2013) (TV Series) · as Andrew Lightstone
    2013
    Banshee (TV Series) · as Salvatore Ferillo
    2012
    Gossip Girl: XO XO · as Bart Bass
    2012
    Safe · as Captain Wolf
    2012
    NYC 22 (TV Series) · as Deputy Inspector Dennis Mcclaren
    2011
    Person of Interest (TV Series) · as Officer Patrick Simmons
    2011
    Limitless · as Pierce
    2010
    Blue Bloods (TV Series) · as Jyle Hogan
    2009
    White Collar (TV Series) · as Patrick O'leary
    2009
    Nurse Jackie (TV Series) · as Dick Richards
    2009
    Brooklyn's Finest · as State Trooper #1
    2008
    Miracle at St. Anna · as General Ned Almond
    2008
    Generation Kill (TV Series) · as Maj. Gen. James 'chaos' Mattis
    2007
    Gossip Girl (TV Series) · as Bart Bass
    2007
    Army Wives (TV Series) · as General Clarke
    2006
    The Ex · as Colonel
    2006
    Six Degrees (TV Series) · as David
    2006
    Kidnapped (TV Series) · as Bellows
    2006
    Vengeance · as Det. Ron Banks
    2006
    The Oh in Ohio · as Binky Taylor
    2006
    The Water Is Wide · as Colonel Conroy
    2005
    Munich · as Belligerent American
    2005
    Good Night, and Good Luck. · as Charlie Mack
    2005
    Hide and Seek · as Steven
    2004
    Rescue Me (TV Series) · as Mickey Gavin
    2004
    Connie and Carla · as Rudy
    2004
    Speak · as Mr. Neck
    2003
    Piggie · as Jim
    2003
    Queens Supreme (TV Series) · as Special Agent Jeff Donaldson
    2002
    Confessions of a Dangerous Mind · as Instructor Jenks
    2002
    CSI: Miami (TV Series) · as Jim Resdon
    2002
    2001
    Witchblade (TV Series)
    2001
    No Such Thing · as The Monster
    2000
    Falcone (TV Series) · as Cast
    1999
    Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) · as Ed Tucker
    1999
    The Sopranos (TV Series) · as Officer Zmuida
    1998
    Somewhere in the City · as Frankie
    1998
    Alptraum im Airport · as Paul Bacon
    1998
    A Bright Shining Lie · as Frank Drummond
    1998
    Sex and the City (TV Series) · as Walker Lewis
    1998
    From the Earth to the Moon (TV Series) · as Bill Anders
    1997
    1997
    Cop Land · as Officer B
    1997
    Oz (TV Series) · as Special Agent Pierce Taylor
    1997
    Mayday - Flug in den Tod · as Tom Hutton
    1996
    Thinner · as Billy Halleck
    1996
    Fled · as Pat Schiller
    1996
    If Lucy Fell · as Handsome Man
    1995
    Killer: A Journal of Murder · as R.g. Greiser
    1995
    Flirt · as Men's Room Man #2
    1993
    Tombstone · as Frank Mclaury
    1993
    Heaven & Earth · as Paul
    1993
    RoboCop 3 · as Robocop
    1993
    A Far Off Place · as Paul Parker
    1993
    Homicide: Life on the Street (TV Series) · as Jeff Andrews
    1992
    Simple Men · as Bill Mccabe
    1992
    Dust Devil · as Dust Devil
    1991
    Rambling Rose · as Dave Wilkie
    1990
    Law & Order (TV Series) · as Arthur "buzz" Palley
    1989
    1986
    1985
    The Equalizer (TV Series) · as O'toole
    1984
    Screen Two (TV Series) · as Steve
    1981
    Gangster Wars · as Officer Reardon
    1981
    The Chosen · as Levi Saunders
    1977

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