Emmy-nominated Naked City actor Paul Burke dies

Published 5:00 am Monday, September 14, 2009

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. Paul Burke, who was twice nominated for an Emmy for his role as Det. Adam Flint in the gritty crime hit Naked City, died Sunday. He was 83.

Burke, who had leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, died with wife Lyn at his side at their home in Palm Springs, family spokeswoman Daniela Ryan said.

Burke was featured in dozens of TV series in his four-decade career, including prominent parts on 12 OClock High and Dynasty.

In a pair of notable big- screen appearances in the late 1960s, he played a cop who chased upscale art thief Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair and had the leading male role in the tale of young women and Hollywood excess Valley of the Dolls.

Burke was born in New Orleans in 1926. His father was a boxer, Martin Burke, who had once fought heavyweight champion Gene Tunney.

The family ran a restaurant and nightclub in the citys French Quarter during World War II called Marty Burkes, where Paul Burke spent much of his time before leaving for Southern California to pursue an acting career at 19.

He studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, and after a slew of bit guest spots on television shows, he landed his first starring role in 1956 playing veterinarian Dr. Noah McCann in the short-lived series Noahs Ark.

Four years later, he joined Naked City in its second season, when it changed from a half-hour to an hour drama. The show was famous for its dark, quasi-documentary style and as a springboard for future stars, including Robert Duvall and Dustin Hoffman.

He would move on to play an Air Force colonel in the adventure show 12 OClock High, where he met Lyn, his actress wife.