Marie Burke (born Marie Rosa Altfuldisch, later Holt, 18 October 1894 – 21 March 1988) was an English actress of stage, cinema and television.[1][2] She appeared in over 40 films between 1917 and 1971, and appeared in TV series between 1953 and 1969.[2]

Marie Burke
Burke (right) with actress Jean Hart
Born
Marie Rosa Altfuldisch

(1894-10-18)18 October 1894
Died21 March 1988(1988-03-21) (aged 93)
OccupationActress
Years active1917–1971
SpouseTom Burke
Children1

Biography

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Burke was born in London in 1894 to Rosa (née Underwood) and Ferdinand Altfuldisch (sometimes transcribed as Altfieldisch). The family changed their name to Holt during World War I.[citation needed]

Career

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Marie Burke was a British character comedian and trained as an operatic singer in Italy.[3][4] She appeared in films in 1917, before making her stage debut in 1919.[5]

As a member of the Katja Company she was touring Australia in 1926 when she and her colleague, the tenor Warde Morgan, were seriously injured in the Aberdeen Rail Disaster.[6]

She met and married British operatic tenor Thomas Burke when they were both studying singing in Milan. They had one daughter, the actress and singer Patricia Burke, who was born in Milan.[7]

In 1929, Burke was a founding member of Equity.[citation needed]

Selected filmography

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Television series

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References

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  1. ^ "Marie Burke – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
  2. ^ a b "Marie Burke". BFI. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018.
  3. ^ McFarlane, Brian; Slide, Anthony (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9781526111968 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Marie Burke | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  5. ^ "Marie Burke | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
  6. ^ The Brisbane Courier 27 August 1926.
  7. ^ John D. Vose The Lancashire Caruso: the Life and Times of Tom Burke (1982), reviewed by Paul Morby in Record Collector, Vol. 28, 3&4, 1983, and see also the short article by F.S (Joe) Winstanley in the same issue.
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