Bart Burns

Bart Burns, born George Joseph Burns on March 13, 1918, in New York City, was an American character actor whose career spanned Broadway, television, and film. The son of a New York City Police Department inspector, he pursued his education at Cornell University and Columbia University before his studies were interrupted by the attack on Pearl Harbor. Burns enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, eventually serving as a captain and company commander of "A" Company, First Battalion, 25th Marines. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for personally locating an enemy strongpoint and guiding a tank to destroy the emplacement. Both of his brothers also achieved the rank of captain during the war, one in the Army and one in the Marine Corps.

In 1947, Burns adopted the professional name Bart Burns to distinguish himself from comedian George Burns. His Broadway debut came in the original production of Mister Roberts, in which he appeared alongside Henry Fonda. He went on to appear in two additional Broadway productions, Barefoot in Athens and One Bright Day, with his stage work concentrated between 1948 and 1952.

Burns transitioned to American television beginning in 1953, and the following year appeared in the original 1954 television broadcast of Twelve Angry Men. He became best known to television audiences for his recurring role as Pat Chambers on Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, which aired in 1959, and accumulated numerous additional credits on series including Gunsmoke and Dragnet, the latter featuring him as a purse snatcher who employed trained dogs. During the 1950s, Burns befriended Ernest Borgnine while supervising him repainting scenery. Borgnine later recalled that Burns was rejected from the lead role of a production during that period after producers learned of his associations with individuals suspected of communist ties. Burns responded by presenting his military medals and captain's bars to the producers in protest, though he did not receive the part.

Burns made his motion picture debut in the 1956 war film Between Heaven and Hell. He also contributed as a writer to several episodes of the Kilroy segments of The Wonderful World of Color for Walt Disney. Burns died on July 17, 2007, in Los Angeles, California, and was buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. He was survived by his wife Fern, three sons — Brendan, Timothy, and Sean — a daughter, Siobhan, and a granddaughter.