Marie Burke

Marie Burke, born Marie Rosa Altfuldisch on 18 October 1894 in London, England, was an English actress, character comedian, and trained operatic singer whose career spanned stage, cinema, and television. The family surname was changed to Holt during World War I. Burke died on 21 March 1988.

Burke pursued her vocal training in Italy, where she studied singing in Milan alongside British operatic tenor Thomas Burke, whom she later married. The couple had one daughter, Patricia Burke, an actress and singer who was also born in Milan. Burke's operatic training in Italy informed her work as a performer across multiple disciplines throughout her career.

Her screen career began in 1917, and she went on to appear in more than 40 films between that year and 1971. Her stage debut followed in 1919. In 1926, while touring Australia as a member of the Katja Company, Burke and her colleague, tenor Warde Morgan, were seriously injured in the Aberdeen Rail Disaster. In 1929, she became a founding member of Equity.

On Broadway, Burke performed between 1910 and 1935, accumulating credits across a range of productions. These included the play Pomander Walk, the musical The Great Waltz, the revue Make It Snappy, the musical The Lady in Ermine, and the play An American Tragedy, among others.

Burke's television work extended from 1953 to 1969 and included appearances in Rheingold Theatre, London Playhouse, The Adventures of Robin Hood, BBC Sunday-Night Play, Danger Man, Magnolia Street, Sir Francis Drake, Zero One, Emergency - Ward 10, ITV Play of the Week, and five episodes of The Saint.