[These daily posts will cover little known actors or people that have appeared in more recent films and TV series. Various degrees of information that I was able to find will be given and anything that you can add would be appreciated.]
James Haskell Burk was born in Newhall, California on November 14, 1932. Served two years in the US army during the Korean War and then his stepfather, Jimmy Loukes, helped him break into the film industry as a stuntman in the 1950s. Burk was known for training falling horses in nearly three decades of westerns and cavalry films. He worked as a stuntman and actor who worked on over a dozen films with John Wayne. He is probably best remembered as Trooper, a member of the Fain Gang in “Big Jake”, and also as Bobby Joe in “The Undefeated” (He's the one who was leg wrestling with everyone and had to fight Merlin Olsen). Jim also doubled John Wayne in the log shots of the Meadow Scene in “True Grit”.
Burk also performed in television series such as ‘Gunsmoke’, ‘Lancer’, ‘Mannix’, ‘Starsky & Hutch’, ‘M*A*S*H’, ‘Fantasy Island’, ‘NYPD Blue’, and ‘The $treet’.
Around 2000 Jim retired and with his wife dancer Susie Tranquillo retired to a ranch in Darby, Montana. Here he passed away from heart failure on March 10, 2009 at the age of 76.
BURK, Jim (aka James H. Burk, James Burk, Jimmy H.
Burk, Jim Burke) (James Haskell Burk) [11/14/1932, Newhall,
California, U.S.A. – 3/10/2009, Darby, Montana, U.S.A. (heart failure)] – rodeo
performer, stuntman, film, TV actor, married to Sandra Faye Morris [1944- ] (1968-1972), married to dancer Susie
Tranquillo (Susan Ellen Tranquillo) [1949- ] (19??-19??) father of Heather Burk
Tranquillo [1977- ], Tammy Sue Burk
Munly [1978- ],
Donna Burk Fair, Jeffrey Barton Burk [1964- ], James Tyler Burk, stepson, Allan R.
Morris Jr..
Take a Hard Ride – 1975 [stunts]
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