Chris Burke | |
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 Burke in 2007. | |
| Born | Christopher Joseph Burke August 26, 1965 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1987–present |
Christopher Joseph Burke (born August 26, 1965) is an American actor. He has become best known for his character Charles "Corky" Thatcher on the television series Life Goes On .
Burke is the youngest of four children of Marian Burke, a retired trade-show manager, and Frank Burke, a retired NYPD inspector. Burke was born with Down syndrome at a time when little was known about the disorder, and his parents were told to institutionalize him. [1] Instead, they decided to raise him at home and nurture his talents with the help of his siblings. From a young age, Burke enjoyed watching TV and movies and wanted to be on television. He was encouraged by his supportive family to follow his career objectives no matter how unconventional they seemed, especially for a young man with Down syndrome. [2]
In the early 1970s, American public schools were not yet mainstreaming students with disabilities into general education classes. Burke attended the Kennedy Child Study Center in New York City, from age five until graduating shortly before his eighth birthday. At that time there were no suitable private education programs for students with disabilities in the area, so, in the fall of 1973, Burke was sent to board at the Cardinal Cushing School and Training Center in Hanover, Massachusetts. In 1978, Burke transferred to the Don Guanella School in Springfield, Pennsylvania, to be closer to his brother, J.R., who lived close by. Burke graduated from Don Guanella in 1986. [2] After graduation, he worked as an elevator operator and did volunteer work for programs for students with disabilities at New York City's Public School 138. [3] [ better source needed ]
Burke's first acting performance was in a production of The Emperor's New Clothes at the Cardinal Cushing School. His dramatic reading made quite an impression on the audience as well as Hollywood producer Robert Evans, who happened to be in the theatre at the time. This role inspired Burke to participate in a talent show after he transferred to Don Guanella, in which he acted as a zombie in a reenactment of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. He continued to hone his talent by attending night classes, going to auditions, writing scripts, and voraciously reading books about his favorite actors. [3]
Burke got his first professional acting job in 1987 in the ABC TV movie Desperate. Network executives at ABC were impressed by his performance in Desperate and created Life Goes On with Burke's character, Charles "Corky" Thatcher, as the main role. Corky was the first character in a network television series with Down syndrome. Burke's revolutionary role conveyed a realistic portrayal of people with Down syndrome and changed the way audiences viewed people with disabilities. Life Goes On propelled Burke into fame and wide recognition. The series ran from 1989 to 1993.
Since Life Goes On, Burke has made appearances on numerous TV shows and movies, most notably co-starring with JoBeth Williams in the NBC Movie of the Week Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted . [4]
Some of his TV show and movie appearances include:
Burke has been the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society [5] since 1994. He has starred in the organization's acclaimed public service announcements, including Tracey Ullman in 1999 and, more recently, for the "My Great Story" public awareness campaign with actor John C. McGinley and TV hosts Meredith Vieira and Nancy O'Dell. [6] [7] As a Goodwill Ambassador, he travels the country attending Buddy Walks, [8] making public appearances, speaking with the press and greeting fans. When he is not on the road, Burke is a member of the National Down Syndrome Society's staff, working in their New York City office. [9]
Burke has delivered inspirational speeches around the world and continues to speak at schools, seminars, conferences and non-profit organizations. From 1994 to 2014 he also toured the U.S. with his three piece musical group, Chris Burke with Joe and John DeMasi, for which he was the singer. [10] Burke met his bandmates, twin brothers Joe and John DeMasi, when they were music counselors at the town of Hempstead, New York's ANCHOR program for individuals with disabilities, when Burke was a teenager. The group released four albums. Lollipops and Love Songs was released in 1993. In 1994, they signed a record deal with BMGKidz and released Singer with the Band. This was followed up by the release of Forever Friends, which won a Parents Choice Gold Seal for Excellence Award, and A World of Kindness in 1998. They also produced a two-episode DVD for children called The Forever Friends Show and have appeared on television performing their signature song, "Celebrate." [11]
In 1991, Burke co-wrote his autobiography, A Special Kind of Hero, with Jo Beth McDaniel. From 1994 to 2005, he was the editor-in-chief of News 'n Views and UpBeat, publications written by and for people with Down syndrome, and in 2009, he contributed to the National Down Syndrome Society's My Great Story campaign by writing his story, "Great Expectations". [12]
Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with developmental delays, mild to moderate intellectual disability, and characteristic physical features.
Rain Man is a 1988 American road comedy-drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass. It tells the story of abrasive and selfish wheeler-dealer Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, Raymond, an autistic savant whose existence Charlie was unaware of. Morrow created the character of Raymond after meeting real-life savant Kim Peek; his characterization was based on both Peek and Bill Sackter, a good friend of Morrow who was the subject of Bill, an earlier film that Morrow wrote.
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John Christopher McGinley is an American actor. His best known roles include Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Captain Hendrix in The Rock, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon, Marv in Stone's Wall Street, FBI agent Ben Harp in Point Break, and the serial killer Edgler Foreman Vess in the TV miniseries of Intensity, based on the novel by Dean Koontz.
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Margaret JoBeth Williams is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in such films as Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Stir Crazy (1980), Poltergeist (1982), The Big Chill (1983), The Day After (1983), Teachers (1984), and Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986). A three-time Emmy Award nominee, she was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her work in the TV movie Adam (1983) and the TV miniseries Baby M (1988). Her third nomination was for her guest role in the sitcom Frasier (1994). She also starred in the TV series The Client (1995–96) and had recurring roles in the TV series Dexter (2007) and Private Practice (2009–11).
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Life Goes On is an American drama television series that aired on ABC from September 12, 1989, to May 23, 1993. The show centers on the Thatcher family living in suburban Chicago: Drew, his wife Libby, and their children Paige, Rebecca and Charles, who is known as Corky. Life Goes On was the first television series to feature a major character with Down syndrome.
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