Jere Burns
Encyclopedia
Jerald Eugene "Jere" Burns II (born October 15, 1954) is an American
actor
who has appeared in theatre productions and on television and is best known for his role as ladies' man Kirk Morris on the television series, Dear John
.
, the son of a homemaker and a gown and cap manufacturer. Burns was drawn to acting late in college. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
in 1980 Burns moved to Manhattan
and was cast in the title role in Don Juan at the New York Shakespeare Festival
.
credits include Hairspray
and After the Night and the Music
.
Burns made his television
debut in a small role on ABC's Mom's On Strike in 1984. He had a recurring role as pathological rapist James Fitzsimmons on Hill Street Blues
and body collector Breugel on Max Headroom
. In 1988 he landed the plum role of sleazy Kirk Morris on Dear John
. In 1989 he appeared in the William Lustig film Hit List
as Jared Riley. He appeared as the villainous Cade Dalton on the NBC miniseries The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991), hateful Vice-President of Sales Pete Schmidt on Bob
(1993), a member of the feuding family in Greedy (1994), Jack Farrell in Something So Right
(1996), Ben Stuart (father to Lindsay Lohan's character) in Life-Size a made-for-TV film (2000) starring Tyra Banks. He acted as Harry's brother in The Trouble with Harry; an episode of the series Twice in a Lifetime
directed by David Winning
(2000); Frank Alfonse on Good Morning, Miami
(2002); Michael on Help Me Help You
(2006); and Dr. Jim on Surviving Suburbia
(2009). He starred as an FBI agent in a movie Otis
(2008). Other screen credits include Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles
(2001).
In 2010 he appeared in AMC's series Breaking Bad
as the group leader for a Narcotics Anonymous meeting as apart of a Twelve-Step Program, which main character Jesse Pinkman
attended. He also has a recurring role on FX's Justified
as Wyn Duffy, a sadistic lieutenant in the Dixie Mafia
, and appears in the 5th (2011) season of Burn Notice
on USA Network
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who has appeared in theatre productions and on television and is best known for his role as ladies' man Kirk Morris on the television series, Dear John
Dear John (US TV series)
Dear John is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1988 to 1992. The series was originally based on the British sitcom of the same name. Dear John was retitled Dear John USA when it was shown in the UK. During its four-season run, the series was bounced to and from various time periods on...
.
Early life
Burns was born in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, the son of a homemaker and a gown and cap manufacturer. Burns was drawn to acting late in college. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
in 1980 Burns moved to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and was cast in the title role in Don Juan at the New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival
New York Shakespeare Festival is the previous name of the New York City theatrical producing organization now known as the Public Theater. The Festival produced shows at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, as part of its free Shakespeare in the Park series, at the Public Theatre near Astor Place...
.
Career
His Broadway theatreBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
credits include Hairspray
Hairspray (musical)
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues...
and After the Night and the Music
After the Night and the Music
After the Night and the Music is a play by Elaine May.Borrowing its title from the Howard Dietz song "You and the Night and the Music,", it actually is a one-acter preceded by a curtain raiser, a quartet of interlaced monologues, and an intermission....
.
Burns made his television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
debut in a small role on ABC's Mom's On Strike in 1984. He had a recurring role as pathological rapist James Fitzsimmons on Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
and body collector Breugel on Max Headroom
Max Headroom
Max Headroom may refer to:* Max Headroom , a fictional artificial intelligence, played by Matt Frewer* The Max Headroom Show, a 1985 music video TV show* Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future, a 1985 British cyberpunk television film...
. In 1988 he landed the plum role of sleazy Kirk Morris on Dear John
Dear John (US TV series)
Dear John is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1988 to 1992. The series was originally based on the British sitcom of the same name. Dear John was retitled Dear John USA when it was shown in the UK. During its four-season run, the series was bounced to and from various time periods on...
. In 1989 he appeared in the William Lustig film Hit List
Hit List (film)
Hit List is a 1989 action–thriller movie directed by William Lustig. The tagline for the movie was: They attacked the wrong woman... They kidnapped the wrong child... And they made the wrong man their target. The film was produced by Cinetel Films and Warner Bros...
as Jared Riley. He appeared as the villainous Cade Dalton on the NBC miniseries The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991), hateful Vice-President of Sales Pete Schmidt on Bob
Bob (TV series)
Bob is an American television situation comedy starring Bob Newhart. It was the actor's third series for CBS and proved to be far less successful than The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, his previous outings with the network. It lasted a season and a half, running from September 18, 1992 until...
(1993), a member of the feuding family in Greedy (1994), Jack Farrell in Something So Right
Something So Right
Something So Right is an American television situation comedy which ran on two different networks during its time on the air, and in reruns on the USA Network for a number of years after its cancellation....
(1996), Ben Stuart (father to Lindsay Lohan's character) in Life-Size a made-for-TV film (2000) starring Tyra Banks. He acted as Harry's brother in The Trouble with Harry; an episode of the series Twice in a Lifetime
Twice in a Lifetime (TV series)
Twice in a Lifetime is a Canadian mystery/drama series that originally aired from 1999 to 2001. Created by Steve Sohmer, the series aired on CTV in Canada and PAX in the United States.-Synopsis:...
directed by David Winning
David Winning
David Winning is a Canadian and American dual Citizen film and television director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and occasional actor. Although Winning has worked in numerous film and TV genres, his name is most commonly associated with science fiction, thrillers and drama.-Biography:Winning...
(2000); Frank Alfonse on Good Morning, Miami
Good Morning, Miami
Good Morning, Miami is a sitcom which ran from 2002 to 2004 on NBC. Created by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the show focused on the personal and professional life of Jake, the executive producer of the lowest-rated morning show in the country, based in Miami.Though unsuccessful and unacclaimed,...
(2002); Michael on Help Me Help You
Help Me Help You
Help Me Help You is an American television situation comedy that aired from September 26, 2006 to December 12, 2006. It was first broadcast at 9:30pm Tuesdays on ABC in the United States and on Global in Canada...
(2006); and Dr. Jim on Surviving Suburbia
Surviving Suburbia
Surviving Suburbia is an American sitcom starring Bob Saget and Cynthia Stevenson that premiered on April 6, 2009 at 9:30PM Eastern/8:30PM Central on ABC. Surviving Suburbia aired its final episode at 8:30PM Eastern/7:30PM Central on August 7, 2009...
(2009). He starred as an FBI agent in a movie Otis
Otis (film)
Otis is a 2008 direct-to-DVD horror-comedy directed by Tony Krantz. It is the fourth Raw Feed horror film from Warner Home Video.-Plot synopsis:...
(2008). Other screen credits include Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles
Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles
Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles is a 2001 Australian-American comedy film, directed by Simon Wincer and starring Paul Hogan. It is the sequel to the 1988 film Crocodile Dundee II, which itself was the sequel to 1986's Crocodile Dundee and the third and final film of the trilogy...
(2001).
In 2010 he appeared in AMC's series Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad is an American television drama series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and produced in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Breaking Bad is the story of Walter White , a struggling high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the beginning of the series...
as the group leader for a Narcotics Anonymous meeting as apart of a Twelve-Step Program, which main character Jesse Pinkman
Jesse Pinkman
Jesse Bruce Pinkman is a fictional character of the American television drama series Breaking Bad on AMC. He is portrayed by Aaron Paul and was created by series creator Vince Gilligan.-Background:...
attended. He also has a recurring role on FX's Justified
Justified (TV series)
Justified is an American television drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard's novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story "Fire in the Hole". Its central character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky...
as Wyn Duffy, a sadistic lieutenant in the Dixie Mafia
Dixie Mafia
The Dixie Mafia is a criminal organization based in Biloxi, Mississippi, and operated primarily in the Southern United States, in the 1970s. The group uses each member's talents in various crime categories to help move stolen merchandise, illegal alcohol, and illegal drugs...
, and appears in the 5th (2011) season of Burn Notice
Burn notice
A burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons...
on USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
.