Chris Burke (actor)
| Chris Burke | |
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| Born |
Christopher Joseph Burke August 26, 1965 Point Lookout, New York U.S. |
| Other names | Chris Burke |
| Years active | 1987—2003 |
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Burke (born August 26, 1965) is a former American actor and folk singer. He has become best known for his character Charles "Corky" Thacher 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 has Down syndrome, and his parents were told to institutionalize him when he was born. Instead they decided to raise him at home and nurture his talents, with the help of his two older sisters and brother. From a young age, Burke enjoyed watching TV and movies and desperately 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.
In the early 1970s, public schools were not yet mainstreaming students with disabilities into general education classes. Burke attended the Kennedy Child Studies 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. 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.
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 him 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.
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