Dennis Burkley

Dennis Burkley
Dennis Burkley in 1979
Born	(1945-09-08)September 8, 1945 Los Angeles, California, USA
Died	Los Angeles, California, USA
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1973–2013
Spouse(s)	Laura Alderdice (1967–2013; his death)

Dennis Henry Burkley (September 8, 1945 – July 14, 2013) was an American actor. In a career spanning four decades, he appeared in numerous films and television series.

Early life

Burkley was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Imogene (née Ware) and Henry Burkley. He grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas, and graduated from Texas Christian University.

Career

In his 1980s and 1990s appearances, Burkley was most recognizable for his large 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and 300 lb (140 kg) frame, scruffy beard, and Southern accent. However, in later appearances, he lost a significant amount of weight and had a less slovenly appearance.

Though he had many acting credits, his most recognizable roles include Cal, the Texas-born junkyard partner of Fred G. Sanford in the short-lived Sanford and Son sequel Sanford, and Dozer, a biker with a severe speech impediment who befriends Rocky Dennis and his mother in the movie Mask.

Burkley also appeared in the drug culture drama Rush in 1991, the Chevy Chase comedy Fletch Lives, and Sylvester Stallone's Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Burkley provided the voice of several supporting characters on the animated television series King of the Hill (set in his home state of Texas). In 2005, he wrote and directed a film titled Repetition and also played a small role in the television series My Name Is Earl. One of his most visible recent roles was in Kevin Costner's golf comedy Tin Cup.

He was often mistaken for fellow character actor Mickey Jones.

Personal life

Burkley was married to Laura Alderdice from 1967 until his death. He died in his sleep of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California on July 14, 2013.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role
1976	Stay Hungry
1976	The Call of the Wild
1977	Heroes
1978	Laserblast
1985	Mask
1985	Murphy's Romance
1986	Stewardess School
1987	Wanted: Dead or Alive
1987	Who's That Girl
1987	Malone
1987	No Way Out
1988	Pass the Ammo
1989	Fletch Lives
1989	An Innocent Man
1990	Lambada
1990	The End of Innocence
1991	The Doors
1991	Suburban Commando
1991	Rush
1992	Beyond the Law
1992	Four Eyes and Six Guns
1992	Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
1992	Sidekicks
1993	Son in Law
1996	Tin Cup
1996	Touch
1997	Fathers' Day
1997	Con Air
1998	Possums
2003	Pauly Shore Is Dead
2003	Hollywood Homicide

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	Starsky & Hutch		1 episode
1976	Family	Roy Axelrod	1 episode
1976	McCloud	Big Mama	1 episode
1976–1978	Maude	Sam Dickey	3 episodes
1976–1979	The Rockford Files		3 episodes
1977	Quincy, M.E.	Thomas "Tom-Tom" Tomlinson	1 episode
1977–1978	Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman	Mac Slattery	1 episode
1978	Baretta	Ronco	1 episode
1979	B. J. and the Bear	Harry Cunningham	2 episodes
1979	Hanging In	Sam Dickey	2 episodes
1980	The Dukes of Hazzard	Bubba	Episode: "Find Loretta Lynn"
1980–1981	Sanford	Cal Pettie
1981	The Greatest American Hero		1 episode
1982	Gimme a Break		1 episode
1983	Amanda's	Billy Rae	Episode: "The Man Who Came on Wednesday"
1983	Hill Street Blues	Sonny Crockett	4 episodes
1984	Night Court	Angry Man	Episode: "The Blizzard"
1985	The Dukes of Hazzard	Mickey Larsen	Episode: "Strange Visitor to Hazzard"
1986	Who's the Boss?
1989	Who's the Boss?
1991	"The New WKRP in Cincinnati"	"Jocko"	2 Episodes "Here Comes Everybody" Pt.1 "Here Comes Everybody" Pt.2 1993 "Family Matters
1995	ER	Fresh Prince of Bel Air	1 episode
1997–2010	King of the Hill	Principal Moss; various	Voice
2001	The Drew Carey Show		1 episode
2005–2008	My Name is Earl

External links

• Dennis Burkley at the Internet Movie Database
• Dennis Burkley at AllMovie