Robert John Burke has starred in “Law & Order: SVU,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and a slew of other productions.
But he is excited to return to Arizona to promote the 30th anniversary of the film “Tombstone,” in which he starred as Frank McLaury. McLaury and his brother, Tom, owned a ranch outside of Tombstone, Arizona Territory during the 1880s. He had ongoing conflicts with Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp.
The “Tombstone” 30th cast reunion is Friday, June 23, to Sunday, June 25, throughout Tombstone. Besides Burke, among those scheduled to appear are Michael Biehn (Johnny Ringo); Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Mattie Earp); Joanna Pacula (Kate); Christopher Mitchum (Hooker’s Ranch foreman); John Philbin (Tom McLaury) and Peter Sherayko (Texas Jack Vermillion).
The cast will sign autographs and greet fans from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 24, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 25, inside Wyatt Earp’s Oriental Saloon. Biehn will be at Vintage Cowgirls. Entrance is free to the public, although the cast will charge for autographs and photographs.
Other activities include: “Mescal Movie Set” discussion with Mark Sankey from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 23; followed by the “Birth of the Buckaroos” behind-the-scenes history of “Tombstone” with Sherayko; from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 24, is the actors symposium, when the cast will share their stories and answer audience questions.
He’s hoping there’s much less drama than during the filming of “Tombstone.” Writer/producer/director Kevin Jarre was fired a month into shooting and replaced by George P. Cosmatos.
“There’s a lot of consternation about the way it was being shot, initially,” Burke said. “The conflict was that they were not happy with Kevin Jarre, who was the writer/producer/director. It was his project. Ultimately, the studio wasn’t happy with the way it was turning out and decided to make a change.
“That was very difficult for all of us. It was his creation. They brought in George Cosmatos. As one of the actors said, ‘It’s bad news that Kevin won’t be with us, but we’re going to continue to tell his story.’ That was some type of redemption.”
Jarre recruited Burke for “Tombstone.” The two discussed the film over lunch in LA. The first thing Jarre asked Burke was if he could ride a horse.
“‘Like the wind,’ I said, which was true,” Burke recalled. “He had spent some time in Ireland and my family is all there. We had a common subject of conversation. He told me a little about his project and should one of the actor’s pilots be picked up, I would step into that role.
“I was Frank McLaury and we had an awesome amount of fun. It was hot, sweaty and itchy. We understood why cowboys were so crazy. It’s not like they could go into an air-conditioned bar and get a cold drink. I understood why people were so sensitive.”
The “Tombstone” anniversary is Burke’s second fan event. He’s definitely appreciative of those who come out.
“At a certain point in one’s work career, you understand that, without them, you don’t really have anything going on,” he said. “I think a lot of other actors and performers or sports figures, or what have you, meet the fans and give back to them.”
He has kind words for the “Tombstone” 30th anniversary event producer, Gordon Anderson, too.
“Gordon’s been earnest, genuine and authentic in his communication. He’s a tough guy to say no to,” he said with a laugh.
Tough guy himself
Burke starred as hard-nosed, uncompromising Internal Affairs Capt. Ed Tucker on “Law & Order: SVU.” In season 17, Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) started seeing Tucker, but their relationship falls apart after he suggests she retire with him.
“I was with my friends recently at the fire department of New York training facility and Mariska and Christopher (Meloni, ‘Law & Order’s’ Elliot Stabler) joined us,” said Burke, a 22-year firefighter as well.
They were there as part of the fundraising Leary Firefighter Challenge, an event hosted by actor Denis Leary’s The Leary Firefighters Foundation. The foundation helps firefighters by building state-of-the-art training facilities, buying cutting-edge vehicles and supplying modern technology and tools to firehouses and departments across the country.
Leary started the foundation in 2000 in response to a fire in Worcester, Massachusetts, that claimed the lives of his cousin, a childhood friend and four firefighters.
“At the event, they coupled executives and celebrities with firefighters to go through a lot of the tasks that firefighters in New York City go through each day — rappelling, searching rooms, hose handling, car fires, vehicle extrication.”
Hargitay was determined to get through the exercises, despite the hardware she has in her ankle, he said. She fractured her right ankle in three places in a fall in July 2021.
“She’s got ACE Hardware in that ankle of hers,” Burke said with a laugh. “I was a little reluctant to have her participating, but she’s one of those, ‘Hold my beer’ people. She rappelled down a six-story building and made it look easy.”
He’s impressed by Leary’s dedication to firefighters.
“Everybody thinks the fire department gets everything they absolutely need,” he said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. We’ve helped over 100 different fire departments with ropes, thermal imaging cameras, the list is endless of the materials we’ve provided. With Denis, it’s one thing for somebody to write the check, but it’s another thing to crawl through a burning room. You have a little more skin in the game.”
Updates
Burke, who played Smitty in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” recently starred as Eddie Holland in Hulu’s “Boston Strangler” with Keira Knightley.
“I thought Keira Knightley was brilliant in the role of a Boston journalist, Loretta McLaughlin, trying to solve the case,” he said. “She’s helping the Boston Police Department, who just seemed bereft in the tasks.
“Not only was she a woman bucking the glass ceiling, but she was also leaving her home at night to report on the crime. Women were taking karate classes, buying guard dogs. The city of Boston was terrorized for quite a few years. But Loretta, who went from writing lifestyle pieces to the crime desk, insisted upon it. The thing about Loretta is when you read her reporting, she was gifted. The descriptive narrative, the style of her writing was potent and informative.”
Between “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “Tombstone,” Burke has played a variety of characters, although he does tend to be pigeonholed.
“My career has been like a pinball machine,” he added. “People have said I’ve been typecast a lot as a detective or federal agent. I always tell people, ‘I don’t care if I’m typecast as long as I’m cast.’ One of my favorite things to do was be the bad guy on ‘SVU.’ I’ve often said, nobody wants to play the good guy. When I was told I was going to be Mariska’s love interest the next season, I said, ‘I’m the most hated guy on the show.’ She told me it would work. I love her desperately. Acting with her was one of the highlights of my work experience of my 33-year career. She’s just the best person in the whole wide world.”
“Tombstone” 30th Cast Reunion
WHEN: Various times Friday, June 23, to Sunday June 25
WHERE: Throughout Tombstone
COST: Free admission; charge for photographs and autographs
INFO: tombstone30th.com
