Frankie Burke (June 6, 1915 in Brooklyn, New York â€" April 7, 1983 in
Chapman, Kansas) was a Hollywood actor.Born in Brooklyn with the name
Francis Vaselle Aiello, Frankie Burke changed his name to sound more
Anglo, even though, ironically, he chose an Irish name. He went to
P.S. 25 on Lafayette and Throop streets before going on to Alexander
Hamilton (vocation) High School, now known as Paul Robeson HS, at 150
Albany Avenue. He grew up watching James Cagney on film in local
theaters and, having been told many times how much he resembled him,
figured if Cagney could become famous, so could he. Frankie sold
newspapers on the street corners before deciding to hitchhike to
Hollywood in 1937 to meet Cagney, but when the first attempt failed,
he went back to Brooklyn.This is where he was discovered by a Warner
Brothers talent scout, out searching for young men who resembled
Cagney for a role in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). Apparently, the
resemblance was so astounding that Frankie was hired on the spot.
Frankie went on to do an estimated sixteen more films (a lot of his
roles were uncredited) before disappearing altogether after his last
role in Shadow of the Thin Man (1941).After a divorce in the 1940s,
Burke returned to Nevada to work and then on to the east coast to stay
with family. In the early 1960s, he opted to become a hobo and travel
across the United States in freight trains.
Chapman, Kansas) was a Hollywood actor.Born in Brooklyn with the name
Francis Vaselle Aiello, Frankie Burke changed his name to sound more
Anglo, even though, ironically, he chose an Irish name. He went to
P.S. 25 on Lafayette and Throop streets before going on to Alexander
Hamilton (vocation) High School, now known as Paul Robeson HS, at 150
Albany Avenue. He grew up watching James Cagney on film in local
theaters and, having been told many times how much he resembled him,
figured if Cagney could become famous, so could he. Frankie sold
newspapers on the street corners before deciding to hitchhike to
Hollywood in 1937 to meet Cagney, but when the first attempt failed,
he went back to Brooklyn.This is where he was discovered by a Warner
Brothers talent scout, out searching for young men who resembled
Cagney for a role in Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). Apparently, the
resemblance was so astounding that Frankie was hired on the spot.
Frankie went on to do an estimated sixteen more films (a lot of his
roles were uncredited) before disappearing altogether after his last
role in Shadow of the Thin Man (1941).After a divorce in the 1940s,
Burke returned to Nevada to work and then on to the east coast to stay
with family. In the early 1960s, he opted to become a hobo and travel
across the United States in freight trains.
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