Place of Birth: Flint, Michigan, USA
Raye Birk
Raye Birk (born May 27, 1943, Flint, Michigan) is an American film and television actor best known for playing the role of Pahpshmir in the first and last of the Naked Gun movies. He was the main villain in Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult. He has also starred in Due South as the terrorist Francis Bolt in the Episodes "All the Queens Horses", "Red, White and Blue", "Call of the Wild Part One" and "Call of the Wild Part Two". He also had roles in the X-Files and Babylon 5. His other film credits include roles in Best Defense (1984), Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Doc Hollywood (1991) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). In addition to these roles, he had a frequently occurring role as the assistant principal on The Wonder Years; starting with the pilot episode, when he had a conference with Kevin Arnold's parents for throwing food in the cafeteria. While generally antagonist, a more sympathetic role on the show was seen in the award winning episode "Goodbye" where he confides in Kevin that he is Kevin's new math teacher as Kevin's hardnosed algebra teacher has just died. He was also on a pair of Home Improvement episodes as one of Tim's poker buddies. Raye appeared in several episodes on the TV series Night Court. He appeared twice on The Golden Girls, both times playing a wedding caterer. Furthermore, in 1985, 1986 and 1992, he appeared on three episodes of Cheers as Walt Twitchell, a mailman who got into minor altercations with Cliff Clavin. Birk reprised the role of Twitchell in a 2002 episode of the Cheers spinoff series, Frasier, in which the title character (played by Kelsey Grammer) returned to Boston and re-acquainted himself with old friends from the bar. He played a recurring role on Coach as university band director Riley Pringle from 1989 to 1993. He also appeared in an episode of Mr. Belvedere as an accordion player. In 2004–2008, he played Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Raye has been married to his wife Candace Barrett for 41 years. They have one son, Joshua, who is a professor of medieval history.
Movie | Cast | Year |
---|---|---|
Class Act | Principal Kratz | 1992 |
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! | Pahpshmir | 1988 |
The Taming of the Shrew | Gremio | 1976 |
Caught in the Act | Sterling | 1993 |
Aftermath: A Test of Love | Dr. Frenzel | 1991 |
Throw Momma from the Train | Pinsky | 1987 |
Burglar | The Jogger | 1987 |
Mister Roberts | Dowdy | 1984 |
The Stepford Children | George Larson | 1987 |
After Jimmy | John Davies | 1996 |
Cries from the Heart | 1994 | |
Under Cover | Grimbach | 1991 |
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult | Papshmir | 1994 |
Best Defense | Sonny | 1984 |
Doc Hollywood | Simon Tidwell, First Patient | 1991 |
Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. | Mort Catafalque | 1970 |
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again | Judge Brown | 1990 |
Challenger | Joseph Kilminster | 1990 |
A Christmas Carol | Marley's Ghost | 1981 |
Sweet Land | Postal Clerk | 2005 |
Deadly Messages | Harding | 1985 |
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson | Sam Morgan | 1989 |
Star Trek: Insurrection | Son'a Doctor | 1998 |
Factotum | Heathercliff | 2005 |
New Neighbors | 2016 | |
A Serious Man | Dr. Shapiro | 2009 |
Illegal in Blue | Gary Dedmarch | 1995 |
My Brother's Keeper | Dr. Roth | 1995 | Series | Cast | Year |
Star Trek: The Next Generation | Wrenn | 1987 |
The Twilight Zone | 1985 | |
Wings | Prince Restivon | 1990 |
Frasier | Walt Twitchell | 1993 |
Babylon 5 | William | 1994 |
The X-Files | Dr. Jeff Eckerle | 1993 |
ALF | Lenny Scott | 1986 |
ALF | Officer Griswald | 1986 |
Under Cover | Grimbach | 1991 |
The Popcorn Kid | Leonard Brown | 1987 |
Columbo | Howard Seltzer | 1971 |
Home Improvement | Fred | 1991 |
The Wonder Years | Mr. Diperna | 1988 |
Night Court | Dworkin | 1984 |
Black Scorpion | Dr. Phineas Phoenix | 2001 |
Hawaii Five-O | Parole Officer | 1968 |
Nowhere Man | Tobe Alder | 1995 |
Seinfeld | Mr. Pless | 1989 |
Empty Nest | Judge Talmadge | 1988 |
Fresno | Mr. Loats | 1986 |
Night Court | God #1 | 1984 |
Night Court | Ward | 1984 |
Dear John | Dr. Hendricks | 1988 |
Futurama | (voice) | 1999 |
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Prosecuting Attorney | 1993 |
Due South | Francis Bolt | 1994 |
Murphy Brown | Barney | 1988 |
Matlock | Simon Le Simple | 1986 |
3rd Rock from the Sun | Jeweler | 1996 |
L.A. Law | Judge Steven Lang | 1986 |
Night Court | Frank Pepitone | 1984 |
Empty Nest | Albert | 1988 |
Silk Stalkings | Atticus Dunn | 1991 |
ER | Mr. Hartley | 1994 |
Eisenhower and Lutz | Bjorn | 1988 |
The Golden Girls | Caterer | 1985 |
Cheers | Walt Twitchell | 1982 |
Touched by an Angel | Mr. McFarlane | 1994 |
Caroline in the City | Danny | 1995 |
Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Superintendent Stoneman | 1993 |
Coach | Riley Pringle | 1989 |
Snoops | Mr. Nelson | 1989 |
Ned and Stacey | Earl | 1995 |
J.J. Starbuck | 1987 |