Frankie Burke
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Frankie Burke (born June 6, 1915, Brooklyn, New York—April 7, 1983, Chapman, Kansas) was a Hollywood actor.
Born in Brooklyn with the name Francis Vaselle Aiello, Frankie Burke was both tenacious and talented. 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 Mr. Cagney, figured if Cagney could become famous, so could he. He sold newspapers on the street corners before deciding to hitchhike to Hollywood in 1937 to meet Mr. Cagney, but when the first attempt failed, he went back to Brooklyn. He tried again and, this time, managed to get himself gigs impersonating Mr. Cagney in night clubs.
This is where he was discovered by a Warner Brothers talent scout, out searching for young men who resembled Mr. Cagney for a role in Angels with Dirty Faces. 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, so it is entirely possible there are more still unaccounted for) before disappearing altogether after his last role in Shadow of the Thin Man in 1941.
