Raye Birk
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- May 27, 1943
- Birthplace
- Flint, Michigan, USA
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.
Filmography
- Seed of Doubt
Seed of Doubt TBA
as Dr. Bill Larson
New Neighbors 2016
Actor
A Serious Man 2009
as Dr. Shapiro
Sweet Land 2005
as Postal Clerk
Factotum 2005
as Heathercliff
North Country 2005
as Tom Motel Clerk
Star Trek: Insurrection 1998
as Son'a Doctor
- After Jimmy
After Jimmy 1996
as John Davies
The Big Squeeze 1996
as Contractor
Illegal in Blue 1995
as Gary Dedmarch
- My Brother's Keeper
My Brother's Keeper 1995
as Dr. Roth
Cries from the Heart 1994
Actor
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult 1994
as Papshmir
Caught in the Act 1993
as Sterling
Barbarians at the Gate 1993
as Travis Gaines
Class Act 1992
as Principal Kratz
Doc Hollywood 1991
as Simon Tidwell, First Patient
Aftermath: A Test of Love 1991
as Dr. Frenzel
Under Cover 1991
as Grimbach
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again 1990
as Judge Brown
Challenger 1990
as Joseph Kilminster
The War of the Roses 1989
as Auctioneer (uncredited)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson 1989
as Sam Morgan
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! 1988
as Pahpshmir
Throw Momma from the Train 1987
as Pinsky
Burglar 1987
as The Jogger
The Stepford Children 1987
as George Larson
Deadly Messages 1985
as Harding
Best Defense 1984
as Sonny
Mister Roberts 1984
as Dowdy
- A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol 1981
as Marley's Ghost
The Taming of the Shrew 1976
as Gremio
Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It. 1970
as Mort Catafalque
Credits from TMDB.