Samson Burke
 Burke in Torture Me But Kill Me with Kisses (1968) | |
| Born |
8 April 1929 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
|---|---|
| Residence | California, United States |
| Website | http://www.samsonburke.com/ |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Billed from | Samuel Burke |
| Debut | 1950 (approximately) |
Samson Burke (born 8 April 1929) is a Canadian bodybuilder, swimmer, wrestler and actor.
Biography
Burke earned a college degree in physical education.[1] He wrestled and swam for Canada in the 1948 Summer Olympics.[2]
In the 1950s, Burke wrestled for nine years under the names "Sammy Berg" and "Mr Canada", and sparred with such luminaries as Primo Carnera, Antonino Rocca, Lou Thesz and Joe Lewis.
His friend Gordon Mitchell recommended Burke for the lead role of Ursus in the 1961 film The Revenge of Ursus. Burke next appeared opposite Italian comedian Totò in Toto vs Maciste. Norman Maurer then chose him to portray the mythical Greek hero Hercules in The Three Stooges Meet Hercules.
As the sword and sandal craze faded, Burke played Little John in an Italian The Triumph of Robin Hood, Polyphemus in a 1968 Italian miniseries of The Odyssey, a villain in a Kommissar X film Kommissar X – Drei grüne Hunde (Death Trip), Harald Reinl's Nibelungenlied films, and appeared alongside Gianni Garko and Klaus Kinski in both a spaghetti western Sartana the Gravedigger and a miniature imitation The Dirty Dozen war film Five for Hell.
In the 1980s, Burke relocated to Hawaii and worked on the show Magnum, P.I. until it ceased production in 1988.
As of 2009, Burke is operating his personal training business in California. Burke's appearance in The Three Stooges Meet Hercules has made him a favorite of the Stooge fanbase, and he has appeared at several conventions over the last decade.
Championships and accomplishments
- Worldwide Wrestling Associates / NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA International Television Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Seymour Koenig