Raye Birk
Biography: 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.
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: May 27, 1943
Deathday: N/A
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Known For
Class Act
1992-06-05
Class Act
Overview: Duncan is a genius straight A student, Blade is juvenile delinquent. But because of a mix up with their school records, everyone thinks each is the other one. Now, Duncan kind of likes the attention from being thought of as a real bad dude, if only the school bully would stop trying to rough him up. And Blade definitely likes being thought of as important instead of as trouble.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1992-06-05
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The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
1988-12-02
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Overview: When the incompetent Lieutenant Frank Drebin seeks the ruthless killer of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
Genres: Comedy Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1988-12-02
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The Taming of the Shrew
1976-11-10
The Taming of the Shrew
Overview: San Francisco's prize-winning American Conservatory Theater's rowdy commedia dell'arte production incorporates slapstick, pratfall and earthy humor into William Shakespeare's comedy about the two unmarried daughters of a wealthy Italian merchant. While daughter Bianca is genteel and popular, daughter Kate is foul-tempered and strong-willed. No one dares to marry Kate, until Petruchio arrives in Padua and tries his hand at courtship.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1976-11-10
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Caught in the Act
1993-07-22
Caught in the Act
Overview: An unemployed actor is mixed up in a case about a $10,000,000 bank fraud.
Genres: Thriller TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1993-07-22
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Aftermath: A Test of Love
1991-03-10
Aftermath: A Test of Love
Overview: Based on a true story, an adoring wife and mother is taken hostage during a robbery and brutally murdered.
Genres: Crime Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-03-10
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Throw Momma from the Train
1987-12-11
Throw Momma from the Train
Overview: Larry Donner, an author with a cruel ex-wife, teaches a writing workshop in which one of his students, Owen, is fed up with his domineering mother. When Owen watches a Hitchcock classic that seems to mirror his own life, he decides to put the movie's plot into action and offers to kill Larry's ex-wife, if Larry promises to murder his mom. Before Larry gets a chance to react to the plan, it seems that Owen has already set things in motion.
Genres: Comedy Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1987-12-11
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Burglar
1987-03-20
Burglar
Overview: Bernice "Bernie" Rhodenbarr is a burglar by trade, and she runs a bookstore as well. Her friend Carl Hefler is a dog groomer. After a successful burglary, it's discovered that a dead body was in the house she burgled. As she's the only one who can be placed at the scene of the crime, she has to use her criminal skills to clear her name of the murder AND avoid getting charged with the burglary.
Genres: Crime Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1987-03-20
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Mister Roberts
1984-03-18
Mister Roberts
Overview: Set aboard a navy cargo ship during World War II, this comedic drama follows Lt. Doug Roberts (Robert Hays, Airplane!), who battles boredom and a tyrannical captain to the admiration of Ensign Pulver, Doc, and the crew.
Genres: TV Movie Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1984-03-18
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The Stepford Children
1987-03-15
The Stepford Children
Overview: Steven and Laura Harding, along with their kids David and Mary, have moved to the quiet community of Stepford. Steven joins the men's club, which is still assimilating their wives into robots. This time, they have begun to turn their out of control teens into robots as well. Once they are assimilated, they are obedient, homework loving, big band dancing droids. Laura, David, and Mary stumble onto this mystery, and they must avoid Steven's plans to turn them into robots.
Genres: Horror Science Fiction Thriller TV Movie Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1987-03-15
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After Jimmy
1996-09-24
After Jimmy
Overview: This is a story of Jimmy, a high school senior, who is struggling with his school life, family pressures, future choices. When it becomes too much, Jimmy kills himself.
Genres: TV Movie Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1996-09-24
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Cries from the Heart
1994-10-16
Cries from the Heart
Overview: Michael, a young autistic boy who has trouble with verbalization but a real talent for technology, uses a computer to plead for help after being molested at his school.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1994-10-16
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Under Cover
1991-01-05
Under Cover
Overview: A seasoned operative pursues a dangerous mission: to prevent the assassination of a high-ranking Soviet reformer. Meanwhile, his best friend believes he's a double agent and has been assigned by the national intelligence agency to kill him.
Genres: Drama Thriller TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-01-05
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Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
1994-03-18
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
Overview: Frank Drebin is persuaded out of retirement to go undercover in a state prison. There he has to find out what top terrorist, Rocco, has planned for when he escapes. Adding to his problems, Frank's wife, Jane, is desperate for a baby.
Genres: Comedy Crime
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1994-03-18
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Best Defense
1984-07-20
Best Defense
Overview: An engineer fails to get the bugs out of a tank before an Army officer has to use it in Kuwait.
Genres: Comedy War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1984-07-20
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Doc Hollywood
1991-08-02
Doc Hollywood
Overview: After leaving Washington D.C. hospital, plastic surgeon Ben Stone heads for California, where a lucrative practice in Beverly Hills awaits. After a car accident, he's sentenced to perform as the community's general practitioner.
Genres: Comedy Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-08-02
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Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.
1970-09-04
Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.
Overview: A gas is let loose upon the world that kills anyone over 25 years old.
Genres: Comedy Science Fiction
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1970-09-04
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Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
1990-05-06
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
Overview: The classic comic book characters created by John L. Goldwater are brought to tv in a slightly older version. Here the characters are adults returning to their high school reunion and remembering old times and romances from good old Riverdale High
Genres: TV Movie Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1990-05-06
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Challenger
1990-02-25
Challenger
Overview: A profile of the astronauts, crew, and civilians who were involved in the January 28, 1986 flight of the spaceship, Challenger, that resulted in its explosion upon takeoff. The center point of the film is the safety inspections and arguments surrounding the use of the o-rings that ultimately were blamed for the explosion.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1990-02-25
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A Christmas Carol
1981-12-21
A Christmas Carol
Overview: Televised stage performance based on Charles Dickens' novella.
Genres: Drama Fantasy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1981-12-21
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Sweet Land
2005-10-21
Sweet Land
Overview: Set in 1920, Inge travels from Germany to rural Minnesota in order to meet the man destined to be her husband.
Genres: Drama Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-10-21
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Deadly Messages
1985-02-21
Deadly Messages
Overview: When Laura unearths an old Ouija board in her closet, her roommate, Cindy, uses it and encounters the spirit of a man that had been murdered in their apartment. After Laura later witnesses Cindy being strangled to death, the authorities arrive to find Cindy missing and no evidence of a crime. Laura sets out to convince everyone that the murder was real while evading the man she feels is Cindy's killer.
Genres: Horror TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1985-02-21
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Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson
1989-02-12
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson
Overview: Ken Malansky, a law student of Perry Mason's, is accused of murdering a fellow student. Perry is reluctant to take on his case as the victim was the son of a close friend.
Genres: Mystery Drama Crime TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1989-02-12
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Star Trek: Insurrection
1998-12-11
Star Trek: Insurrection
Overview: When an alien race and factions within Starfleet attempt to take over a planet that has "regenerative" properties, it falls upon Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise to defend the planet's people as well as the very ideals upon which the Federation itself was founded.
Genres: Science Fiction Action Adventure Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1998-12-11
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Factotum
2005-04-25
Factotum
Overview: This drama centers on Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of "Factotum" author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Along the way, he fends off the distractions offered by women, drinking and gambling.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-04-25
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New Neighbors
2016-09-15
New Neighbors
Overview: In the face of the killings and assaults on black lives, a mother is determined to keep her two sons safe once they've moved to a new neighborhood.
Genres: Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2016-09-15
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A Serious Man
2009-10-02
A Serious Man
Overview: It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous acquaintances Sy Ableman.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2009-10-02
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Illegal in Blue
1995-08-28
Illegal in Blue
Overview: A cop taking personal leave after he witnesses money stolen from the police property room becomes involved with a beautiful singer who may have killed her husband.
Genres: Action Drama Thriller
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1995-08-28
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My Brother's Keeper
1995-03-14
My Brother's Keeper
Overview: A man and his HIV-positive twin take an insurance company to court over a possibly life-saving bone marrow transplant.
Genres: Drama TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1995-03-14
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