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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
May 27, 1943
Place of Birth
Flint, Michigan, USA
Also Known As
- Ray Birk
Raye Birk
0.4 Popularity
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.
Known For
5.0
New Neighbors
2016
6.7
Dr. Shapiro
A Serious Man
2009
6.4
Postal Clerk
Sweet Land
2005
6.1
Heathercliff
Factotum
2005
7.2
Tom Motel Clerk
North Country
2005
5.9
Dr. Phineas Phoenix
Black Scorpion
2001
6.4
Son'a Doctor
Star Trek: Insurrection
1998
🎬
3.5
John Davies
After Jimmy
1996
3.0
Contractor
The Big Squeeze
1996
7.5
Jeweler
3rd Rock from the Sun
1996
Credits
New Neighbors
2016
5.0
A Serious Man
as Dr. Shapiro
2009
6.7
Sweet Land
as Postal Clerk
2005
6.4
Factotum
as Heathercliff
2005
6.1
North Country
as Tom Motel Clerk
2005
7.2
Black Scorpion
as Dr. Phineas Phoenix
2001
5.9
Star Trek: Insurrection
as Son'a Doctor
1998
6.4
🎬
After Jimmy
as John Davies
1996
3.5
The Big Squeeze
as Contractor
1996
3.0
3rd Rock from the Sun
as Jeweler
1996
7.5
Caroline in the City
as Danny
1995
6.4
Ned & Stacey
as Earl
1995
7.2
Nowhere Man
as Tobe Alder
1995
7.7
Illegal in Blue
as Gary Dedmarch
1995
3.1
🎬
My Brother's Keeper
as Dr. Roth
1995
1.0
Cries from the Heart
1994
5.2
Due South
as Francis Bolt
1994
7.6
Touched by an Angel
as Mr. McFarlane
1994
7.2
ER
as Mr. Hartley
1994
7.8
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
as Papshmir
1994
6.5
Babylon 5
as William
1994
8.0
Frasier
as Walt Twitchell
1993
7.7
Saved by the Bell: The New Class
as Superintendent Stoneman
1993
5.9
The X-Files
as Dr. Jeff Eckerle
1993
8.4
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.
as Prosecuting Attorney
1993
7.0
Caught in the Act
as Sterling
1993
5.5
Barbarians at the Gate
as Travis Gaines
1993
6.8
Class Act
as Principal Kratz
1992
6.1
Silk Stalkings
as Atticus Dunn
1991
6.0
Home Improvement
as Fred
1991
7.4
Doc Hollywood
as Simon Tidwell, First Patient
1991
6.3
Aftermath: A Test of Love
as Dr. Frenzel
1991
5.5
🎬
Under Cover
as Grimbach
1991
6.0
Under Cover
as Grimbach
1991
0.0
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
as Judge Brown
1990
7.4
Wings
as Prince Restivon
1990
6.9
Challenger
as Joseph Kilminster
1990
6.2
Snoops
as Mr. Nelson
1989
5.0
Seinfeld
as Mr. Pless
1989
8.3
Coach
as Riley Pringle
1989
6.7
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson
as Sam Morgan
1989
7.1
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
as Pahpshmir
1988
7.3
Murphy Brown
as Barney
1988
6.4
Empty Nest
as Judge Talmadge
1988
5.8
Empty Nest
as Albert
1988
5.8
Dear John
as Dr. Hendricks
1988
5.5
Eisenhower and Lutz
as Bjorn
1988
5.0
The Wonder Years
as Mr. Diperna
1988
8.3
Throw Momma from the Train
as Pinsky
1987
6.2
Star Trek: The Next Generation
as Wrenn
1987
8.4
J.J. Starbuck
1987
5.0
The Popcorn Kid
as Leonard Brown
1987
0.0
Burglar
as The Jogger
1987
5.2
The Stepford Children
as George Larson
1987
4.7
Fresno
as Mr. Loats
1986
6.4
ALF
as Officer Griswald
1986
7.7
ALF
as Lenny Scott
1986
7.7
L.A. Law
as Judge Steven Lang
1986
7.0
Matlock
as Simon Le Simple
1986
7.1
The Twilight Zone
as (segment "Lost and Found")
1985
7.8
The Golden Girls
as Caterer
1985
7.6
Deadly Messages
as Harding
1985
5.4
Best Defense
as Sonny
1984
4.3
Mister Roberts
as Dowdy
1984
6.8
Blue Thunder
as Martin C. Sharp
1984
6.9
Night Court
as Dworkin
1984
7.3
Night Court
as God #1
1984
7.3
Night Court
as Ward
1984
7.3
Night Court
as Frank Pepitone
1984
7.3
St. Elsewhere
as Irish Patient
1982
5.6
Cheers
as Walt Twitchell
1982
7.6
🎬
A Christmas Carol
as Marley's Ghost
1981
0.0
The Taming of the Shrew
as Gremio
1976
6.9
Columbo
as Howard Seltzer
1971
8.1
Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.
as Mort Catafalque
1970
4.2
Hawaii Five-O
as Parole Officer
1968
7.1