 |
BIOGRAPHY OF MIKE M BURKEI was born in New Haven, Connecticut around 4pm. I grew up in a small farming town called North Branford. My father was a police officer and Vietnam vet. My mother worked in auto parts distribution. I am the oldest of two brothers and a sister. In 1986,while still a child, I made my first television appearance in a commercial with my two younger brothers for a car dealership. I always loved entertaining people but it wasn’t until I was twelve years old when I knew what I wanted to for the rest of my life.
At the age of 12 I discovered I had the talent to do celebrity voice impressions. I began performing stand-up comedy almost immediately. This all lead me to creating my own television show. At the age of sixteen, with no knowledge of television production, I began producing, writing, directing, and hosting a comedy talk/ variety show for a local cable station in Connecticut. The show became successful very quickly. By the time we shot our 100th episode the show had become the most watched show in the cable station’s history according to the station manager. After we ended the show, I moved into a new direction. I was looking for a future in films.
At the age of 21 I began directing and producing "Murder After Dark" and "Murder After Dark part 2.", which I also wrote. I also took the lead role along with eight other roles in both films. I never attended on playing all those parts however casting problems lead me to that decision. Interestingly enough this would be my calling card for most of my films. My fifth film "Eye of the Paranoid" was my first digital movie. This improved the quality of the films we were making. In 2003 "Once Upon a Midnight Dreary" premiered in New York at the New York International film and video festival. It was well received and was a great thrill for me to finally see one of movies up on the silver screen! Making movies is not the only thing I do. I build my own furniture, and I do it well. I also do photography. My specialty is landscapes and nature.. For many years I was using 35MM film but I have now gotten into digital and I love it. I am also quite skilled in the computer. The funny thing about that is in school I failed computers and absolutely hated computers. I refused to ever buy one. After seeing how helpful they could be and how very important they are for my film career I finally got one. I am self-taught and learned everything through trial and error and research. I also paint and sketch although not as often as I use to. I am sometimes asked the questioned “If you had to choose between acting and film making, what would you choose?” My answer is both. I need both to balance things out. I am very passionate about creating but I am equally as passionate about performing. Each gives me a different thrill as well as a different satisfaction. |
TIMELINE:1986-The Steering Wheel-(commercial) | 1988- Stand-Up Comic |1991- Just For Laughs- (Stand-Up Comedy performance-aired on NB Cable Access) 1992-Comedy After Dark (TV show) begins-(Local Cable TV) |1993- Christmas Vacation (first TV movie) |1994-Comedy After Dark ends |1995-A Holiday Memory-(play) 1998-Murder After Dark parts 1 and 2-(feature films) |1999-Murder In Harber Woods-(feature film) |2000-Eye of the Paranoid-(feature film) 2002- Once Upon a Midnight Dreary-(feature film) |2002- Valez (feature film) |2003-Eye of the Paranoid redo-(feature film) 2004-Forrest Creek-(feature film) |2004-Nosferatu's Crush-(feature film) |2005-Once Upon a Midnight Dreary II (feature film) 2005- And So it Goes(feature film) |2008-A Thanksgiving Day Nightmare (film short) |2009-Original version of The Christmas Angel (film short) 2010-The Christmas Angel; A Story of Hope (film short) |2011-Beyond the Walls (feature film) |2011- Scenes from a Bench (feature film) 2011- Speed Dating Hell (web series) |2011- Lessons from the Factory (web series) |
|