Richard William Burgi (, born July 30, 1958) is an American

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

actor best known for the roles of Det. Jim Ellison on '' The Sentinel'' and as

Karl Mayer Karl Mayer is a fictional character portrayed by Richard Burgi and created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry for the ABC television series '' Desperate Housewives''. He is the ex-husband of housewife Susan Mayer ( Teri Hatcher ...

on ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on ABC from October 3, 2004, until May 13, 2012, for a t ...

''. He also portrayed Paul Hornsby in the ABC daytime soap opera ''

General Hospital ''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the longest-running American soap opera in production, and the second in American history after '' ...

'', and Ashland Locke in the CBS daytime soap opera ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

''.

Early life

Burgi was born in the suburbs of New York City in Montclair, New Jersey. His family was involved in community theatre. His brother,

Chuck Burgi Charles Arnold Burgi III (, born August 15, 1952, Montclair, New Jersey) is an American drummer. He has performed with many rock bands and musicians, ranging from local New Jersey/New York-area artists to international groups, throughout his pr ...

, is a well-known rock drummer who has most recently toured with

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

. After high school, Burgi travelled through the US and Europe, taking odd jobs.

Career

Burgi began his career in New York, which led to regular roles on the Manhattan-based daytime soap operas ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

'', '' Another World'' and '' As the World Turns''. After moving to Los Angeles, he appeared on the serial, ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

''. He made a number of guest appearances on episodic television shows, and was also cast in '' Chameleons'', a TV movie, in 1989. He had a role on '' Viper'', and landed his first lead role in the 1994 television series '' One West Waikiki''. Burgi was cast as the lead in the series '' The Sentinel''. The show ran for three seasons; its cancellation left key plot issues unresolved, which led to a successful fan campaign for additional episodes to end the story. Burgi went on to roles on ''

The District ''The District'' is an American crime drama and police procedural television series which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000, to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s police department. Pr ...

'', '' 24'' and ''

Judging Amy ''Judging Amy'' is an American legal drama television series that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through May 3, 2005, on CBS. This TV series starred Amy Brenneman and Tyne Daly. Its main character (Brenneman) is a judge who serves in a ...

'' as well as bit parts in other television series and films, including ''Matlock''. In the 1998 made-for-TV remake of the movie ''I Married a Monster'', Burgi starred as Nick Farrell (the monster). One of Burgi's most notable roles was on ''

'' as

, the ex-husband of Susan Mayer and father to Julie. Burgi appeared as Karl for several seasons. He also starred in the big-screen thriller '' Cellular'' in 2004 as well as a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...

of '' Fun with Dick and Jane'' and ''In Her Shoes''as

Toni Collette Toni Collette Galafassi (born Toni Collett; 1 November 1972) is an Australian actress, producer, singer, and songwriter. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades throughout her career, inclu ...

's love interest in 2005. In 2007, Burgi was cast in the horror film'' Hostel: Part II. ''In 2009, he played the police officer in ''

Friday the 13th Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition. It occurs when the 13th day of the month in the Gregorian calendar falls on a Friday, which happens at least once every year but can occur up to three times in the same year. ...

''and a stylish doctor in''

Nip/Tuck ''Nip/Tuck'' is an American medical drama television series created by Ryan Murphy that aired on FX in the United States from July 22, 2003, to March 3, 2010. The series, which also incorporates elements of crime drama, black comedy, family dra ...

.'' Burgi guest-starred as Thomas Wellington in CBS's '' Harper's Island'' (2009). In 2010, Burgi guest-starred in an episode of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''. In 2011, Burgi guest-starred on TV Land's '' Hot in Cleveland''. In 2011, it was announced that he would play Karl Parker in ''My Family USA'', which premiered on September 26, 2011. In 2011, Burgi landed a new recurring role as CIA hitman Clyde Decker, who is part of a government conspiracy targeting the title character in ''Chuck''. In 2011, Burgi appeared in season 9 of '' One Tree Hill'' as Brooke Davis's father. In 2012, he starred in cult classic "Christmas Twister" as TV Reporter 1, in which his character was killed trying to parry away a low flying shipping container. In 2013, Burgi guest-starred on Lifetime's '' Devious Maids'' as a brother, uncle, and love interest, Henri. From 2015-2016, Burgi played Paul Hornsby in the ABC daytime serial ''

''. In 2021,

Soap Opera Digest ''Soap Opera Digest'' is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional in ...

reported that Burgi had been cast in the recurring role of Ashland Locke on CBS' daytime soap opera, ''

'', with the character first appearing on March 11, 2021. In 2022, Burgi was fired from ''Y&R'' for violating the show's

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

policy, and his role on the show was recast with former ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' star Robert Newman.

Personal life

Burgi married Lori Kahn on November 25, 1995. They have two sons: Jack, born December 8, 1996, and Samuel, born August 15, 2000. Burgi married Liliana Lopez in February 2012.

Filmography

Film

Television

;Notes # Season 2 # Seasons 1, 5 & 6 # Seasons 3, 4 & 8 # Season 9

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burgi, Richard 1958 births Male actors from New Jersey American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Living people People from Montclair, New Jersey People from Laguna Beach, California 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors