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RIP Dennis Burkley

Burkley
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. — Burly character actor Dennis Burkley who played an endless string of truckers, bartenders, bikers and rednecks during a busy four-decade career, died in his sleep at his home here Sunday, July 14. He was 67. MSTies will remember him as hapless deputy Pete Unger in the movie in episode 706- LASERBLAST.

His full obituary is here.

29 Replies to “RIP Dennis Burkley”

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  1. It’s kind of weird that I read this, I get a little sad, and my first instinct is to get on here and write “are you ready for sum fooootbaaalll??” Oh well, I guess humor heals.

    RIP Dennis

       24 likes

  2. JohnnyRyde says:

    Yeah, WOFS… My thoughts are with his family and all his rowdy friends.

    RIP.

       8 likes

  3. snowdog says:

    RIP, sir. And to answer your question, yes. I am indeed ready. It is, after all, a Family Tradition.

       6 likes

  4. Duane Zykov says:

    You can count me as somebody who instantly felt it in his gut to post “are you ready for some football?!???!??”

    RIP Burkley. He seems to have had a pretty long career with roles in multiple blockbuster, so I guess being in Laser “2 and a Half Stars” Blast didn’t really affect him all too much.

       13 likes

  5. MikeK says:

    Oh man! This guy was in everything. RIP Dennis Burkley.

       4 likes

  6. Basil says:

    One of those actors that was in, well, everything. At least, it seemed that way. You sure remembered him, whether or not you remember what he was in. And, now, we mourn his passing.

       4 likes

  7. Jake says:

    I think it’s safe to assume all of us whose first reaction was “ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?!?!” (myself included) are not doing so to mock his passing. We sympathize with his loved ones’ loss and so we immediately think of a fond memory of the man. In this case it’s an actor we didn’t know personally but whose wonderful performances in many outstanding films ( and one lousy low-budget alien film) brought a huge smile to our faces.

    Rest in peace Dennis Burkley. Whether you knew it or not, MSTies were quite fond of you.

       13 likes

  8. Kenneth Morgan says:

    I’m starting to wonder if, this December, some especially creative MSTie could put together an obit reel of all the MSTed personalities we’ve lost this year. Something tasteful, sort of like what TCM does every year.

       10 likes

  9. Garza says:

    The first riff I associated with him while reading this was in response to Billy’s mother; “Kinda heavyset, ain’t she?”

    But yes, now we will never know if he ever was READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL.

       2 likes

  10. Kenmore says:

    He was certainly in a lot of films and TV shows. My personal fave was a little-known movie called “Possums” which was filmed in Nowata, Oklahoma not too far from where I live. Dennis was the best thing in that film. I know that many fans of Dennis’ work often got him confused with Mickey Jones, another big, bearded actor with a Texas drawl, although they really don’t look alike.

    Rest in Peace, Dennis.

       4 likes

  11. John says:

    RIP Dennis Burkley…a wonderful character actor…two favorite MST moments…the aforementioned, “ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!” in Laserblast…and the little mentioned cameo he had in Master Ninja II. Joel: “He started up the guy’s hand?!” and Servo: “Still seeing that gerbil?” “Hey, I got walnuts in there!” RIP Dennis.

       4 likes

  12. Captn Ross Hagen says:

    You mean he didn’t die in that outhouse explosion in LASERBLAST?

       3 likes

  13. Justin says:

    SUBURBAN COMMANDO, STOP! OR MY MOM WILL SHOOT, SIDEKICKS, SON IN LAW. He was a welcome addition to any stinkburger of a movie and made each one a fraction better. I’ll miss ya, ya fuzzy marshmallow.

       4 likes

  14. BIG61AL says:

    With a heavy heart we mourn as another star is added to the constellation MST3K :star: RIP

       5 likes

  15. Dr. Strangelove says:

    No longer shall we see him unfurl his pants. Godspeed, and indeed, I am ready for some football.

       1 likes

  16. JohnnyRyde says:

    The man got himself a nice obituary in The Daily Mail… Quite a life he had, although 67 is sadly young in this day and age…

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2366661/Dennis-Burkley-King-Of-The-Hill-actor-dies-aged-67.html

       2 likes

  17. Insect Man #47 says:

    Not to nit-pick, but John (#11), that wasn’t Dennis Burkley in Master Ninja II. It was Micky Jones. I can see how you would mistake them, though. They are similar in appearance. R.I.P. DB – Laserblast is a classic MST ep.

       2 likes

  18. John says:

    Jumping Jehoshaphat Insect Man you’re right! ;) (thanks iMdb!) Good to see Mickey Jones is alive and well and probably not busting up towns anymore because it isn’t cool. :) RIP Dennis…Godspeed you fuzzy marshmallow ;)

       3 likes

  19. Yipe Striper says:

    well, i was, prior to reading this, but i’m not ready for some football anymore. I want Laserblast. and lots of it.married 46 years- to me that makes you something special.

    So Long, Dennis. You were one of the good ones. I hope you passed peacefully.

       3 likes

  20. emc2 says:

    Ok, I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who thought Mickey Jones and Dennis Burkley was the same person. RIP Dennis.

       1 likes

  21. Goshzilla says:

    @Kenneth: That there is an excellent idea, Mr Morgan…

       2 likes

  22. trickymutha says:

    I remember him from “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”- when I saw him in Laserblast, he was like an old friend. And yes, he is ready for some football. RIP

       2 likes

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       1 likes

  24. Captn Ross Hagen says:

    #8 How about something set to Lou Reeds Satellite of Love. And it would go something like this—–
    Satellites gone way up to Mars
    Bumping into departed stars
    We watched them for a little while
    We all love to watch them on TV ( or- on MST )
    That’s all I got, after all it’s 5:47 after all and I have to go to work.

       2 likes

  25. lpydmblb says:

    He was really, really good in “Hill Street Blues.” If I remember, his character was murdered by Dennis Franz’s first character, the bad cop Benedetto. So, indirectly, he set up the “NYPD Blue” hairy buttcheeks jokes as well. RIP.

       1 likes

  26. Savvy says:

    RIP, Dennis Burkley. And, don’t worry, we MiSTies are ALWAYS ready for some football.
    “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a bag of Mama Burgers waiting for me.”

       1 likes

  27. Hey Cabot! says:

    I feel guilty for indulging in the fat jokes in Laserblast but I can say unashamedly that to me, Dennis Burkley will always be ready fer sum football. Thank you for making a bad movie memorable, Dennis.

       0 likes

  28. huggybear says:

    67 is far too young for anyone to pass. Glad to hear he passed in his sleep though. Dennis was quite an entertaining character actor and will be missed. Everytime I hear “Get ready for some football” next year I’ll think of him. RIP Dennis.

       1 likes

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       0 likes

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