
Raye Birk
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1943-05-27 (81 years old)
Place of Birth
Flint, Michigan, USA
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.
Known For
Acting
(2016)
(2009)
A Serious Man
as Dr. Shapiro
(2005)
North Country
as Tom Motel Clerk
(2005)
Sweet Land
as Postal Clerk
(2005)
Factotum
as Heathercliff
(1998)
Star Trek: Insurrection
as Son'a Doctor
(1996)
The Big Squeeze
as Contractor
(1996)
After Jimmy
as John Davies
(1995)
Illegal in Blue
as Gary Dedmarch
(1995)
My Brother's Keeper
as Dr. Roth
(1994)
Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult
as Papshmir
(1994)
(1993)
Caught in the Act
as Sterling
(1992)
Class Act
as Principal Kratz
(1991)
Doc Hollywood
as Simon Tidwell, First Patient
(1991)
Aftermath: A Test of Love
as Dr. Frenzel
(1991)
Under Cover
as Grimbach
(1990)
Challenger
as Joseph Kilminster
(1990)
Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again
as Judge Brown
(1989)
Perry Mason: The Case of the Lethal Lesson
as Sam Morgan
(1988)
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
as Pahpshmir
(1987)
Throw Momma from the Train
as Pinsky
(1987)
Burglar
as The Jogger
(1987)
The Stepford Children
as George Larson
(1985)
Deadly Messages
as Harding
(1984)
Best Defense
as Sonny
(1984)
Mister Roberts
as Dowdy
(1981)
A Christmas Carol
as Marley's Ghost
(1976)
The Taming of the Shrew
as Gremio
(1970)
Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the World in Order to Save It.
as Mort Catafalque