Acclaimed actor David Burke, known for his role as Dr. Watson in a Sherlock Holmes television adaptation, has died at the age of 91.
On Friday, his agent Scott Marshall Partners announced that the actor had died on May 10, survived by his wife Anna Calder-Marshall and son Tom Burke.
Burke, who trained at the Rada drama school, had a career on stage, television and radio.
He starred in a theatrical production of King Lear at the National Theatre Lord of the rings star Ian Holm, appeared in the television series Midsomer murders and with Felicity Kendal in it The Boslanders.
In the 1980s television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, he played the role of Dr. Watson, the detective’s sidekick, opposite Jeremy Brett in the title role.
His son Tom is also an actor, known for roles in the BBC show The Musketeers and for his portrayal of Cormoran Strike in the series Strike.
Tom starred in the Netflix show alongside Steve Coogan Legends which premiered on the streaming service earlier this month.
According to The times newspaper, David declined to appear in a second series of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes because he felt “terribly guilty” about leaving his wife and son while filming in Manchester.
Tom told the newspaper that he felt ‘guilty’ as he got older because he thought his father had given up ‘this wonderful opportunity’ for him.
When he asked his father about it, David said, “It was my decision. I didn’t just want to work; I wanted to be your father. Besides, I got tired of saying, ‘Good heavens, Holmes.'”
