Leo Burmester

Bernard Leo Burmester (February 1, 1944 – June 28, 2007) was an American actor. Burmester worked for director John Sayles several times, including in Passion Fish (1992) and Lone Star (1996), and also for directors such as John Schlesinger and Sidney Lumet, and as the Apostle Nathaniel in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ (1988). He also starred in the CBS sitcom Flo as Randy Stumphill, the mechanic who frequented the bar.

Leo Burmester
Born	Bernard Leo Burmester (1944-02-01)February 1, 1944^[1] Louisville, Kentucky, US
Died	June 28, 2007(2007-06-28) (aged 63) New York City
Occupation(s)	Film, stage, tv actor, singer
Spouse	Lora Lee Ecobelli (2005–2007)

Life and career

Burmester was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and studied at Western Kentucky University as a biology major before switching to drama. He worked summer stock at Shawnee Summer Theatre of Greene County, Indiana. After receiving an MFA from the University of Denver, he taught college for a year before becoming a working actor.

Burmester appeared with the Actors Theatre of Louisville, originating roles in the plays Getting Out and Lone Star, and eventually recreating them in his Off-Broadway and Broadway debuts, respectively. He made his feature film debut in a big budget project with Cruising (1980), and had a featured role as the mortuary director in Honky Tonk Freeway (1981). Burmester played one of the FBI agents hounding the faux Rosenberg couple in Daniel (1983). In 1986 he played the booming villain General D. in Broadway's Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure. He played the role of Thénardier in the Original Broadway production of Les Misérables and the Police Sergeant in Harry Connick, Jr.'s musical Thou Shalt not.

He played Holly Hunter's character's father in the prologue of Broadcast News (1987), and the bum in front of The Plaza in Big Business (1988). Roles started to get larger with James Cameron's The Abyss (1989), as Catfish DeVries, decompression expert.

He died at age 63 on June 28, 2007, in New York City, from complications from a tick bite and leukemia.^[2] His ashes were scattered in Kentucky.

Filmography

• Cruising (1980) – Water Sport
• Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) – Mortuary Director
• Daniel (1983) – FBI Agent #1
• The House of God (1984) – Dr. Gath
• Odd Jobs (1986) – Wylie D. Daiken
• Sweet Liberty (1986) – Hank
• Broadcast News (1987) – Jane's Dad
• Big Business (1988) – Bum
• The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) – Nathaniel, Apostle
• The Abyss (1989) – 'Catfish' De Vries
• Article 99 (1992) – 'Shooter' Polaski
• Passion Fish (1992) – Reeves
• Innocent Blood (1992) – Dave Flinton
• Fly by Night [fr] (1992) – Rickey Tick
• A Perfect World (1993) - Deputy Tom Adler
• The Neon Bible (1995) – Bobbie Lee Taylor
• Lone Star (1996) – Cody
• The Devil's Advocate (1997) – Florida Prosecutor
• Switchback (1997) – Clyde 'Shorty' Callahan
• The Secret of Mulan (1998) – (voice)
• River Red (1998) – Judge Perkins
• The Farmhouse (1998) – Dallas Miller
• Getting to Know You (1999) – Lamar Pike, Sr.
• Saturn (1999) – Dad
• Limbo (1999) – Harmon King
• Dumbarton Bridge (1999) – Jack
• The End of the Bar (2002) – Boxing Trainer
• City by the Sea (2002) – Lieutenant Katt
• Out of These Rooms (2002) – Kit's Dad
• Gangs of New York (2002) – Telegraph Operator No. 1 (voice)
• The Red Betsy (2003) – Emmet Rounds
• America Brown (2004) – Bo Williams
• Patch (2005) – Mr. Moynahan
• The Legend of Zorro (2005) – Colonel Beauregard
• Aftermath (2013) – Sheriff (final film role)

Broadway appearances

• The Fantasticks (2006) – Hucklebee
• Lone Star (1979)
• Big River (1985)
• Raggedy Ann (1986)
• Les Misérables (1987) – Thenardier
• Buried Child (1996)
• Ah, Wilderness (1998)
• The Civil War (1999)
• Thou Shalt Not (2001) – The Police Officer
• Urban Cowboy (2003)

TV appearances

Partial list

• Rattlesnake In A Cooler (1982) - The doctor/prisoner^[3]
• Young Riders,episode The Initiation
• Walker, Texas Ranger – "An Innocent Man" (1993) – Woodrow Jonathan Wilton
• Alex Haley's Queen (1993) – Henderson
• Law & Order – "Snatched" (1994) – Lester Hastings
• Law & Order – "Charm City: Part 1" (1996) – Mr. Le Clair
• Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story (1999) – Corby Judd (Part 1)
• Law & Order: Criminal Intent – "The Third Horseman" (2002) – Lorne Cutler
• Law & Order – "Patriot" (2002) – Lester Hastings
• Carry Me Home – "Grizzle" (2004) – Grizzle

References

1. Leo Burmester, Original Thenardier in Les Miz, Dead at 63
2. Theatre World. Crown Publishers. 2007. p. 387. ISBN 9781557837424. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
3. Rattlesnake in a Cooler (1982) at IMDb  

External links

• Leo Burmester at IMDb
• Leo Burmester at the Internet Broadway Database  
• Leo Burmester at AllMovie