Strike star Tom Burke hails from a famous family. Raised in Stratford-upon-Avon – the home of William Shakespeare – his parents are esteemed actors, David Burke and Anna Calder-Marshall. Notable figures on the performing arts circuit, they were close friends with Harry Potter legend, Alan Rickman, who they appointed as their son’s godfather.
“I would call him all the time about stuff. And the times I didn’t, I should have. He had the knack of asking the right questions,” Tom told the English Cut.
A sentiment which he echoed in an interview with The Big Issue, Tom noted that Alan taught him, “so much” and was always happy to give advice. “He would say to everyone, ‘Remember, it’s not a race, remember it’s not a race.’ I know people who do treat acting like it’s a race and that must be exhausting.
© Shutterstock“There were a couple of near misses with roles that could have made a substantial difference to my career,” he continued, “but I just had to let go.
“It was like seeing people sprinting off ahead of you, many of whom are my friends. Most actors have that experience at some point. But I don’t want it to say ‘he made 200 movies’ on my gravestone – there is so much other stuff in my life to enjoy.”
Alan, who passed away in 2016, was a major inspiration to Tom, and he particularly admired his work in the Harry Potter films. The Strike star also had the opportunity to work with his godfather in a professional capacity, with Alan directing him in a 2008 production of Strindberg’s Creditors at the Donmar.
In the years since Alan’s death, Tom has continued to remember his godfather as “very kind” and someone who would always “get everybody involved.”
© Getty Images“If there was anybody on the edge of the room they’d be brought into the middle of it,” the 43-year-old shared with The Standard.
In 2022, Tom reflected on the actor’s enduring legacy in a candid chat with The Guardian. “When Alan died [in 2016], Juliet Stevenson got it right when she said we’ve lost a king,” he admitted.
© JB Lacroix“You did sometimes feel like you were at Alan’s court. He had a sense of mission about him and was invested in so many people.
“Even if you only met him once, he could become a momentary huge influence in your life. He had a way of asking very penetrating questions, often without necessarily meaning to. People would walk away and make quite big life decisions.”
