Dennis Burkley, a burly chdennisaracter actor who appeared in more than 100 movies and TV series ranging from the 1970s soap-opera satire MARY HARTMAN, MARY HARTMAN to Mike Judge's KING OF THE HILL, died on July 14 at his California home, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 67.Burkley was born in Van Nuys, California, but grew up in Grand Prairie, Texas, and is a 1968 graduate of TCU.
Burkley’s bearded countenance and bulky build -- the 6-foot-3 actor reportedly weighed as much as 300 pounds, and liked to joke that if he got any bigger, he’d have to have his own area code -- led to his frequently being cast as a thug or biker. But he also played good-natured lugs, guys who weren’t as intimidating as they might initially appear. At TCU, he took one such challenging role as Big Daddy in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."