Biography
Raye Birk is an American actor. Born on 27 May 1943 in Flint, Michigan, he graduated with a degree in theatre from Northwestern University in 1965 and received an MFA from the University of Minnesota in 1967. He taught acting and performed at Southern Methodist University from 1967 to 1970, then worked in regional theatre in Oregon, Milwaukee and San Francisco for the next thirteen years.
Birk moved to Los Angeles in 1983 to pursue film and television work. He is known for playing Pahpshmir in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). His other film credits include Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Doc Hollywood (1991), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and A Serious Man (2009). Television appearances include recurring roles on The Wonder Years and guest spots on Cheers as Walt Twitchell, The X-Files, Seinfeld and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
He has continued stage work, appearing in productions at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis since moving to Saint Paul, Minnesota in 2003, including multiple performances as Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.
