Although Burns' seminal role as a sleazy would-be ladies' man on the sitcom
Dear John pigeonholed him on the small screen, this stage-trained actor continued to land diverse theater parts in both Los Angeles and New York. After the sitcom ended, he popped up in a slew of series and TV-movies, usually as the foil or the villain, with one notable exception: he played a newly married divorcé determined to make his second go-round work in
Something So Right. After a few short-lived shows and several guest spots, in 2006 he returned to series television as a group-therapy devotee on
Help Me Help You.
Jere Burns Fast Facts:
- Worked as a cabdriver in Boston and as a lifeguard on Cape Cod, MA, during a two-year hiatus between high school and college.
- Before moving to Los Angeles in the mid-'80s, he performed in a number of New York stage productions, including Steppenwolf Theatre's off-Broadway mounting of Sam Shepard's True West.
- Used CPR to save a heart-attack victim's life in an Encino, CA restaurant in 1997.
- Has run in marathons and competed in triathlons.
- Actress Abby Dalton (Falcon Crest) is his mother-in-law.
- Made his Broadway debut in 2005's After the Night and the Music.
- Jere Burns Relationships:
- Gillian Burns - Daughter
- Jake Burns - Son
- Kathleen Kinmont - Wife
- Luke Burns - Son
- Melissa Burns - Ex-wife
- College:
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (BA in Literature); attended New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, New York, NY
