Michael Burns (historian)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Michael Burns | |
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| Born | December 30, 1947 Mineola, Long Island, New York |
| Occupation | Professor actor (retired) |
| Nationality | United States |
| Genres | History |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Topham Kennan |
Michael Burns (born December 30, 1947) is an American professor emeritus of history at Mount Holyoke College. [1] He is also a former television and film actor, particularly known for his role as the teenager "Barnaby West" on the NBC and ABC television series Wagon Train from 1960-1965.
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[edit] Background
Burns was born in Mineola, Long Island, New York. He graduated summa cum laude in 1976 from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a B.A. and earned his M.A. in European history at the same institution. He entered Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1977, and earned his Ph.D. in Modern European history.
[edit] Career
[edit] Actor
He was a well-known child actor, starring on the television program Wagon Train, as orphaned "Barnaby West" during seasons 4-8. He appeared as a guest star in over thirty-five series in the 1960s and 1970s, mostly Westerns, including CBS's Gunsmoke. During his twenties, Burns appeared in several films, most notably in That Cold Day in the Park in 1969.
[edit] Historian
He became a professor of history at Mount Holyoke College in 1980 and authored books on the Dreyfus affair of the 1890s. Upon his retirement in 2002, he was honored by Mount Holyoke as Professor Emeritus.[2]
[edit] Later life
While on the faculty at Mount Holyoke College, Burns married the college's then-president, Elizabeth Topham Kennan. He and his wife presently reside near Danville, Kentucky, where they have restored the Cambus-Kenneth Estate, a thoroughbred horse farm listed on the National Register of Historic Places[2].
[edit] Scholarship
[edit] Books
- France and the Dreyfus Affair: A Documentary History (1998) [1]
- Dreyfus : a family affair, 1789-1945 (1991) [2]
- Rural society and French politics : Boulangism and the Dreyfus affair, 1886-1900 (1984) [3]
[edit] Reviews
- Michael Burns, "Local Hero: How a provincial laborer became a reformer in 19th-century France", The New York Times, October 8, 2000.
[edit] Select filmography
- The Bionic Woman - Carl Franklin (1977)
- The Streets of San Francisco (1973-1976)
- Love, American Style (1972-1973)
- The Virginian - Bobby Crayton (1966-1971)
- Gunsmoke - Arlie Joe (1968-1970)
- That Cold Day in the Park - The boy (1969)
- The Big Valley - Danny Wiggins (1966-1968)
- Bonanza - Donny Benson (1966-1967)
- Wagon Train - Barnaby West (28 episodes, 1960-1965)
- The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959-1960)
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Citations search: "Michael Burns" (Google Books)". Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ a b "Three faculty members retire as emeriti", College Street Journal, Mount Holyoke College, May 24, 2002.
