To younger viewers, actor Jere Burns is probably best known for his role as Winn Duffy on the Western crime drama Justified. He brilliantly played Daffy, the ruthless and cold-blooded middleman of the Dixie mob. But Burns has been in the entertainment business since 1970, and if you watch any ’80s sitcoms, you’ll probably recognize him as the lazy Kirk Morris from Dear John.
The Massachusetts-born actor shows no signs of slowing down these days. He addressed a topic that has baffled fans in recent years.
Ger Burns, better known as Jerry, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1954. Because his father was a dress maker and his mother was a homemaker, Jere grew up with no connection to acting. Instead, he participated in many sports and considered himself an athlete. He had no interest in theater or acting until he started private high school in Cambridge. There he encountered something that would change his life forever.
“We had a great little theater program. And I liked it. I liked the attention. I loved the reactions, I loved the girls, I loved everything. But I was also an athlete, so there was a conflict,” Jere said in an interview on Kevin Pollack’s chat show.
After high school, Jere attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst to study English. He did not dare to study theater or acting. Partly because he didn’t think he could make a living from it. Additionally, he felt he lacked entertainment-based models growing up. “If you come from Boston, Massachusetts, everyone is a doctor, lawyer, businessman, etc. “I didn’t know anyone who was in show business,” he says. However, after completing his studies, Jere decided that he could not give up on his dream of becoming an actor.
In 1970, he appeared in an episode of the NBC drama series The Psychiatrist. In her later years at UMass, she took acting classes and appeared in many leading roles.
Learn from Gary Sinise
In 1980, he moved to Manhattan to attend NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, but the aspiring actor dropped out after a year and a half. Jere was 25 at the time, his girlfriend was pregnant and he was soul searching. A friend offered her a place at the New York Shakespeare Festival so she could work to pay the bills.
Fortunately, Jere will soon have the opportunity to learn from two great actors. In 1982, he was given the opportunity to study for John Malkovich and Gary Sinise. At the time, relatively unknown actors starred in Sam Shepard’s True West adaptation of Coyote. Jere worked closely with Gary and John and saw them perform every night.
As you can imagine, Jere could not have asked for a better pair of teachers. It certainly helped him to learn from two actors who became two of the most respected entertainers in the country.
However, it was six years before Ger landed what many would consider her breakthrough television role. Jere, who played slacker Kirk Morris in the sitcom Dear John, became a popular figure on the streets. As the man himself said, the show was “a great learning experience.”
His character was a self-proclaimed tomboy. Many people today would probably describe Kirk Morris as “carefree” or “carefree”. But Jere loved portraying him on the show, which aired on NBC from 1988 to 1992. “I don’t see Kirk as a loser. I don’t see Kirk as a farmer. I don’t think Kirk is annoying.
I see Kirk as a vulnerable person. Because everything he says and does is the exact opposite.” Jere told the Daily News Leader in 1990.
Dear John was an American version of the famous British TV series. The sitcom, set in New York City, was part of NBC’s Thursday night lineup and drew the 11th largest audience of any television program during its first season in 1988. The show made Jer, a charming man known for his theater work, a celebrity and media darling.
And he certainly didn’t care. Happy 64th to Jere Burns!! Watch Kirk Morris on Dear John this weekend on Antenna TV. What is your favorite Jere Burns role? Posted by Antenne TV, Monday, October 15, 2018
“Does your heart ache when you meet someone on the street?” – Say no, that’s a compliment. I’m pleased. That’s not why I do it, but it’s a nice byproduct. Trying to influence people, trying to make a difference in some way is influencing people. “It’s a little weird playing a guy like me in a half-hour sitcom, but that’s the way I see it,” Jere explained in 1990.
Although Dear John was canceled in 1992, Jere continued to appear in many other television series and films. Many people enjoyed his performance in the hit series Breaking Bad, where he played a drug rehab counselor in a 12-step program, starring Jesse Pinkman.
This series is one of the most successful series produced by AMC and many young people discovered Jere’s acting skills because of this role. “Breaking Bad is so well written that it said exactly what was written on the page. There was no room for improvisation or stammering. They didn’t.
I think they were open but I didn’t have to change anything. “Every time I worked, I read exactly what was written on the page,” he told Yahoo. In recent years, Jere has given memorable performances on shows like Justified and Angie Tribeca. In April 2022, he also guest starred in an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. Posted by Jere Burns Posted on Tuesday, December 27th, 2016
Jere burns the family
Jere was married three times in his life. Jere married real estate agent Melissa Keeler in the early 1980s while he was trying to break into the industry. The couple had three children: Jillian, Jake and Luke.
In a 1989 interview, the Dear John actor was described as a “real family man” who liked to “get the family together” and go on holiday. He was also asked if he would force his children to act or allow them to appear in TV commercials.
“I never thought about it. Children should go to school, play with their friends and not worry about work. Why would a six year old want to work? Some people say, “I can help you with college or something.” Did you miss your childhood to go to college? “It was more fun when I was young than when I was in college.”
Jere told the Tampa Bay Times in 1989: Posted by Jere Burns on Sunday, February 28, 2021
Unfortunately, his first marriage ended in divorce. Jere and Melissa divorced in 1996. The actor then married Kathleen Kinmont in 1997. The Los Angeles-born actress is best known for starring in horror films, but has also worked as a writer and director. Before meeting Jere, Kathleen was married to famous actor Lorenzo Lamas.
Jer had no children with Kathleen and they divorced in 1999. In 2008, Jere found love again when he married Leslie Cohen, an actress from Detroit, Michigan. Although she had various roles in the television industry, she was not as famous as her husband. The couple had a child together but decided to divorce in 2018.
Jere Burns net worth
Jere is known to love extreme skiing, wakeboarding and surfing, so that’s probably where he spends his money. However, according to Celebrity Net Worth, the beloved actor has a net worth of around $5 million as a result of his acting career.
plastic surgery
Jere is known for his acting skills, but unlike many of his on-screen characters, he seems to be a generally nice guy. However, recently more attention has been paid to the appearance. Many people have noticed that Jere has changed a lot since the boom of the 1980s. This in itself is not strange. As you age, changes occur in your body and face.
It's #NationalSelfieDay, so…here. pic.twitter.com/ajqaG4utlw
— Jere Burns (@JereBurns) June 21, 2016
However, Jere recently appeared on a list of celebrities who claim to have undergone too much plastic surgery. Using plastic surgery or botox to look younger is common among actors. It was, more than anything else, a way to extend his career.
In Jesse’s case, we don’t know what procedure he had. However, he continues to appear on the list of celebrities who have gone under the knife. This has led to much speculation over the years. Did jere have plastic surgery or not?
Observant fans will be able to find the answer to this question. Jer himself expressed his opinion on this.
In a lengthy interview with Kevin Pollack, they quickly got to the point when they asked Jere if he ever worked with country singer Kenny Rogers. “You mean this was before the vision correction?” asked Pollock.
This made Jer laugh at himself. “Listen, I think it seems natural. ‘Are you kidding me?’ Jer said and started playing with his face. For now, this seems to be all the confirmation we can get. You can follow the event here.
Jere Burns today, 2022
Jere seems to be living a quiet life off screen as well. He’ll occasionally do a few interviews, but he’s usually very unnoticed.
He has a Facebook account and a Twitter profile with 2,000 followers, but has not posted any updates since 2016. She used her social media accounts to promote the new series, but has not been active on social media since 2022.
Instead, he focuses on his work. As previously mentioned, he recently appeared on NCIS: Los Angeles playing the role of ‘Arnold Baines’.
Posted by Jere Burns on Wednesday, April 7, 2021
