Michael Burns is a former child actor who went on to a distinguished career as a historian, writer, and college professor. He is now retired and raising thoroughbred horses in Kentucky. He was familiar to television audiences of the early 1960s as the teenage character, "Barnaby West", on the popular Wagon Train (1957) series. After other TV and ...
November 29, 1952, Garden City, New York, United States
Place Of Birth
Mineola, Long Island, New York, USA
Profession
Actor
Education
University of California, Los Angeles, Yale University
Spouse
Elizabeth Topham Kennan
Parents
Frank Burns
Star Sign
Capricorn
#
Fact
1
Retired from teaching at Mount Holyoke College in 2002. He now resides in Kentucky with his wife, former Mount Holyoke president Elizabeth Topham Kennan, raising thoroughbred horses. [2004]
Retired in 2002 from his faculty position at Mount Holyoke College, completing a 22-year career there. He and his wife moved to Kentucky and restored a historic horse farm in Kentucky and is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
4
He has abandoned acting to become a college professor. According to the dust jacket of his book "Dreyfus", he "teaches Modern European History at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. He holds degrees from the University of California and Yale University."
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Worlds Beyond
1986
TV Series
William Purvis
Police Woman
1977
TV Series
Powers
The Tony Randall Show
1977
TV Series
Michael
The Bionic Woman
1977
TV Series
Carl Franklin
The Magnificent Magical Magnet of Santa Mesa
1977
TV Movie
Freddie Griffith
Most Wanted
1976
TV Series
Bobby Boone
The Streets of San Francisco
1973-1976
TV Series
Barry Jensen / Ron Harris / Oren 'O.P.' Prentiss
Petrocelli
1974
TV Series
Billy Fletcher
The Manhunter
1974
TV Series
Bobby Lee Dickerson
Young Love
1974
TV Movie
Peter
Barnaby Jones
1974
TV Series
Brian Elder
Love, American Style
1972-1973
TV Series
Randy Hollingshead (segment "Love and the Unwedding") / Carol (segment "Love and the Perfect Set-Up") / Wilbur (segment "Love and the Mail Room") / ...
Santee
1973
Jody
Brock's Last Case
1973
TV Movie
Stretch Willis
Mod Squad
1973
TV Series
Rick Landis
Thumb Tripping
1972
Gary
Insight
1967-1972
TV Series
Pete / Douglas Hendricks / Mitch / ...
Sarge
1972
TV Series
Michael Grear
Gidget Gets Married
1972
TV Movie
Jeff Stevens
Medical Center
1969-1971
TV Series
Carl Harris / Greg Sorenson
Hawaii Five-O
1971
TV Series
Bill
The Partridge Family
1971
TV Series
Paul Bruner
The Doris Day Show
1971
TV Series
Peter
The Virginian
1966-1971
TV Series
Will Benson / Toby Hamilton / Seth aka Scott / ...
The F.B.I.
1966-1971
TV Series
Mike Keller / Harley Garnett / Jacob MacDonald
The Andersonville Trial
1970
TV Movie
James Davidson
Gunsmoke
1968-1970
TV Series
Eric Tabray / Arlie Joe / Dale Stonecipher
Marcus Welby, M.D.
1970
TV Series
Dinty Gallagher
Then Came Bronson
1970
TV Series
Billy Mulavey
That Cold Day in the Park
1969
The Boy
The Mad Room
1969
George Hardy
Dragnet 1967
1967-1969
TV Series
Harold F. Rustin / Benjie 'Blue Boy' Carver
Gentle Ben
1969
TV Series
Rick
The Outcasts
1968
TV Series
Randy
The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell
1968
Pvt. Johnny Bannon
Journey to Shiloh
1968
Eubie Bell
The Big Valley
1966-1968
TV Series
Danny Wiggins / Lon
Cowboy in Africa
1968
TV Series
Dan Crose
Daniel Boone
1967
TV Series
Cal Trevor
Tarzan
1967
TV Series
Helmut Steuer
Stranger on the Run
1967
TV Movie
Matt Johnson
Dundee and the Culhane
1967
TV Series
Nugget Hughes
Bonanza
1966-1967
TV Series
Donny Benson / Jamie
The Road West
1967
TV Series
Harry Jr.
Off We Go
1966
TV Movie
Col. Rod Ryan
Vacation Playhouse
1966
TV Series
Colonel Rod Ryan
The Legend of Jesse James
1966
TV Series
Billy Dawson
Lassie
1961-1966
TV Series
Hiker / Joey Young
The Farmer's Daughter
1966
TV Series
George Smith
40 Guns to Apache Pass
1966
Doug
A Man Called Shenandoah
1965
TV Series
Frankie Yorby
McHale's Navy
1965
TV Series
Orvie
Wagon Train
1960-1965
TV Series
Barnaby West
Morgan Earp
Billy Latham
...
Kraft Suspense Theatre
1964
TV Series
Frankie Kling
The Raiders
1963
Jimmy McElroy
Kraft Mystery Theater
1963
TV Series
Little Bob Longstreet
It's a Man's World
1962-1963
TV Series
Howie Macauley
Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation
1962
Danny Hobbs
Alcoa Premiere
1961
TV Series
Chip Baring
The Twilight Zone
1961
TV Series
Paul Stockton
The Tall Man
1961
TV Series
Danny
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1959-1961
TV Series
Billy Lansing / Sidney / Joe
General Electric Theater
1960-1961
TV Series
Wilbur Schmidt / John Thomas Parkes
Thriller
1961
TV Series
Jody Matthews
The Loretta Young Show
1961
TV Series
Stephen Perkins
Tales of Wells Fargo
1960
TV Series
Billy Matson
The Wizard of Baghdad
1960
Prince Husan as a Child (uncredited)
Shotgun Slade
1960
TV Series
Tommy Butler
Wrangler
1960
TV Series
Clary Browning
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1960
TV Series
Chrissie Tyler
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
New American Bandstand 1965
1965
TV Series
Himself - Interview
Known for movies
Wagon Train (1960-1965) as Barnaby West / Billy Justis / Billy Latham / Bruce Millikan / Homer Banning / Mathew Miner / Morgan Earp