Richard Burgi as
Karl Mayer Richard Burgi was born on July 30, 1958 in Montclair, New Jersey. Coming from a family geared towards the performing arts, Burgi easily developed an interest in music and theater. He and his brother were part of their own respective bands, but as he grew older, he also expressed an interest in the Secret Service.
His love for acting was revived when, in high school, his girlfriend asked him to read for a play that she was directing. From there, Burgi knew that he had found his life's work. He headed to New York City and became a squash pro at the Manhattan Squash Club. Simultaneously, he further made a living by working in construction and began to train in acting. After some time, he landed small roles in commercials and television series, and eventually was made a regular cast member on some daytime soap operas.
His first regular acting gig was on the NBC daytime drama, Another World, where he played Chad Rollo. He then continued to work on other popular daytime dramas, such as
One Life to Live , As the Word Turns and Days of Our Lives, and on primetime series like The Flash, Empty Nest, Matlock, Who's the Boss?, Nurses, Viper,
Seinfeld , Touched by an
Angel and The Sentinel.
In the Sentinel, Burgi portrayed Jim Ellison, who, in Burgi's words, is “a champion of the light, of the good, that's where he is, that's where I am in some way.” After his time on the show, Burgi added even more small screen projects to his name by appearing in Action, Veronica's Closet, Providence, Baileys' Mistake, The District, Just Shoot Me, Twice in a Lifetime,
24 and Judging Amy. In addition, one of his most memorable roles has been for the popular ABC drama/ comedy series, Desperate Housewives. Burgi plays Karl Mayer, the conniving ex-husband of Susan Mayer, portrayed by actress
Teri Hatcher .
Currently, Burgi and his wife, Lori Kahn have two sons, Jack and Samuel. An environmentalist and eager bird-watcher, Burgi has expressed his support for the Surfrider Foundation, Friends of the Sea Lion Marine Mammal Center and the Orange County Bird of Prey Center.