Want to be a famous Hollywood star? Actor and entertainer Chris Burke sums up the secret to his success in two words: "Eat pizza."
Burke is just kidding. For him, hard work was the route to acting roles on shows such as "ER" and "Touched by an Angel." His most famous role was in "Life Goes On."
And he has Down syndrome.
Burke shared his story with students at Caprock High School on Thursday during a six-school tour of the Panhandle.
Burke and friends Joe and John DeMasi visit schools across the country, spreading a musical message of love and acceptance for those with disabilities.
But don't focus on your disability; focus on your abilities, Burke told the Caprock audience.
"Always tell yourself you can," he said.
| Buddy Walk® The Panhandle Down Syndrome Guild will have its third annual Buddy Walk on Saturday morning at Sam Houston Park. Registration starts at 9 a.m., and the walk starts at 10 a.m. The event celebrates National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. There is no cost. Actor Chris Burke and fellow entertainers Joe and John DeMasi will be this year's special guests. |
When Burke was born in 1965, society's view of disabled children was quite different from what it is now, Joe DeMasi said. Parents were expected to put their youngsters in institutions, he said. "That was the world Chris was born into," DeMasi said.
But Burke's parents refused to follow societal norms; they wanted to raise their own son, DeMasi said.
"They said, 'Uh-uh, no way. ... Not only do we love our son, but we believe in him,"' DeMasi said.
Television executives were at first leery of hiring a person with Down syndrome for an acting role, John DeMasi said. They were afraid he'd often be sick and miss work, DeMasi said.
But that didn't happen.
"He always does his best and works his hardest," DeMasi said.
At the end of the afternoon's performances, students went to the front of the auditorium for pictures and autographs.
Blake Elliott, a 17-year-old Tascosa student, was the first to get an autograph from Burke. Elliott liked the program's music, he said.
Burke's group will perform at 2:45 p.m. today at Trinity Fellowship Church. Its visit to the Panhandle is being sponsored by the Panhandle Down Syndrome Guild.
