Sherlock Holmes actor David Burke left an estate worth £77,912 after his death aged 91, with the money passing to his wife, fellow actor Anna Calder-Marshall.
Burke died on May 10 and was survived by Calder-Marshall, 79, whom he married in 1971, and their only child, actor Tom Burke.
His grant of probate was issued by the High Court of Justice on Monday. Calder-Marshall and Tom Burke were named as executors of the estate.
The gross value of Burke’s estate in the UK was £84,407, reduced to £77,912 after deductions. He had made his will on September 29, 2011.
Burke was best known for playing Dr Watson opposite Jeremy Brett in the 1980s television series The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. His portrayal presented Watson as a capable and respected ally rather than a foolish sidekick.
He also appeared in Coronation Street in two separate roles: as a schoolmaster at Bessie Street School in 1963 and as factory works manager Jack Benjamin in 1966.
His other television credits included Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders and The Woodlanders, in which he appeared alongside Felicity Kendal.
Born in Liverpool, Burke won an Oxford scholarship to study classics during the 1950s before training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He went on to work across television, radio and theatre.
He played Kent in a National Theatre production of King Lear alongside Ian Holm, whose performance partner described Burke’s work at the time as “subtle, studied and unobtrusive”.
Burke reportedly chose not to return for a second series of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in 1985 after feeling guilty about leaving his family while filming 13 episodes in Manchester.
Tom Burke later became an actor himself, appearing as Athos in the BBC series The Musketeers and as Cormoran Strike in Strike. He also starred alongside Steve Coogan in the Netflix series Legends.
Tom said his father had told him: “It was my decision. I didn’t just want to work. I also wanted to be your dad. On top of that, I was getting bored of saying, ‘Good heavens, Holmes’.”
