[2] Burke was born in London in 1894 to Rosa (née Underwood) and Ferdinand Altfuldisch (sometimes transcribed as Altfieldisch).

[citation needed] Marie Burke was a British character comedian and trained as an operatic singer in Italy.

[5] As a member of the Katja Company she was touring Australia in 1926 when she and her colleague, the tenor Warde Morgan, were seriously injured in the Aberdeen Rail Disaster.

[6] She met and married British operatic tenor Thomas Burke when they were both studying singing in Milan.

They had one daughter, the actress and singer Patricia Burke, who was born in Milan.