Who is Richard Burke? Joan Cusack makes rare red carpet appearance with husband 

Joan Cusack and her husband Richard Burke made headlines this week after the actress stepped onto a red carpet for the first time in over a decade. As per a report shared by People, Cusack, who is now sixty-three years old, attended the London premiere of Toy Story 5 on May 28, marking her first carpet appearance since September 2015. She reprises her voice role as Jessie the cowgirl in the Pixar and Disney animated sequel.

Cusack posed alongside Richard Burke at the premiere. The couple made regular red carpet appearances together more than a decade ago, at times with their two sons, Miles and Dylan John. As per the People report, Richard Burke is the chairman of The Rise Foundation by Envoy, a nonprofit organization that provides free legal immigration services.

As per his Linked In profile, Richard Burke also served as CEO of Envoy Global, a managed services organization and corporate immigration services provider, from January 2015 until July 2025. During his tenure, he helped scale the business, growing revenue from seven figures to nine.

Prior to Envoy Global, Richard Burke held a series of positions at Classified Ventures, which owned Cars.com, Apartments.com and HomeGain.com. He started his legal career at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and was a national finalist for EY's 2022 Entrepreneur of the Year award.

From Emmy wins to gift shops: How Richard Burke's wife Joan Cusack built a life away from Hollywood

Richard Burke's wife last appeared onscreen in Let It Snow back in 2019. Before that extended break from acting, Cusack had built one of the more quietly impressive careers in Hollywood. She broke through in the 1980s with roles in Class, Sixteen Candles, Say Anything... and Working Girl, and later cemented her reputation as a standout comic actress in Addams Family Values and School of Rock. The sister of actor John Cusack also picked up an Emmy in 2017 for her work on Shameless.

Away from the screen, Cusack has kept herself busy closer to home. As per a report shared by Hello! Magazine, she has been running a gift shop in Chicago since 2011 and raising her two sons, Miles and Dylan, well out of the Hollywood spotlight. She opened up about her love for the city, sharing that

"Chicago is awesome! It has rich culture and history, as well as some of the best museums, architecture and restaurants in the world."

She also shared her reasoning for keeping her family rooted there rather than in Los Angeles, adding that

"It prevents our family life from revolving around TV and the movies. In LA it's easy to get caught up in what you look like or how much money you have, and those aren't values I want my kids to adopt."

Joan Cusack shares her gratitude as Jessie takes centre stage in Toy Story 5:

As per a report shared by Cover Media, Richard Burke's wife feels "so grateful" that Jessie is the lead character in the fifth instalment of the franchise. Joan Cusack first voiced the cowgirl doll in Pixar's 1999 animation Toy Story 2 and returned for the sequels that followed. In Toy Story 5, Jessie steps up as the leader of Bonnie's toys, taking over from Woody as they face off against Bonnie's new frog-shaped tablet, Lily Pad. The film also takes viewers back into Jessie's life before her time with Andy and Bonnie.

At the UK Launch Event in London on Thursday, Joan Cusack reflected on Jessie's journey, directing her words at director Andrew Stanton.

"I'm just so grateful for him, 'cause he did the whole beautiful thing in Toy Story 2 and what he wanted to do with Jessie's story in Toy Story 5, I was like, 'God, I can't believe it.' But it was you doing it and I knew it would be unbelievable," she shared.

"It's hard work to make something not sentimental but powerful and real, and I think you did it, and it's so beautiful, and I'm so grateful to be part of it," she continued.

Trending

Andrew Stanton called her words "the best compliment." Franchise producer Lindsey Collins also shared that telling Jessie's story had been a long time coming, adding that

"Jessie's story is something that I've wanted since Toy Story 2... Jessie's running the room so we have the chance to actually tell Jessie's story for the first time."

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback