Michael Burke was first introduced as the ill Vanessa Reardon's physical therapist in a Swiss convent clinic. It was later revealed that he had been a practicing physician in the U.S., but had lost his license after being accused of murdering a patient. The patient was a married woman with whom he was having an affair, and she had the same incurable disease as Vanessa. The fact was that Michael loved her deeply and did not murder her, but her angry husband was able to pull enough strings to cost Michael his license. Michael returned with Vanessa to Springfield after her illness went into remission and worked for a time at Cedars Hospital, where he crossed the line between physical therapist and physician one time too many and got himself fired.

Michael subsequently went to work for Spaulding Enterprises, ostensibly developing the fragrance "Simply Annie," with Alan Spaulding and Annie Dutton overseeing the work. However, he also used the lab as a cover for his private research. He was unsuccessful in developing a cure for Vanessa's illness, so he branched out into cloning. First he cloned a cat, and then, after Annie had kidnapped Reva Shayne Lewis and had left her on an airplane that crashed, he cloned Reva for a distraught Josh Lewis. Michael also developed a growth/aging serum for the clone and, along with Josh, watched the clone grow very quickly into Reva. Unfortunately for the clone, the real Reva came back to town, very much alive, and took over her status as the real Reva. The clone was thus relegated to the status of posing as Reva's Cousin Dolly. Though Michael wanted to continue to pursue his research, Josh refused to back him. Later, Michael's friend/lover/associate Vicky Brandon convinced him to approach her uncle, Alan Spaulding, for funding. Though Alan didn't fund him, he did allow him to continue to work on the "Simply Annie" formula. Later, when Cousin Dolly visited Alan, Alan became intrigued and started to launch an investigation into what was really going on at the Lewis household, even going so far as to call the press. Luckily, Josh and Reva, with Vanessa's help, got Cousin Dolly out of Springfield and to Cross Creek. Disconcerted about Alan's questioning of Dolly and Alan's desire to clone Annie, Michael brought a bomb to the Spaulding lab in the hopes of destroying all of his work. While Josh and Vicky went to the lab to talk an agitated Michael out of destroying his research, Alan's security guards entered, causing a rattled Michael to drop the bomb! Luckily Michael was able to save Josh, Vicky, and Vanessa from the blast by pushing the lab table over to shield them. Unfortunately, Michael himself died in Vanessa's arms.

Not long after, not wanting to cause any more problems for Josh and Reva or her "father", Cousin Dolly decided to take a large dose of Michael's growth/aging serum and she killed herself via advanced old age. Reva and Josh buried Cousin Dolly, at Cross Creek.