Willis Burks II (October 25, 1935 – November 21, 2010), sometimes credited as Willis Burks or Willis Burks Jr., was an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, stage and

voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

whose acting career spanned more than thirty years. Burks was born in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, on October 25, 1935. He served in the United States Air Force before pursuing a professional acting career. Burks lived in both Chicago and New York City before settling in Los Angeles, where he resided until his death in 2010. Burks' awards included the AUDELCO for best actor in the theatrical production of ''Saint Lucy's Eyes''. Additionally, Burks' performance in the August Wilson play, '' Jitney'', won him several awards, including a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

, an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

and a second AUDELCO award. Burks' movie roles included the 2007 film, ''

King of California ''King of California'' is a 2007 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Cahill, in his debut as a screenwriter and director. It premiered January 24, 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and opened in limited release in Nort ...

'', in which he co-starred as Pepper opposite Michael Douglas and Evan Rachel Wood. Other notable roles included ''

Sunday Sunday is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. In most Western countries, Sunday is a day of rest and a part of the weekend. It is often considered the first day of the week. For most observant adherents of Christianity, Sunday ...

'' in 1997 and '' Everything's Jake'' in 2007, opposite Ernie Hudson and Phyllis Diller. His acting credits also included roles in video games, including '' The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay''. Willis Burks II died on November 21, 2010, at the age of 75. His memorial service was held at the Greater New Macedonia Ministries in Birmingham, Alabama on December 4, 2010. He was survived by four children - Willis Burks, III, Amy Burks-Jones, Europe A. Burks and Jessiah C. Styles.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burks II, Willis 1935 births 2010 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Drama Desk Award winners Obie Award recipients Male actors from Birmingham, Alabama Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from Chicago Male actors from New York City