Willie D. Burton is an Americanproduction sound mixer. His career has spanned five decades and has included films such asThe Shawshank Redemption,Se7en, andIndiana Jones and the Last Crusade.[1] Burton has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound or Best Achievement in Sound Mixing a total of seven times, winning twice; he has been nominated for two BAFTA Film Awards for Best Sound, winning once; and he was nominated for oneEmmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing for his work onRoots.
Willie D. Burton was born inTuscaloosa, Alabama. Burton grew up in Alabama, and became fascinated with broadcasting because he lived near a radio station. While attending high school, Burton entered a work-study program in a store that sold and repaired radios and TVs. He became experienced repairing radios, and began to experiment with improving and learning more about the electronics. His attention then moved to sound and sound mixing. His work at the electronic shop fed Burton's fascination with electronics and sound, but he was obstructed by the limited opportunities for African-Americans to work in the field, especially in the Deep South. In the midst of theCivil Rights Movement, Alabama was slow in its movement toward equality in job opportunities. As his motivation and interest grew, Burton made the decision to move toLong Beach, California after high school graduation. Burton attended a trade school and then Compton City College, where he studied electronics technology.
After graduating from Compton City College, Burton worked on sonar technology for theDepartment of the Navy, but his ultimate goal was to work in broadcasting. He was prevented from accomplishing this goal because he needed to be a union member to work inHollywood. Finally, in 1969, he made it into the International Sound Technicians union. Burton was the first black man to be officially accepted into the union. This led to an entry-level job on the TV seriesLand of the Giants. Between TV jobs, which also included work as a boom operator onMedical Center andGunsmoke, Burton worked as a custodian at a bank.
A friend from one of his TV jobs helped train Burton on sound-mixing equipment. Burton gained an immense amount of interest insound mixing as he developed and polished his talents. Those who worked with him in Hollywood soon recognized his potential. Burton's big break into the sound-mixing world came in 1975, when he heard thatSidney Poitier was directing the filmLet's Do It Again, withBill Cosby. Poitier agreed to hire Burton. This decision launched him into a career that has spanned five decades. He also became part of the Cinema Audio Society.[2] With seven nominations each, Burton and television producerQuincy Jones are currently the Academy's most-honored African-Americans in the film industry.[3]
