Willie D. Burton was born in Tuscaloosa, 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 the Civil 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 to Long Beach, California after high school graduation. Burton attended a trade school and then Compton City College, where he studied electronics technology.
Career
After graduating from Compton City College, Burton worked on sonar technology for the Department 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 in Hollywood. 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, directed by Harry Harris, Sobey Martin and Nathan Juran. Between TV jobs, which also included work as a boom operator on Medical Center and Gunsmoke, 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 in sound 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 that Sidney Poitier was directing the film Let's Do It Again, with Bill Cosby. Poitier agreed to hire Burton. This decision launched him into a career that has spanned five decades. With seven nominations each, Burton and television producer Quincy Jones are currently the Academy's most-honored African-Americans in the film industry.
Awards
In 1988, Burton won the Academy Award for Sound for the film Bird and again in 2006 for Dreamgirls. He was nominated for the same award in 1978 for The Buddy Holly Story, in 1980 for Altered States, in 1983 for WarGames, in 1994 for The Shawshank Redemption, and in 1999 for Green Mile. He won a British Academy Award in 1983 for his work on the film War Games. 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 BAFTAFilm Awards for Best Sound, winning once. He was nominated for one Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing for his work on Roots. With his seventh Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls in 2007, Burton tied composer/producer Quincy Jones for the most Academy Award nominations by an African-American. As of 2010, Burton, sound engineer Russell Williams II and actors Denzel Washington and Mahershala Ali are the only African-Americans that have won two Oscars.
