Carlease Burke

Biography

When Carlease Burke rented John Travolta “The Cadillac of Mini Vans” in the film Get Shorty (1995), she wondered if her unusual name would land her the high octane jobs in Hollywood. Director Barry Sonnenfeld said it did and there have been other high beams in her film acting career: In Her Shoes (2005) opposite Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette, directed by ‘Curtis Hanson (I)’; and _The Terminal (2004)_ with Tom Hanks, directed by Steven Spielberg.

Her first TV credit was a recurring role on the hit soap opera The Young and The Restless. Her ever expanding list of guest star credits now include Castle (2009), The Mindy Project: Pilot (2012), Melissa & Joey: Going the Distance? (2011), Hot in Cleveland (2010), Raising Hope, Hawthorne, Flash Forward, Heroes, Southland, NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, The Riches, Desperate Housewives, Malcolm in the Middle, Without a Trace, Monk, and How I Met Your Mother. Carlease’s knowledge of American Sign Language paved the way to the role of Principal Jennifer Kramer in the Hallmark movie of the week, Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008), starring Marlee Matlin and ‘Jeff Daniels (I)’.

Under the hood of her production company, Bits N Pieces Productions is Laugh-A-Latte, a monthly stand-up comedy show that Ms. Burke produced in Long Beach, CA for 5 consecutive years. She has filmed a documentary short about the creation of this unique comedy show, its diversity and value to the deaf and hearing communities. Her reality solo show, Fifty! It Doesn’t Look This Good on Everybody was the winner of the Actors Repertory’s 2nd Annual Solo Show Festival. Bits n Pieces has also produced Ask A Stage Goddess, a series of advice videos on YouTube for people pursing or navigating a career in show business.

In her free time, she enjoys riding her bicycle near the ocean, swimming, water yoga, trying out new recipes, traveling, hula hooping, playing bid whist and learning how the play the djembe (African drum).