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When Carlease Burke portrayed John Travolta's "The Cadillac of Mini Vans" in the 1995 film Get Shorty, she wondered if her distinctive name would help her secure high-profile roles in Hollywood. Director Barry Sonnenfeld confirmed it did, and her film career has since featured notable roles such as In Her Shoes (2005) alongside Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette, directed by Curtis Hanson, and The Terminal (2004) with Tom Hanks, directed by Steven Spielberg.
Born and raised in New York City, Ms. Burke was inspired to pursue show business by her childhood dentist in Hollis, Queens. After earning a BA in Pre-Law from City College of New York and performing in several Off-Broadway productions, she moved west to collaborate with Timothy Busfield at his children's company, The Fantasy Theatre.
Recently, Carlease has appeared in national commercials for brands like GEICO (A Bird In The Hand), Pfizer (mytimetoquit), Macy's, Verizon, and Honda.
Her television debut was a recurring role on the popular soap opera The Young and The Restless. Her expanding guest star credits include Castle (2009), Pilot (2012), 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 fluency in American Sign Language led to her role as Principal Jennifer Kramer in the Hallmark movie Sweet Nothing in My Ear (2008), starring Marlee Matlin and Jeff Daniels.
Carlease is also active in live theatre. She portrayed The Nurse in Boston Court's Romeo & Juliet, a performance that earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress from the NAACP. More recently, she played Aunt Ester in August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean at The Fountain Theatre; Hattie in Helen at The Getty Villa; and Mary in L. Trey Wilson's All About Esther, an urban adaptation of the classic film All About Eve.
Through her production company, Bits N Pieces Productions, she produced Laugh-A-Latte, a monthly stand-up comedy show in Long Beach, CA, which ran for five consecutive years. She also created a documentary short about this unique comedy show, highlighting its diversity and significance to both deaf and hearing audiences. Her solo reality show, Fifty! It Doesn't Look This Good on Everybody, won the Actors Repertory's 2nd Annual Solo Show Festival. Bits N Pieces has also produced Ask A Stage Goddess, a YouTube series offering advice to those pursuing or navigating a career in show business.
In her free time, Carlease enjoys cycling near the ocean, swimming, water yoga, experimenting with new recipes, traveling, hula hooping, playing bid whist, and learning to play the djembe, an African drum.
