Burnie Burns is an American voice actor, writer, filmmaker, and internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder of the production company Rooster Teeth. In the context of anime voice acting, he is primarily recognized for his role as Taiyang Xiao Long in the internationally produced animated series RWBY and its related projects.

His career background is deeply intertwined with the history of Rooster Teeth, which he co-founded in 2003. Burns first gained prominence as a pioneer of machinima, the art of using video game engines to create animated films, with the long-running comedy series Red vs. Blue. For this series, he not only served as a writer and director but also provided the voices for several key characters, including the robot Lopez the Heavy and the AI Epsilon, as well as the fan-favorite character Church. This early work established him as a central creative force in the early days of online animated content.

Burns's most significant role in what is commonly termed the "anime" style is Taiyang Xiao Long in the Rooster Teeth production RWBY. Taiyang is the father of two of the show's main characters, Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, and is depicted as a skilled Huntsman and instructor. Burns has voiced the character across numerous installments of the franchise, including the main series from its early volumes, the chibi-style spin-off RWBY Chibi, and the Japanese-animated collaboration RWBY: Ice Queendom. His voice work for Taiyang is noted for an approach where he would study the performance of the actress voicing his character's daughter, Yang, to ensure a believable familial connection in their vocal mannerisms.

Given his role as a founder and key creative figure at Rooster Teeth, Burns's voice acting work has been characterized by recurring collaborations with a stable of colleagues from the company. He frequently worked alongside fellow co-founders and cast members such as Matt Hullum, Geoff Ramsey, and Gus Sorola across numerous productions. Beyond Red vs. Blue and RWBY, his voice acting credits include roles in other Rooster Teeth animated series such as Camp Camp and X-Ray and Vav. He also appeared in live-action Rooster Teeth productions, including the feature films Lazer Team and Lazer Team 2.

Notable achievements in his career extend beyond individual voice roles. He is recognized as a key innovator in the field of machinima and digital content creation. Under his leadership, Rooster Teeth grew from a small group of friends into a multi-faceted entertainment company with a massive online following. In 2015, The Hollywood Reporter named him one of the "Top 25 Digital Stars," acknowledging his influence in the digital entertainment landscape. His work on the live-action web series Immersion, which he hosted, earned him a nomination for an IAWTV award for Best Hosted Taped Web Series.