Donna Burke
Description
Donna Burke is an Australian voice actress, singer, narrator, and businesswoman known for her extensive work in anime and video game productions in Japan. Born in Perth, Australia in 1964, she graduated from Edith Cowan University with training in operatic voice, speech, and drama, and received classical voice instruction for ten years. Before moving to Japan in 1996, Burke worked as a high school teacher in Australia.
Burke's career in Japan began with English teaching and weekend jazz performances, which eventually led to voice acting and singing opportunities. Her voice is widely recognized in Japan for the English-language announcements on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train systems, a role she has held since 2005. She has also worked as a freelance announcer for NHK since 1999 and is the founder of the record label Dagmusic and the company Hotteeze.
In anime, Burke is best known for her long-running role as the voice of the Intelligent Device Raising Heart in the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise. She has voiced the character across numerous installments, including the original television series, sequels like A's and StrikerS, and films such as The MOVIE 1st, The Movie 2nd A's, and Reflection. Another notable early anime role was the Operator of the Lysithea in Makoto Shinkai's influential short film Voices of a Distant Star. Her other anime credits include Yuko Miyabe in Strange Dawn, Catherine and Bee #2 in Trip Trek, Kanon in Little Charo 2, and Anna and Kelly in the Fastening Days series.
Beyond voice acting, Burke is a highly accomplished singer and lyricist, contributing vocals and lyrics to a vast array of anime, video game soundtracks, and Japanese television commercials. Her powerful vocals are featured on theme songs for major game franchises, including Heavens Divide for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Sins of the Father for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. She also performed the song Glassy Sky for the anime Tokyo Ghoul √A, which gained significant popularity online. Her discography includes multiple solo albums and collaborations with notable composers like Yoko Kanno.
Burke's career in Japan began with English teaching and weekend jazz performances, which eventually led to voice acting and singing opportunities. Her voice is widely recognized in Japan for the English-language announcements on the Tokaido, Sanyo, and Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train systems, a role she has held since 2005. She has also worked as a freelance announcer for NHK since 1999 and is the founder of the record label Dagmusic and the company Hotteeze.
In anime, Burke is best known for her long-running role as the voice of the Intelligent Device Raising Heart in the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha franchise. She has voiced the character across numerous installments, including the original television series, sequels like A's and StrikerS, and films such as The MOVIE 1st, The Movie 2nd A's, and Reflection. Another notable early anime role was the Operator of the Lysithea in Makoto Shinkai's influential short film Voices of a Distant Star. Her other anime credits include Yuko Miyabe in Strange Dawn, Catherine and Bee #2 in Trip Trek, Kanon in Little Charo 2, and Anna and Kelly in the Fastening Days series.
Beyond voice acting, Burke is a highly accomplished singer and lyricist, contributing vocals and lyrics to a vast array of anime, video game soundtracks, and Japanese television commercials. Her powerful vocals are featured on theme songs for major game franchises, including Heavens Divide for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and Sins of the Father for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. She also performed the song Glassy Sky for the anime Tokyo Ghoul √A, which gained significant popularity online. Her discography includes multiple solo albums and collaborations with notable composers like Yoko Kanno.
All Characters
- JapaneseAnime overview: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha the Movie 2nd A's
- JapaneseAnime overview: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Reflection
- JapaneseAnime overview: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 1st
- JapaneseAnime overview: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A's
- JapaneseAnime overview: Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha
- JapaneseAnime overview: Voices of a Distant Star
- EnglishAnime overview: Fastening Days
- EnglishAnime overview: Fastening Days
- JapaneseAnime overview: Little Charo 2