Burl Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an Academy Award–winning actor, author, and renowned folk singer. Ives established a strong presence for himself on the screen, and was directed to an Academy Award by William Wyler for his work in The Big Country.
Ives was also known for his voice work. In 1984 he narrated John Korty's Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. He passed on in 1995 due to oral cancer.
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was born in Hunt City Township in Jasper County, Illinois, on June 14, 1909; the youngest of six children. His father was a tenant farmer.
In 1984, Ives came out of retirement to provide narration for John Korty's Star Wars telemovie, Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. Ives' narration in the film's opening scenes explained the actions of a group of Ewoks who spoke only Ewokese; as the narration continued throughout the course of the film, it provided context to a plot in which a brother and sister had to save their parents from a giant monster.
An elderly Ives
Ives died on April 14, 1995 in Anacortes, Washington due to oral cancer.
- Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
- "Caravan of Courage: Star Wars on Television" — Star Wars Insider 32