David Roger Willis (born May 1, 1970) is an American voice actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his work at Cartoon Network, co-creating the animated series Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, and Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell for its programming block Adult Swim. Willis also voices the main characters Meatwad and Carl, along with other characters in Aqua Teen Hunger Force. He is also known for voicing Barry Dylan in the FX/FXX series Archer and Leto Otel in Ballmastrz: 9009.
Career Willis has worked on various Adult Swim shows that are created primarily by Williams Street, an animation-centered, Atlanta-based production division of Cartoon Network.
Willis was hired by Ghost Planet Industries after giving the producers a formal letter of recommendation written in crayon, seemingly by a young child. They liked his sense of humor and hired Willis as a writer for Cartoon Planet in 1995 and then as a writer for Space Ghost Coast to Coast soon after. In early 2000, he helped write and produce the two Brak Presents the Brak Show Starring Brak specials.
While working on Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Willis met Matt Maiellaro, with whom he would later create many independent short films and the Adult Swim cartoon Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Aqua Teen Hunger Force first premiered unannounced in the early hours of December 30, 2000 and later officially debuted on Adult Swim. The series would air until 2015 before being revived in 2023, serving as Cartoon Network's longest running series; Willis returned to Williams Street to produce the revival. In 2005, he co-created the show Squidbillies. His works mostly fall into the genre of surreal humour.
In 2010, Willis created Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge, a new television pilot for Adult Swim. The pilot aired on March 29, 2010, and was not picked up for a full series. In 2011, Willis co-wrote "New Kidney in Town", an episode of Family Guy.
Personal life Willis was born in Wichita Falls, Texas, and was raised mostly in Conyers, Georgia. He graduated from Wake Forest University and was station manager at Wake Radio. He resides in Atlanta with his wife and two children, Max and Sadie.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2007 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters Meatwad, Carl Brutanunanulewski,Ignignokt, Video Game Voice Also director, writer and producer A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. 2016 Nerdland Timmy 2022 Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm Meatwad, Carl Brutanunanulewski, Ignignokt Also director, writer, producer, and executive producer
Television Year Title Role Notes 1995–1996 Cartoon Planet Writer 1996–2004 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Meatwad, various voices Writer, producer, supervising producer 2000–2023 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Meatwad, Carl Brutanunanulewski, Ignignokt, Boxy Brown, various others (voice) Co-creator, director, writer and producer 2001–2003 Sealab 2021 Bizarro Dr. Quinn, Big Brain, Dolphin Boy Twins (voice) Also writer 2002–2003 The Brak Show George Martinez, Meatwad (voice) 3 episodes 2004 Anime Talk Show Meatwad (voice) Also writer 2004–2014 Perfect Hair Forever Coiffio, additional (voice) 9 episodes 2004 Spacecataz Ignignokt (voice) Also writer 2005 12 oz. Mouse Rhoda (voice) 7 episodes 2005–2021 Squidbillies Narrator, Deputy Denny, Glenn, 8-bit Pharaoh (voice) Co-creator, director, writer, and producer 2006 Minoriteam Additional (voice) Episode: "Le Black Coq" 2006 Frisky Dingo Episode: "Flowers for Nearl" 2010 Cheyenne Cinnamon Co-creator, director, writer, and executive producer 2010–2023 Archer Barry Dylan (voice) 25 episodes; main season 8, recurring seasons 2, 10, guest seasons 1, 6–7, 11–12 2011 Family Guy Writer: "New Kidney in Town" 2011 Soul Quest Overdrive Co-creator, director, writer, and executive producer 2013–2019 Your Pretty Face Is Going to Hell Krampus Co-creator, director, writer, and executive producer 2014–2015 Turbo FAST Marty (voice) 2 episodes 2016 Atlanta Cop Episode: "B.A.N." 2016–2017 Steven Universe Andy DeMayo (voice) 2 episodes 2017-2019 Welcome to the Wayne George the Doorman, Pracky, Reau-Bots (voice) 15 episodes 2018–2020; 2023 Ballmastrz: 9009 Leto Otel (voice) 21 episodes 2020 Lusty Crest Demonic Voice2025 Smiling Friends Blart Episode: "Squim Returns" 2026Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special Meatwad, Carl Brutanunanulewski, Ignignokt (voice) Television Special
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2007 Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am Meatwad, Carl Brutanunanulewski, Ignignokt, Satan, Trees Also writer and director 2013 Grand Theft Auto V Caller on FlyLo FM (Carl Brutanunanulewski) Uncredited
Web Year Title Role Notes 2014–2021 Talking Tom & Friends The Landlord (voice) 10 episodes 2022 Aquadonk Side Pieces Meatwad, Carl, Ignignokt, Handbanana, Spaghetti Also creator, director, writer, and executive producer
See also Aqua Teen Hunger Force
References
External links
Interview with Dave Willis on public radio program The Sound of Young America
The Swimcast – interview with Dave Willis, 2008-12-12 The Swimcast – interview with Dave Willis, 2011-5-12