Legendary director James Burrows passed away at the age of 85 on Friday, his family confirmed to the People. Although the family’s statement did not mention any cause of death. The iconic TV comedy director, best known for programs like Friends, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Cheers, Fraiser and Will and Grace, is survived by his wife, Debbie Easton, his four daughters and his seven grandchildren.
James Burrows’ achievements
Considered as the most influential director and producer of all time, Burrows also helmed the pilots of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory and was behind the camera for many episodes of Mike & Molly. Renowned for his work on classic sitcoms like Cheers and Friends, he earned 11 Emmys and was even inducted into the in 2006.
Burrows, who joined the DGA in 1974 and served as a trustee of the Directors Guild Foundation since 2001, was awarded the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in Television Direction in 2015. The celebrated director won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series four times. During his entire career, he was nominated 22 times for a DGA Award and 48 times for a Primetime Emmy.
Hollywood pays tribute
Actor Eric McCormack, who worked with Burrows in the NBC sitcom Will and Grace, in a post on Instagram wrote, “We lost a giant today, a mentor to me, and a dear friend. The 800 lb gorilla of television comedy for 50 years, he was beloved by everyone, and has left not a mark but a footprint. An incredible legacy.”
President of the Directors Guild of America, Christopher Nolan, reacted to the news of James Burrows’ death and on behalf of his organization said, “Our Guild has lost a legend. With more than 40 years directing more than 1,000 episodes of the most critically acclaimed and audience-beloved sitcoms of all time, James Burrows was the modern master of the and a beloved member of the DGA. Famous for turning sitcoms like Cheers, Will and Grace, Taxi, and Frasier into high art, Jim set the bar in comedy direction with an incomparable influence on his fellow Directors over decades of precedent-setting television directing. … He was truly incomparable and will be profoundly missed.”
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Tony Danza, who appeared on several Burrows-helmed episodes of ABC/NBC’s Taxi,posted on X, “We have lost the greatest of all time. Jimmy Burrows. I know I wouldn’t be here without him. My thoughts are with Debbie and the kids.”
Stand-up comedian Cedric the Entertainer, who worked with the director on The Neighborhood, in a post on Instagram wrote, “Rest Easy. Jim Burrows, the guy standing between me and Tichina Arnold, is Television Great!! He put the Direct in TV. The amount of laughs and joy his vision has brought into our homes is unmeasurable … Cheers, Friends, Fraiser, Will and Grace, and The Neighborhood, to name only a few. Thank you for your and this thing we call life. Condolences to his loved ones, and may you rest in peace.”
Alyssa Milano, who collaborated with James Burrows on the 2010 ABC sitcom Romantically Challenged, posted on Instagram, “There are very few people in television history whose work has shaped the way we laugh, the way we tell stories, and the way we understand the sitcom form. James Burrows is one of them. To have had the opportunity to be directed by him on Romantically Challenged was an absolute gift.”
Burrows’ longtime network NBC also issued a statement on his death, “Jimmy Burrows was the man behind the curtain. He knew how to make us laugh, what buttons to push and was the absolute master of getting the most out of every joke. His loss to the television comedy world is immeasurable. Every time you have a smile on your face watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Cheers, Will and Grace, Friends, and countless others, think of Jimmy and know he made all our lives funnier.”
