James Burrows, the Emmy-winning director best-known for his work behind the lens on sitcoms like Friends and Will & Grace, has died at the age of 85.
Burrows’ family announced the news of his passing in a statement to People Magazine:
“We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James ‘Jimmy’ Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family. For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history. As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world.”
James Burrows was born to the well-known composer, director and writer Abe Burrows. After his family moved from LA to New York, Burrows graduated from Oberlin College and then completed a graduate degree from Yale School of Drama. His work as an assistant stage manager on the 1967 play Holly Golightly introduced him to Mary Tyler Moore, kick-starting his decades-spanning career in directing some of the greatest sitcoms of our time.
More on this in our story.
A look at James Burrows’ impressive career
James Burrows’ chance meeting with Moore started his career as a director after he was recruited to direct episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore and The Bob Newhart Show. Burrows quickly found success with his comic timing and complex blocking for actors and directed many shows like Phyllis, Rhoda, Busting Loose, The Ted Knight Show and The Associates, which established him as the multi-camera genre king after he increased the typical multi-camera shoot from three to four cameras.
Burrows’ career took an impressive direction when he co-created the NBC sitcom Cheers with brothers Glen and Les Charles, which ran for eleven seasons and became a massive hit on the network. In 1993, Burrows won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for the NBC sitcom Frasier. Burrows directed a total of 32 episodes for the Cheers spin-off, which won five consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series.
In 1994, James Burrows was asked to direct episodes for the hit sitcom Friends. Despite scheduling conflicts, Burrows managed to direct 15 episodes, earning a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Season 1 Episode “The One with the Blackout.” This period was significant in Burrows’ life as he also earned Emmy nominations for his work on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun and the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg.
After working on sitcoms like Wings, NewsRadio, Pearl and George, Caroline in the City and Leo, James Burrows began his impressive run as a director on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, starring Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes, earning twelve Primetime Emmy Award nominations and one win. Burrows also returned to direct the short-lived Will & Grace revival in 2017.
Now that Burrows had established himself as the sitcom king, the second half of his impressive career was spent directing popular sitcoms such as The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Hank, The Class, Courting Alex and Gary Unmarried.
The concluding part of James Burrows’ career was marked by his impressive work on projects such as Man With A Plan, 2 Broke Girls, The Millers, Friends with Better Lives, Sean Saves the World and many more. Burrows’ accolades include 11 Emmy Awards, five Directors Guild of America Awards, the 2015 Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award and the NBC special Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows in 2016.
James Burrows is survived by his wife, Debbie, his four daughters and his seven grandchildren.
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Edited by Aashna