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James Burrows, the prolific director who reigned as television’s preeminent sitcom helmer for more than 30 years, died on Friday. He was 85.
Burrows’ family confirmed his death in a statement to People: “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.”
Burrows won 11 Emmy Awards, starting with back-to-back comedy directing trophies in 1980 and 1981 for his work on ABC’s “Taxi.”
He was renowned for his skill in directing pilots and working with actors, particularly inexperienced thesps such as the stars of NBC’s “Friends.” He was also credited for opening up the world of sitcoms by adding a fourth camera to the classic three-camera setup.
Burrows was co-creator of NBC’s indelible barroom comedy “Cheers,” with brothers Glen and Les Charles, and he directed every episode of NBC’s “Will & Grace,” from 1998 to 2020.
In February 2016, NBC honored the director and producer as he notched his 1,000th sitcom episode, an iron-man milestone he reached Nov. 24, 2015, while working on the NBC sitcom “Crowded,” starring Carrie Preston, Patrick Warburton and Stacy Keach. For the Feb. 21 special “Must See TV: An All Star Salute to James Burrows,” a gaggle of stars from his shows over the years gathered at the Jan. 24 taping of the tribute in Hollywood to sing his praises. Who else but the Burrows, simply known as “Jimmy, could bring Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Tony Danza, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Melissa McCarthy, Sean Hayes, Debra Messing, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen under one roof for a common goal: saluting the man who was crucial in launching or furthering their careers — and in many cases fattening their bank accounts with a steady stream of syndication payments.
That NBC devoted two hours of Sunday real estate to saluting a director reinforces Burrows’ unique status in the industry. His influence extends from the style he brought to his shows to the mentoring he’s offered a generation of helmers.
Burrows was the son of writer-director Abe Burrows, who wrote the book for such Broadway classics as “Guys and Dolls,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Can Can.” James Burrows was born in Los Angeles, where his father worked as a writer for top radio comedies, but the family soon relocated to New York City. Burrows grew up immersed in the world of writers, actors, directors and other creative talent and was known as “Abe’s kid” to family friends such as John Steinbeck, Edward Albee and Truman Capote.
Burrows was born in Los Angeles but attended Gotham’s High School of Music & Arts and later Oberlin College and Yale University School of Drama. He moved to Los Angeles after graduating and worked as a dialogue coach on a short-lived Burl Ives comedy series created by Abe Burrows, “O.K. Crackerby!”
James Burrows returned to New York and worked as a stage manager on a Broadway run of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” produced by his father and Albee. Burrows got his first experience directing during the production. He went on to direct the touring play “40 Carats,” followed by other touring productions of such plays as “Mr. Roberts” and “The Odd Couple.”
By 1974, Burrows’ reputation as a theater director earned him an offer from James L. Brooks and Allan Burns to direct an episode of the pair’s “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” From then on, Burrows worked almost exclusively on the small screen. He directed more than 100 TV series and was nommed for a record 21 Directors Guild Awards, taking the plaque four times.
Among the dozens of other shows he worked on were “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Rhoda,” “The Betty White Show,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Lou Grant,” “The Tony Randall Show,” “The Associates,” “The Stockard Channing Show,” “The Hogan Family,” “Night Court,” “Dear John,” “Ladies Man,” “Wings,” “Frasier,” “NewsRadio,” “Third Rock from the Sun,” “Pearl,” “Dharma & Greg,” “Caroline in the City,” “George & Leo,” “The Class,” “Courting Alex,” “Back to You,” “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Hank,” “Up All Night,” “Better with You,” “$#*! My Dad Says,” “2 Broke Girls,” “Partners,” “Mike & Molly” and “The Millers.”
Burrows’ sole foray into movies was the 1982 flop “Partners,” a Paramount comedy starring Ryan O’Neal as a cop who goes undercover with a gay police clerk played by John Hurt to solve a series of murders.
In a 2013 Q&A held as part of USC’s Comedy @ SCA festival, Burrows said he always felt it important for directors to be part of the creative process — even when they come into an existing operation for a one-off episodic job.
“Don’t be a traffic cop, get in there and say what you wanna say,” Burrows said of talking to scribes. “It’ll only make things better.”
But the man who probably spent more time than anyone else calling the shots on network TV sitcoms was humble about what it takes to generate a hit show.
In 2014, he was selected to receive a lifetime achievement award for distinguished achievement in television direction from the Directors Guild of America.
Burrows was married to Linda Solomon from 1981-93.
He is survived by his second wife, Debbie Easton, whom he married in 1997, and three children by Solomon.
