Legendary sitcom director James Burrows, known for co-creating “Cheers” and directing “Will & Grace,” has died. He was 85.
“We celebrate the extraordinary life and enduring legacy of James ‘Jimmy’ Burrows, who passed away peacefully today surrounded by his loving family,” his family told Peoplein a statement Friday.
“For more than five decades, Burrows was one of the most influential and beloved directors in television history,” the statement continued. “As a legendary director, mentor, and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world.”
Burrows’ loved ones recalled his “unparalleled career” after he directed more than 1,000 TV episodes. He also created and produced several acclaimed shows like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Taxi,” “Frasier,” “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory.”
“But beyond his remarkable achievements, Burrows will be remembered for something even greater: his kindness, generosity, and unwavering belief in the people around him,” the statement continued. “He possessed a rare ability to make everyone better and was known for remembering every person he met by name, making colleagues at every level feel seen, valued, and appreciated.”
His family remembered the television great as someone who understood that great comedy is about more than just laughter.
“It was about humanity, connection, and truth,” the statement said. “That understanding became the foundation of a career that forever changed television.”
“His influence will continue to be felt for generations through the countless artists he inspired, the stories he helped tell, and the millions of people whose lives were brightened by his work.”
Born in Los Angeles, California, Burrows was rubbing elbows with figures like Truman Capote and and John Steinback from a young age. They were family friends, as his father, writer-director Abe Burrows, wrote the book for Broadway classics like “Guys and Dolls,” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
He moved to New York City as a teen, graduating from New York’s High School of Music & Art (in 1984, it got merged into the present-day Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School).
After graduating from Oberlin College and Yale School of Drama, he got his start working as a dialect coach on his father’s 1965 sitcom, “O.K. Crackerby!” and working as stage manager on a Broadway run of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” (produced by his father.)
After Burrows cut his teeth directing touring plays like “40 Carats,” and “The Odd Couple,” his first major TV work was directing “The Mary Tyler Moore” show in 1974.
Burrows became a prolific director of multi-camera sitcoms, and won 11 Emmys. He directed 237 episodes of “Cheers,” (out of 275), and the “Friends” pilot in 1994.
“I did four pilots that, year and [‘Friends’] was the last pilot I did, and those six people were available,” Burrows told Indiewire in 2023.
He recalled that he was stunned by Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc’s instant chemistry.
But, he noted that they were “the dregs” of actors that were “available” at the time. “There’s a lot of luck involved” in a mega-hit like “Friends,” he noted.
In 2016, the “Friends” cast (save for Perry, who was rehearsing for a play in London at the time) reunited for an onscreen NBC tribute, called “Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows.”
“We would do anything for Jim Burrows because he really gave us the opportunity of a lifetime, and probably the best 10 years of our acting careers that we will forever remember,” Aniston said at the time.
“I think he taught us everything we know about comedy timing, support, collaboration,” she said. “He’s our papa.”
Aniston wasn’t the only star to consider him family. In a 2017 Facebook post, Deborah Messing described him as, “The man who inspired my dreams, the Great Jimmy Burrows. Or who my son calls, Papa Jimmy.”
The 2016 tribute special also included Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Tony Danza, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Melissa McCarthy, Sean Hayes, Messing, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen, in addition to the “Friends” cast.
Although he shaped modern sitcoms, Burrows’ one big screen effort was a flop, the 1982 flick “Partners” starring Ryan O’Neal.
During a 2022 “GMA” interview celebrating “Cheers,” Rhea Perlman called him “a maestro.”
She recalled, “Jimmy had that thing where, you’d be starting on some run and he could see you were slipping into the wrong, so before you blew it in front of an audience, he’d go, ‘A-buh-buh-buh-buh! Let’s take that again,’” which always got a “big laugh.”
Perlman starred on the iconic sitcom with Danson, Long, George Wendt, Kirstie Alley, John Ratzenberger, and Woody Harrelson.
Danson credited Burrows with his ability to convincingly play former baseball pro Sam Malone. On a 2024 episode of Sirius XM’s “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” Danson said, “Jimmy Burrows helped me, really, by saying — and it got me a lot of closeups too — ‘Just reach down and grab yourself periodically in the nuts.’”
He quipped that athletes do that a lot, “for some reason.”
Burrows told Indiewire that he didn’t consider his work to be similar to film directors. “The camera, I leave that to Spielberg and Scorsese.”
Describing himself as a “theater rat,” Burrows said his work involved staging a “play” every week.
“I understand characters, I understand what’s funny, I understand the essence of keeping it moving and keeping the energy going. It’s all theatrical.”
When “Frasier” returned for a revival on Paramount+ in 2023, showrunners Joe Cristalli and Chris Harris told the outlet that Burrows’s “DNA” was all over the show, as Burrows directed the pilot.
“He was in the audition rooms with everyone who came in. He’s pitching jokes on set…He gives you a big hug at the end. He calls you Honey! There’s nothing better, I loved it,” said Cristalli.
Burrows lived in Manhattan with his celeb hairstylist wife, Debbie Easton.
In 2014, he got a lifetime achievement award from the Directors Guild of America.
The family’s statement concluded with the family remembering him as a devoted husband, father and grandfather.
“He is survived by his beloved wife, Debbie, his four daughters, and his seven grandchildren,” the statement said. “He will be profoundly missed and forever remembered. Our thoughts are with Debbie, his children and grandchildren, his family, friends, collaborators, and all those whose lives he touched. May his memory be a blessing.”
Page Six has reached out to his rep for comment.
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