James Burrows, "Friends" Creator and Prolific TV Director, Dies at 85

James Burrows, the prolific director who reigned as television’s preeminent sitcom helmer for over 30 years, has died. He was 85.

Burrows’ family announced his death in a statement on Friday: “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 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.”

The legendary director was also credited for opening up the world of sitcoms by adding a fourth camera to the classic three-camera setup.

He co-created NBC’s indelible barroom comedy “Cheers,” with brothers Glen and Les Charles, as well as he directed every episode of NBC’s “Will & Grace,” from 1998 to 2020.

In February 2016, NBC honored Burrows as he notched his 1,000th sitcom episode, an iron-man milestone reached on November 24, 2015, while working on the NBC sitcom “Crowded,” starring Carrie Preston, Patrick Warburton and Stacy Keach.

For the February 21 special “Must See TV: An All Star Salute to James Burrows,” a slew of stars from his shows over the years gathered at the January 24 taping of the tribute in Hollywood to sing his praises.

Who else but the director and producer, 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, whose influence extends from the style he brought to his shows to the mentoring he’s offered a generation of helmers.

He was remembered as a remarkably talented director and as a friend to many of those that he worked with on and off for years.

“The entire DeVito family feels the loss of such an exceptional man,” actors Rhea Perlman (“Cheers”) and Danny DeVito (“Taxi”) said in a statement. “Jimmy guided Rhea and me through 16 seasons of television. He was the very best at his craft. His positive spirit, boundless energy, and tireless work defined what it takes to run a show and keep people laughing.”

Disney Entertainment Television, in a statement, also hailed Burrows as “a legend in television and a brilliant director who was responsible for many of the biggest comedy hits of our time.”

James 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.”

He 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.

He was born in Los Angeles but attended Gotham’s High School of Music & Arts and later Oberlin College and Yale University School of Drama.

The filmmaker 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!”

He 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.”

Since then, Burrows worked almost exclusively on the small screen. He directed more than 100 TV series and was nommed for a record 22 Directors Guild Awards, taking the plaque five 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.”

He made his sole foray into movies with the 1982 flop “Partners,” a Paramount comedy starring Ryan O’Neal as a cop who goes undercover with a police clerk played by John Hurt to solve a series of murders.

In 2014, Burrows was selected to receive a lifetime achievement award for distinguished achievement in television direction from the Directors Guild of America.

Burrows, who was married to Linda Solomon from 1981-93, is survived by a second wife, Debbie Easton, whom he married in 1997, and his three children from Solomon.