James Burrows, a legendary TV director who co-created Cheers and worked on countless sitcoms like Frasier, Will & Grace, and The Big Bang Theory, has died.
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The 85-year-old passed away in his sleep this morning, June 19, after a brief illness, PEOPLE reports.
“Jimmy was the greatest comedic television director in the history of the medium,” Burrows’ agent Rick Rosen shared, per Deadline. “He directed the most iconic, defining shows of generations. Always a gentleman, it was an absolute honor to represent him.”
Burrows helped shape the language of television for decades. During his career, which spanned over 50 years, he co-created iconic shows such as Cheers, Taxi, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory.
James Burrows Helped Set the Tone of TV For the Past 50 Years
Burrows began his career in 1974 with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, going on to direct episodes of comedies like The Bob Newhart Show and Laverne & Shirley. He set the tone and helped assemble the casts for some of the biggest series of the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s by directing the pilots of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, and The Big Bang Theory.
Burrows’s TV directing career is unmatched. According to IMDb, he directed 246 episodes of Will & Grace (all of the series’ original run) and 236 episodes of Cheers. He also helmed 75 episodes of Taxi, 49 episodes of Mike & Molly, 36 episodes of Frasier, and 15 episodes of Friends.
Burrows never slowed down, working on the recent revivals of both Will & Grace and Frasier. He also executive-produced and directed Mid-Century Modern, a Hulu comedy from Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Cohen that dropped last year.
Throughout his career, Burrows earned 11 Emmy Awards, including wins for Outstanding Comedy Series for Cheers and Will & Grace. In 2014, he received the first Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award for television.
Burrows married Linda Solomon in 1981, and they had three children together before divorcing in 1993. He married hairstylist Debbie Easton in 1997.