James Burrows facts for kids

James Edward Burrows, born on December 30, 1940, is a very well-known American television director. He's sometimes called Jim or Jimmy. Burrows has won many important awards for his work, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards. In 2015, he received a special Lifetime Achievement Award for his amazing career. In 2016, NBC even aired a special show called Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows to celebrate him!

Burrows started his career in television in 1974 with The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He has directed over 50 pilot episodes for new TV shows. He also helped create the famous TV series Cheers (which ran from 1982 to 1993). He even started his own company, 3 Sisters Entertainment, with NBC. James Burrows is famous for directing many episodes of popular comedy shows like The Bob Newhart Show, Taxi, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and The Big Bang Theory.

He also helped produce special live TV shows for ABC, like Live in Front of a Studio Audience. These shows recreated classic sitcom episodes. He directed episodes for the new versions of Will & Grace (2017–2020) and Frasier on Paramount+.

Early Life and Education

James Burrows was born into a Jewish family in Los Angeles, California. His father, Abe Burrows, was a famous composer, director, and writer. James has one sister named Laurie Burrows Grad. When James was young, his family moved to New York. There, he went to New York’s High School of Music & Art. Later, Burrows graduated from Oberlin College and then studied at the Yale School of Drama.

James Burrows' Directing Journey

Starting His Career (1967–1973)

After finishing his studies at Yale, Burrows went back to California. He got a job as a dialogue coach for a TV show called O.K. Crackerby!. His father, Abe Burrows, had created this show. James then worked as an assistant stage manager for a play called Holly Golightly in 1967. This play wasn't very successful, but it allowed him to meet the star, Mary Tyler Moore.

Burrows also worked for traveling plays and on Broadway. He directed a short-lived Broadway play called The Castro Complex. He kept working in theater, first as a stage manager, then directing plays. He directed shows in different cities, including a dinner theater in Jacksonville, Florida.

Becoming a TV Director (1974–1981)

While working in theater, Burrows wrote to Mary Tyler Moore and her husband, Grant Tinker. He wanted a job at their company, MTM Enterprises. In 1974, Tinker hired Burrows to direct episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show. Tinker even asked a famous director, Jay Sandrich, to help mentor Burrows.

Burrows became known for his great sense of comic timing. He was also good at arranging actors on set, which is called blocking. He also used more advanced lighting in TV studio shoots. He was one of the first directors to use four cameras instead of the usual three for multi-camera TV shows. During this time, Burrows directed for many other shows. These included Phyllis, Rhoda, Laverne & Shirley, and Taxi.

Directing Hit Shows: Cheers, Frasier, and Friends (1982–1997)

Burrows helped create Cheers with brothers Glen and Les Charles. The Charles brothers had also worked with Burrows on the show Taxi. They wanted to create a show where they had more control. Cheers first aired on NBC on September 30, 1982. Even though it started slowly, Cheers became a huge hit! It ran for 11 seasons and had 275 episodes. Burrows directed almost all of them – 237 episodes! While working on Cheers, he also directed episodes for other NBC sitcoms like The Hogan Family and Night Court.

Next, Burrows became famous for directing the NBC sitcom Frasier. He won an Emmy Award for the very first episode, The Good Son, in 1993. He directed 32 episodes of Frasier between 1993 and 1997. Frasier was a spin-off from Cheers, focusing on the character Dr. Frasier Crane. The show won five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Burrows also directed 15 episodes of another popular NBC sitcom, Friends. This show was about six friends living in New York City. He was nominated for an Emmy for directing the 1994 episode The One with the Blackout. During this time, he also got Emmy nominations for directing the pilot episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun and Dharma & Greg. He also directed episodes of Wings and NewsRadio.

An Established Director (1998–2009)

From 1998 to 2006, Burrows directed every single episode of the NBC sitcom Will & Grace. He received 12 Primetime Emmy Award nominations for this series. He won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2000. He directed every episode of Will & Grace during its first eight years.

In 2006, he directed the pilot episode of The Big Bang Theory for CBS. In 2003, he directed the pilot for another CBS sitcom, Two and a Half Men. He also directed episodes for shows like The Class and Gary Unmarried.

Recent Work and Recognition (2010–Present)

In the 2010s, Burrows continued to direct many popular sitcoms. These included Mike & Molly (2010–2016) and The Millers (2013–2015) on CBS. He worked again with actor Matt LeBlanc on Man with a Plan (2016–2020). He also directed episodes for B Positive (2020–2022). Burrows directed episodes for many other TV series, including 2 Broke Girls, Superior Donuts, and The Neighborhood.

By 2012, Burrows had directed over 50 pilot episodes for TV shows. In November 2015, he reached an amazing milestone: he had directed over 1,000 episodes of television! This happened with the NBC sitcom Crowded. To celebrate this huge achievement, NBC aired a special tribute on February 21, 2016. It was called Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows. The show featured cast reunions from many of the series Burrows had directed, like Cheers, Friends, Frasier, and The Big Bang Theory.

In January 2020, Burrows won a Directors Guild of America Award for his work on Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons. In 2016, he directed his 1,000th TV episode on NBC's Crowded. Burrows also directed episodes for the revivals of Will & Grace (2017–2020) and Frasier (2023) on Paramount+.

Appearing on Screen

James Burrows has also made small appearances in some of the shows he directed. In the first season of Friends, he appeared in the episode "The One with the Butt". He played the director of a film where the character Joey Tribbiani was an actor. He also played himself as a TV director named Jimmy in the 2005 HBO series The Comeback. An episode of Scrubs even had a character named Charles James, honoring Burrows and the creators of Cheers.

Personal Life

James Burrows is married to Debbie Easton, who is a celebrity hairstylist. They live in Manhattan. Burrows was previously married to Linda Solomon. He has three daughters and one stepdaughter.

Awards and Nominations

Throughout his career, James Burrows has been nominated for many awards. He was nominated for a Directors Guild of America award 15 times. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award every year between 1980 and 2005, except for 1997. Burrows has won 11 Emmy Awards and 5 Directors Guild of America Awards. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored his 40-year career with a special event in 2013.

See also

In Spanish: James Burrows para niños