James Burrows
James Burrows | |
|---|---|
 Burrows in 1970 | |
| Born | James Edward Burrows December 30, 1940 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | June 19, 2026 (aged 85) Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Jim Burrows Jimmy Burrows |
| Education | Oberlin College (BA) Yale University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Television director |
| Years active | 1965–2026 |
| Notable work | Cheers Friends Frasier Will & Grace The Mary Tyler Moore Show Taxi |
| Spouses | Linda Solomon
(m. 1981; div. 1993)Debbie Easton
(m. 1997) |
| Children | 4 |
| Father | Abe Burrows |
| Type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | James Burrows and NBC Productions |
| Divisions | 3 Princesses and a P |
James Edward Burrows (December 30, 1940 – June 19, 2026) was an American television director. He received numerous accolades, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards. He was honored with the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and the NBC special Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows in 2016.
Burrows started his career with The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1974. Burrows directed over 50 television pilots and co-created the television series Cheers (1982–1993). He also formed 3 Sisters Entertainment, a joint venture with NBC. He is known for having directed numerous episodes of comedy shows such as The Bob Newhart Show, Taxi, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, and Mike & Molly.
He executive produced the Emmy Award–winning ABC specials Live in Front of a Studio Audience, including Norman Lear's "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" in 2019, "All in the Family" and "Good Times" in 2019, and "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes" in 2021. He directed episodes of the revivals of the sitcoms Will & Grace (2017–2020) on NBC and Frasier (2023–2024) on Paramount+.