Television director and producer
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Key moments and achievements from James Burrows's life.
James was born
· New York, NY, USA
Degree
Burrows earned his Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama in 1965, completing a playwriting program that counted Robert Klein, John Guare, and John Badham among his classmates. The training grounded him in dramaturgy and performance before he ever stepped onto a television set.
Degree
Burrows earned his Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama in 1965, completing a playwriting program that counted Robert Klein, John Guare, and John Badham among his classmates. The training grounded him in dramaturgy and performance before he ever stepped onto a television set.
Debut
After years in regional theater and Broadway stage management, Burrows made his television directing debut with episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on CBS. The assignment launched a career that would span more than five decades and produce over a thousand episodes of comedy.
Debut
After years in regional theater and Broadway stage management, Burrows made his television directing debut with episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show on CBS. The assignment launched a career that would span more than five decades and produce over a thousand episodes of comedy.
Award
Burrows won his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for his work on Taxi, the ABC workplace sitcom where he directed approximately 75 episodes. He won the same award again in 1981, establishing his reputation as the preeminent multi-camera comedy director of his generation.
Award
Burrows won his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for his work on Taxi, the ABC workplace sitcom where he directed approximately 75 episodes. He won the same award again in 1981, establishing his reputation as the preeminent multi-camera comedy director of his generation.
Founding
Burrows partnered with writers Glen Charles and Les Charles to create Cheers, an NBC comedy set in a Boston bar. The show premiered September 30, 1982, ran for 11 seasons, won the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy in 1983, and became one of the most acclaimed sitcoms in American television history. Burrows directed 237 of its 275 episodes.
Founding
Burrows partnered with writers Glen Charles and Les Charles to create Cheers, an NBC comedy set in a Boston bar. The show premiered September 30, 1982, ran for 11 seasons, won the Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy in 1983, and became one of the most acclaimed sitcoms in American television history. Burrows directed 237 of its 275 episodes.
Induction
The Television Academy honored Burrows with induction into its Hall of Fame, recognizing his cumulative impact on the medium. He was already the most-nominated sitcom director in Emmy history at the time of his induction.
Induction
The Television Academy honored Burrows with induction into its Hall of Fame, recognizing his cumulative impact on the medium. He was already the most-nominated sitcom director in Emmy history at the time of his induction.
Milestone
On November 24, 2015, Burrows reached the milestone of directing his 1,000th television episode, working on the NBC sitcom Crowded. NBC marked the achievement with a primetime tribute special in February 2016, Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows, gathering the casts of many of the shows he had shaped over his career.
Milestone
On November 24, 2015, Burrows reached the milestone of directing his 1,000th television episode, working on the NBC sitcom Crowded. NBC marked the achievement with a primetime tribute special in February 2016, Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows, gathering the casts of many of the shows he had shaped over his career.
Publication
Ballantine Books published Burrows's memoir, Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Legendary Director of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will and Grace, and More, co-written with Eddy Friedfeld. The book offered a candid account of his method and the many productions he helped define.
Publication
Ballantine Books published Burrows's memoir, Directed by James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Legendary Director of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will and Grace, and More, co-written with Eddy Friedfeld. The book offered a candid account of his method and the many productions he helped define.
James Burrows passed away
