James Burrows, Cheers and Friends director, dies at 85

James Burrows, the acclaimed television director behind some of America's most beloved sitcoms, has died at the age of 85, News.Az reports, citing BBC.

Burrows was best known as a co-creator of the hit sitcom Cheers and directed more than 1,000 episodes of television comedy throughout his career. His work included some of the most successful and influential sitcoms in TV history, such as Friends, The Big Bang Theory, and Will & Grace.

Attorney Tom Hoberman confirmed Burrows' death "with great sadness" to CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.

Over a career that spanned more than five decades, Burrows earned widespread recognition for his contributions to television. He won 11 Emmy Awards as well as five Directors Guild of America Awards.

In a statement provided to the US publication People, Burrows' family said: "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."

Born in Los Angeles in 1940, Burrows spent much of his childhood in New York.

As a young adult, he attended the graduate programme of the Yale School of Drama, where he got his first experience of directing.

After several years behind the camera, he co-created the sitcom Cheers alongside the brothers Glen and Les Charles. The show quickly became a 1980s TV hit in both the US and UK.

The Directors Guild of America, which awarded Burrows with a lifetime achievement award in television direction in 2015, described him as "an incredibly generous colleague" who shared his "wisdom, and warm humor with his fellow Guild members and all he worked with".

He was also nominated 48 times for a Primetime Emmy across his decades-long Hollywood career.

Actor Eric McCormack, who played Will in Will and Grace, shared a tribute on social media, saying Burrows left "an incredible legacy".

"The 800 lb gorilla of television comedy for fifty years, he was beloved by everyone, and has left not a mark but a footprint," he wrote.

Actress Beth Behrs, who worked with Burrows on the show 2 Broke Girls, shared some memories on social media: "Dear Jimmy, I'll never forget @katdenningsss and I becoming absolutely convinced you hated us during rehearsals for the pilot of 2 Broke Girls. We marched up to your podium like two fourth-graders called into the principal's office and asked you point-blank. I'll never forget the belly laugh. 'Oh girls, of course not.'"

Lisa Kudrow - best-known as Phoebe from Friends - wrote on Instagram: "Thank you Jimmy. I mean, for everything…"

Burrows directed Kudrow in Friends and played version of himself alongside the actress in the HBO comedy The Comeback.

A spokesperson for NBC, which aired many of Burrows' shows, said he was "the man behind the curtain", whose loss to the television and comedy world would be "immeasurable".

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev