Tributes are pouring in for television director James Burrows, who died on Friday at the age of 85.
Tony Danza, who co-starred with Burroughs on episode 75 of the ABC comedy series “Taxi,” paid tribute to his longtime director Friday afternoon. He wrote in X: “We lost the greatest player of all time, Jimmy Burrows. I wouldn’t be here without him. My thoughts are with Debbie and the kids.”
Josh Gad, who starred in Burroughs’ short-lived 2007 sitcom Back to You, shared his memories on Instagram. “In 2005, I had the honor of being directed by Jimmy Burroughs, the man who made me fall in love with sitcoms as a kid, whether it was Taxi, Cheers, Frasier or Friends. Working every day for a season on Back to You opposite Jimmy was a comedy masterclass. At 85 years old, he was still very much alive. My love and prayers go out to all of his family and all of his friends. This is an earthquake loss.”
NBC, which aired several of Burroughs’ films, said in a statement: “Jimmy Burroughs was the man behind the curtain. He knew how to make us laugh, which buttons to push, and was an absolute master at getting the most out of every joke. His loss in the world of television comedy is immeasurable. Every time I smile while watching ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ ‘Taxi,’ ‘Cheers,’ or ‘Will & Grace,'” he said in a statement. “Friends” and countless others remember Jimmy and know that he made our lives so much more enjoyable. ”
Nominated for a record 22 Directors Guild Awards, Burroughs is best known for co-creating the popular early ’80s bar comedy Cheers with brothers Glen Charles and Les Charles. The 11-time Emmy Award winner appeared in 15 episodes of “Friends” and directed every episode of “Will & Grace.”
Among his dozens of other television directorial works are “The Bob Newhart Show,” “Rhoda,” “The Betty White Show,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “Lou Grant,” “The Tony Randall Show,” “The Associates,” “The Stockard Channing Show,” “The Hogan Family,” “Night Court,” “Dear John,” “The Ladies Man,” “Wings,” and “Frasier.” “NewsRadio”, “Third Rock from the Sun”, “Pearl”, “Dharma & Greg”, “Caroline in the City”, “George & Leo”, “The Class”, “Courting Alex”, “Back to You”, “Two and a Half Men”, “The Big Bang Theory”, “Hank”, “Up All Night”, “Better with You”, “$#*! My Dad Says”, “2 “Broke” Girls,” “Partner,” “Mike & Molly,” and “The Mirrors.”
Check out more tributes below.
