James Burrows, a major force in television comedy who co-created \u201cCheers\u201d and directed every episode of the first run of \u201cWill & Grace,\u201d has died, his attorney told NBC News. <\/p>\n
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He was 85. <\/p>\n
The Burrows family released a statement that he died peacefully on Friday while surrounded by loved ones. <\/p>\n
\u201cBurrows will be remembered for something even greater: his kindness, generosity, and unwavering belief in the people around him,\u201d the statement said. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe possessed a rare ability to make everyone better and was known for remembering every person he met by name, making colleagues at every level feel seen, valued, and appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBurrows understood that great comedy was never simply about laughter. It was about humanity, connection, and truth,\u201d the statement read. \u201cThat understanding became the foundation of a career that forever changed television.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among his most notable accomplishments was directing every episode of \u201cWill & Grace\u201d during the show\u2019s initial run from 1998 to 2006. <\/p>\n
Set in New York, the sitcom follows the antics of two best friends \u2014 Will Trumana, a gay lawyer played by Eric McCormack, and Debra Messing\u2019s Grace Adler, a straight interior designer. It was the first time a gay character was featured in a starring role and helped to change the course of TV history.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think \u2018Will & Grace\u2019 did more to educate the American public more than almost anything anybody has done so far. People fear that which is different. Now they\u2019re beginning to understand,\u201d then-Vice President Joe Biden said in 2012 on \u201cMeet the Press.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/260619-james-burrows-will-and-grace-mn-1600-4e8be4.jpg\")
James Burrows, front center, on the set of “Will and Grace.” NBC<\/p>\n
McCormack, who is not gay in real life, paid tribute to the late director after hearing news of his passing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lost a giant today, a mentor to me and a dear friend,\u201d McCormack wrote in an Instagram post. \u201cThe 800 lb gorilla of television comedy for fifty years, he was beloved by everyone, and has left not a mark but a footprint. An incredible legacy. Jimmy, thank you for everything you gave us. I love you. And I send so much love to Debbie and your whole beautiful family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burrows\u2019 formidable career spanned entire generations of television viewers, during which he worked on many of the most memorable sitcoms from the 1970s through the 2000s, including \u201cFriends,\u201d \u201cFrasier,\u201d \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d \u201cTaxi\u201d and \u201cThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,\u201d where he got his start in 1974.<\/p>\n
Most recently, he appeared as a fictionalized version of himself alongside \u201cFriends\u201d alum Lisa Kudrow in the \u201cThe Comeback\u201d on HBO. <\/p>\n
His numerous accolades include 11 Primetime Emmys and five Directors Guild of America awards.<\/p>\n
\u201cFew individuals have had a greater impact on television comedy than James Burrows,\u201d Journey Gunderson, National Comedy Center executive director, said in a statement. \u201cHis work helped define television\u2019s most beloved comedies, and his legacy is woven into the history of comedy itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2016, the cast of \u201cFriends\u201d reunited in New York to celebrate Burrows\u2019 directing his 1,000th episode, a milestone he reached in November 2015 while working on the NBC sitcom \u201cCrowded.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Cast](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/260619-james-burrows-friends-mn-1740-1cd34f.jpg\")
Cast members of “Friends,” David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, pose with James Burrows during a tribute to Burrows in 2016. Chris Haston \/ NBC<\/p>\n
\u201cWe would do anything for Jim Burrows because he really gave us the opportunity of a lifetime, and probably the best 10 years of our acting careers that we will forever remember,\u201d Aniston said at the time<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cI think he taught us everything we know about comedy timing, support, collaboration,\u201d she added. \u201cHe\u2019s our papa.\u201d<\/p>\n Burrows is credited with nurturing chemistry and camaraderie among the young cast of \u201cFriends\u201d when the show first started. He famously took the then-unknown stars on a group trip to Las Vegas and encouraged them to let loose before becoming household names. <\/p>\n \u201cThis is your last shot at anonymity,\u201d he told Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Shwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. <\/p>\n Burrows was born in Los Angeles into a creative family that had already cemented its hold on the entertainment industry. His father, writer and composer Abe Burrows, co-wrote \u201cGuys and Dolls\u201d and \u201cHow to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,\u201d People reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n He attended the High School of Music & Art in New York after his family relocated to the East Coast and graduated from Oberlin College before receiving a master\u2019s degree from Yale School of Drama.<\/p>\n Burrows is survived by his wife, Debbie, his four daughters, and his seven grandchildren. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James Burrows, a major force in television comedy who co-created \u201cCheers\u201d and directed every episode of the first…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":747533,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[64,63,134,427],"class_list":["post-747532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=747532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/747532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/747533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=747532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=747532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=747532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}