Rememberances are pouring out for TV director James Burrows, who died on Friday at 85.
Tony Danza, who worked with Burrows on 75 episodes of the ABC comedy series โTaxi,โ paid tribute to his longtime director on Friday afternoon. He wrote on X, โWe have lost the greatest of all time. Jimmy Burrows. I know I wouldnโt be here without him. My thoughts are with Debbie and the kids.โ
Josh Gad, who starred in the short-lived, Burrows-directed sitcom โBack To Youโ in 2007, shared his remembrance on Instagram. He wrote,โ In 2005, I had the honor of being directed by the man who made me fall in love with sitcoms as a child, Jimmy Burrows. Whether it was โTaxi,โ โCheers,โ โFrasierโ or โFriends.โ Working every day for one season on โBack to Youโ opposite Jimmy was a masterclass in comedy. At 85, he was still far too young and still so full of life. My love and prayers go out to his entire family and to all of his friends. This is a seismic loss.โ
NBC, which housed several of Burrowsโ directorial efforts, said in a statement, โJimmy Burrows was the man behind the curtain. He knew how to make us laugh, what buttons to push and was the absolute master of getting the most out of every joke. His loss to the television comedy world is immeasurable. Every time you have a smile on your face watching โThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,โ โTaxi, โCheers,โ โWill & Grace,โ โFriendsโ and countless others, think of Jimmy and know he made all our lives funnier.โ
Burrows, who was nominated for a record 22 Directors Guild Awards, was best known for co-creating the beloved, early-โ80s bar comedy โCheers,โ along with brothers Glen and Les Charles. The 11-time Emmy winner also had a 15-episode stint on โFriendsโ and directed every episode of โWill & Grace.โ
Among his dozens of other TV directing credits are โThe Bob Newhart Show,โ โRhoda,โ โThe Betty White Show,โ โLaverne & Shirley,โ โLou Grant,โ โThe Tony Randall Show,โ โThe Associates,โ โThe Stockard Channing Show,โ โThe Hogan Family,โ โNight Court,โ โDear John,โ โLadies Man,โ โWings,โ โFrasier,โ โNewsRadio,โ โThird Rock from the Sun,โ โPearl,โ โDharma & Greg,โ โCaroline in the City,โ โGeorge & Leo,โ โThe Class,โ โCourting Alex,โ โBack to You,โ โTwo and a Half Men,โ โThe Big Bang Theory,โ โHank,โ โUp All Night,โ โBetter with You,โ โ$#*! My Dad Says,โ โ2 Broke Girls,โ โPartners,โ โMike & Mollyโ and โThe Millers.โ
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