James Burrows Dead: Co-creator of ‘Cheers’ was 85

James Burrows, the prolific director who reigned as television’s preeminent sitcom director for more than three decades, died Friday. That was him 85.

Burrows’ family confirmed his death in a statement to People: “We celebrate the extraordinary life and lasting 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. A legendary director, mentor and creative force, he helped shape generations of comedy and brought immeasurable joy to audiences around the world.”

Burrows won 10 Emmy Awards, starting with back-to-back comedy directing trophies in 1980 and 1981 for his work on ABC’s “Taxi.”

He was known for his skill in directing pilots and working with actors, especially inexperienced ones like the stars of NBC’s “Friends.” He was also credited with opening up the world of sitcoms by adding a fourth camera to the classic three-camera setup.

Burrows co-created NBC’s indelible barroom comedy “Cheers” with brothers Glen and Les Charles, and he directed all 188 episodes of NBC’s “Will & Grace” from 1998 to 2006.

In February 2016, NBC honored the director and producer when he made his 1,000th sitcom episode, an iron-man milestone he achieved on November 24, 2015, while working on the NBC sitcom “Crowded,” starring Carrie Preston, Patrick Warburton and Stacy Keach. For the Feb. 21 special “Must See TV: An All Star Salute to James Burrows,” a group of stars from his shows over the years gathered during the Jan. 24 taping of the tribute in Hollywood to sing his praises. Who else but the helmsman known simply as Jimmy could bring Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Tony Danza, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, Melissa McCarthy, Sean Hayes, Debra Messing, Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen under one roof for a common purpose: saluting the man who was crucial to the launch or their furthering their careers – and in many cases fattening their bank accounts with a steady stream of syndication payments.

That NBC spent two hours on Sunday saluting an executive reinforces Burrows’ unique status in the industry. His influence extends from the style he brought to his shows to the guidance he provided to a generation of helmers.

Burrows was the son of writer-director Abe Burrows, who wrote the book for such Broadway classics as “Guys and Dolls,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Real Trying” and “Can Can.” James Burrows was born in Los Angeles, where his father worked as a writer for top radio comedies, but the family soon moved to New York City. Burrows grew up immersed in the world of writers, actors, directors and other creative talent and was known as “Abe’s child” by family friends such as John Steinbeck, Edward Albee and Truman Capote.

Burrows was born in Los Angeles, but attended Gotham’s High School of Music & Arts and later Oberlin College and Yale University School of Drama. After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a dialogue coach on a short-lived Burl Ives comedy series created by Abe Burrows, “OK Crackerby!”

James Burrows returned to New York and worked as a stage manager on a Broadway series of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” produced by his father and Albee. Burrows gained his first directing experience during production. He then directed the touring play ’40 Carats’, followed by other touring productions of plays such as ‘Mr. Roberts’ and ‘The Odd Couple’.

In 1974, Burrows’ reputation as a theater director earned him an offer from James L. Brooks and Allan Burns to direct an episode of the couple’s “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” From then on, Burrows worked almost exclusively on the small screen. He has directed over episodes of over 100 TV series and has been nominated for a record 21 Directors Guild Awards, winning the plaque four times.

Among the dozens of other shows he worked on were “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,” “Ladies Man,” “Wings,” “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,” “Partners,” “Mike & Molly” and “The Millers.”

Burrows’ only foray into films was the 1982 flop “Partners,” a Paramount comedy starring Ryan O’Neal as a cop goes undercover with a gay police officer, played by John Hurt, to solve a series of murders.

In a Q&A held in 2013 as part of USC’s Comedy@SCA festival, Burrows said he always felt it was important for directors to be part of the creative process — even if they came into an existing operation for a one-off assignment.

“Don’t be a traffic cop, go in there and say what you want to say,” Burrows said of conversations with writers. “It will only make things better.”

But the man who probably spent more time than anyone pulling the strings on network TV sitcoms was modest about what it takes to generate a hit show.

In 2014, he was selected for a Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievement in Television Directing from the Directors Guild of America.

Burrows was married to Linda Solomon from 1981 to 1993.

He is survived by second wife Debbie Easton, whom he married in 1997, and three children by Solomon.