Friends and Will & Grace stars have taken to social media to celebrate the life of TV director James Burrows who has died at the age of 85
James Burrows has died(Image: Matt Baron/Shutterstock)
A slew of A List stars have paid tribute to iconic Hollywood director James Burrows – who died on Friday at the age of 85. The celebrated director was a key figure in US TV sitcoms – having helmed episodes of legendary shows including Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace and Cheers.
He has also stepped in front of the cameras, winning praise for his acting skills when he played a thinly veiled fictionalised version of himself on the HBO comedy series The Comeback.
Lisa Kudrow – who starred with James in The Comeback and was directed by him countless times on Friends – was among stars to pay tribute to the directing titan.
Taking to Instagram Stories, the star shared a snap of herself with the director on the set of The Comeback. While Friends co-star David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller in Friends, took to social media to pay tribute to the director, comparing him to a father.
David typed: “Jimmy Burrows brought out the best in every actor he ever worked with, and elevated every show he directed, making it funnier and more moving than anyone expected. His warmth, humility and generosity made us feel safe, like family, and I’m sure we weren’t the only cast to feel that way. He looked out for us, on camera and off.”
He continued: “He became another father figure for me, and I’m sure others. Paternal in the best sense of the word, loving, wise, encouraging, challenging, instructive, patient, inspiring, playful – and on my best days, I’d like to think, even proud.”
Matt LeBlanc, who portrayed Joey Tribbiani on Friends, also shared a tribute, writing: “Jimmy, words cannot describe the impact and influence you had on us and everyone who was lucky enough to have known you. You sir are a true icon on so many levels. Well wishes in your next act. You will be missed. God Bless.”
In a heart-breaking Instagram post, Will & Grace star Debra Messing – who played Grace Adler on the sitcom from 1998 to 2020 – wrote: “I can’t express the pain of his loss, and I know that is true for everyone who was lucky enough to be loved by him. Jimmy changed my life 28 years ago and has been in my life ever since. He had a dry sense of humor but exploded in laughter when he orchestrated comic moments that landed. I wanted his laughs most of all.”
And her co-star Eric McCormack, who played Will Truman, typed in his own post: “We lost a giant today, a mentor to me and a dear friend. #JamesBurrows directed every single episode of #Will&Grace… and pretty much everything else. The 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.”
James’s death was announced via a statement from his family which was shared with US publication People magazine. It revealed: “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.”
Over the space of his career, James won an impressive 11 Emmy awards having directed many of the biggest TV shows of all time. Having initially worked in theatre, he began working in TV in the mid-1970s, directing episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Bob Newhart Show.
He went on to co-create Cheers with brothers Glen and Les Charles and later directed episodes of the spin-off, Frasier – and multiple other major shows including Friends and The Big Bang Theory. Having appeared in three seasons of The Comeback – which aired on HBO in 2005, 2014 and 2026 – James won over viewers with his dry portrayal of himself directing Lisa Kudrow’s character Valerie Cherish.
Opening up about his accidental flirtation with acting, James told IndieWire earlier this year: “If you look at my career, I was never an actor. I played a couple of parts: I was a telephone man on Phyllis, a maintenance man on Newhart, and I was a literary agent on Rhoda.
“I was just playing myself. Then they wrote this part for me because I had worked on Friends and Lisa [Kudrow] knew me, and Michael [Patrick King – The Comeback co-creator] knew me from Will & Grace. So I had no aspirations to be an actor, nor do I consider myself an actor. And I have the utmost respect for all the actors I ever worked with.”
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