Matt LeBlanc shared a rare Instagram post this Friday to mourn legendary TV director James Burrows, who died this week at the age of 85.
A co-creator of Cheers, Burrows directed several episodes of Friends including the pilot, as well as every single episode of Will & Grace, plus the pilots of Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory.
He won a staggering 11 Emmy Awards over the course of his career, which also included multiple episodes of Frasier and of LeBlanc’s recent sitcom Man with a Plan.
‘Jimmy,’ LeBlanc wrote in his tribute: ‘words cannot describe the impact and influence you had on us and everyone who was lucky enough to have known you.’
The 58-year-old actor continued: ‘You sir are a true icon on so many levels. Well wishes in your next act. You will be missed. God Bless.’
Other than a joint post of a Dunkin’ ad he starred in, the last upload LeBlanc had shared to Instagram was an in memoriam to his late Friends co-star Matthew Perry after the latter died of a ketamine overdose in 2023, aged just 54.
Matt LeBlanc shared a rare Instagram post this Friday to mourn legendary TV director James Burrows, who died this week at the age of 85
(clockwise from left) Courteney Cox, LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston are pictured in a 1994 publicity still for Friends
Kudrow, 62, remembered Burrows by posting a photo of them on the set of The Comeback, next to a chair that had his name and the word ‘director’ stitched on it
Another of LeBlanc’s co-stars, Lisa Kudrow, paid her own touching homage to Burrows on Friday as the news spread of his death.
Burrows’ last onscreen appearance was on the new season of Kudrow’s show The Comeback, where he held a recurring role as a fictionalized version of himself.
Kudrow, 62, remembered Burrows by posting a photo of them on the set of The Comeback, next to a chair that had his name and the word ‘director’ stitched on it.
Danny DeVito gave a statement on behalf of himself and and his wife Rhea Perlman, each of whom has a separate professional connection to Burrows.
While Perlman became a TV star on Cheers, Burrows directed DeVito on the classic 1970s sitcom Taxi, which was an early career breakthrough for both men.
‘Rhea and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Jimmy Burrows. The entire DeVito family feels the loss of such an exceptional man, and we send our love to Debbie, Jimmy’s children, and all of his loved ones,’ DeVito told Entertainment Weekly.
‘Jimmy guided Rhea and me through 16 seasons of television. He was the very best at his craft. His positive spirit, boundless energy, and tireless work defined what it takes to run a show and keep people laughing. He will always be in our hearts.’
Burrows directed a solid majority of the episodes of Taxi, which from 1978 to 1982 and featured a glittering cast including Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Conaway, Randall Carver and Carol Kane.
Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, who respectively played the title characters on Will & Grace, posted their own memories of Burrows online
‘We lost a giant today, a mentor to me and a dear friend,’ McCormack wrote: ‘#JamesBurrows directed every single episode of #Will&Grace… and pretty much everything else’
Sean Hayes, who played Will’s best friend Jack McFarland, posted a photo of himself and his husband Scott Icenogle posing affectionately with Burrows
(left to right) George Wendt, Shelley Long, Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, Woody Harrelson and John Ratzengerger are pictured in a publicity still for Cheers
(from left) Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, Tony Danza and Carol Kane are pictured in a publicity still for Taxi, of which Burrows directed a majority of episodes
Danza remembered Burrows on X, writing: ‘We have lost the greatest of all time. Jimmy Burrows. I know I wouldn’t be here without him.’
He sent his ‘thoughts’ to Burrows’ widow Debbie Easton, whom he had been married to since 1997, and to the director’s four children.
Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, who respectively played the title characters on Will & Grace, posted their own memories of Burrows online.
‘We lost a giant today, a mentor to me and a dear friend,’ McCormack wrote. ‘#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.’
He continued: ‘Jimmy, thank you for everything you gave us. I love you. And I send so much love to Debbie and your whole beautiful family.’
Meanwhile, Messing hailed him as a ‘singular talent and revolutionary in television,’ while also noting: ‘To me he was Jimmy. To my son, he was Papa Jimmy.’
She confessed she ‘wanted his laughs most of all,’ and she showered praised on him for having ‘loved and trusted his actors (which is rare in tv comedy).’
Messing fondly tweaked Burrows for being ‘quiet and serious, but also very committed to finishing rehearsal so he could make his tee time.’
Melissa Rauch, Simon Helberg, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, Mayim Bialik and Kunal Nayyar are pictured on the finale of The Big Bang Theory; Burrows directed the pilot
Beth Behrs (right), one of the title stars of 2 Broke Girls along with Kat Dennings (left), shared a lengthy Instagram paean to Burrows, who directed their pilot
Alyssa Milano, pictured last week, wrote that it had been an ‘an absolute gift’ to work with Burrows on her short-lived sitcom Romantically Challenged in 2010
Writing that all his actors ‘felt like one of his kids,’ she grieved the loss of their ‘TV dad’ and wrote: ‘I love you Jimmy. Find the clowns up there. They need direction.’
Sean Hayes, who played Will’s best friend Jack McFarland, posted a photo of himself and his husband Scott Icenogle posing affectionately with Burrows.
Icenogle is a composer whose work through the years has included the revival of Will & Grace, which is where his career intersected with Burrows’.
Christopher Nolan, who is now president of the Directors Guild of America, issued a statement from the union memorializing its late member.
Nolan vaunted Burrows as a ‘legend’ but also ‘an incredibly generous colleague’ who ‘mentored innumerable directors and members of the directorial team,’ as well as spending over a quarter century as a Directors Guild Foundation trustee.
Cedric the Entertainer also heaped praise on Burrows, who helmed the pilot episode of his long-running sitcom The Neighborhood, which concluded this year
Alyssa Milano wrote that it had been an ‘an absolute gift’ to work with Burrows on her short-lived sitcom Romantically Challenged in 2010.
‘What struck me most wasn’t just his brilliance—which is undeniable—but his ease. The confidence!’ gushed the Charmed actress.
‘He knew exactly what a scene needed, exactly where the joke lived, and exactly how to create an environment where actors could do their best work.’
Kunal Nayyar, known for playing Raj Koothrappali on The Big Bang Theory, wrote simply on his Insta Stories: ‘Owe so much to this legend, RIP.’
Beth Behrs, one of the title stars of 2 Broke Girls along with Kat Dennings, shared a lengthy Instagram paean to Burrows, who directed their pilot.
She recalled that after filming the premiere episode, she came across Jennifer Aniston, who breezily assured her: ‘Oh, you have Jimmy? You’ll get a pickup.’
Burrows’ work included the pilot of a long-running sitcom called The Neighborhood starring Behrs amid a cast including Cedric the Entertainer.
Cedric the Entertainer raved that Burrows ‘put the Direct in TV. The amount of laughs and joy his vision has brought into our homes is unmeasurable .. Cheers! Friends,Fraiser, Will & Grace and The Neighborhood to name only a few.’
He gushed: ‘Thank you for your service to entertainment and this thing we call life. Condolences to his loved ones, and may you rest in peace.’
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