James Burrows, the legendary sitcom director who directed both iterations of The Big Bang Theory's pilot episode, has died at the age of 85.

Burrows directed more than 1,000 episodes of television across a career that spanned five decades, earning him a reputation as one of the defining figures of the multi-camera sitcom.

His television career began in the 1970s with a string of shows produced by Mary Tyler Moore's MTM Enterprises, including Phyllis, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show and Rhoda. His big breakthrough came with Taxi, where he was the resident director and worked with writers Glen and Les Charles.

With the Charles brothers, Burrows co-created Cheers, one of the shows that came to define his career. He directed more than 230 episodes of the show across its 11-season run and went on to direct episodes of its equally long-running spin-off Frasier.

Burrows helped launch Friends, directing the show's 1994 pilot and another 14 episodes during its first four seasons. Before the pilot was taped, he famously took the six main actors to Las Vegas to help them bond as a cast, telling them this would be their last chance to go out in public without being recognized.

Will & Grace held a unique place in his career. Burrows directed every single episode across its original eight-season run from 1998 to 2006 and its three-season revival from 2017 to 2020, and served as an executive producer for the bulk of its run. Burrows later called Will & Grace "probably the funniest show I ever did".

Burrows was one of television's most sought-after pilot directors. He directed more than 75 pilots that were picked up to series, laying the foundations for shows including Wings, 3rd Rock from the Sun and NewsRadio. He also directed 21 episodes of Caroline in the City, which counted Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady as one of its writers.

His work with Chuck Lorre began with the pilot of Dharma & Greg and continued with the pilot of Two and a Half Men. In 2006, he directed the original Big Bang Theory pilot, which featured Sheldon and Leonard, but not Penny, Howard or Raj. In an unusual move, CBS passed on the original pilot but asked Lorre and Prady to rework the show. The next year, Burrows returned to direct the pilot viewers know today, featuring Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar.

Burrows' most substantial work on a Chuck Lorre show came with Mike & Molly, where he directed almost 50 episodes and was an executive producer for two seasons. He also later directed episodes of Disjointed and B Positive.

In 2016, NBC aired Must See TV: An All-Star Tribute to James Burrows, a special celebrating Burrows' milestone of directing 1,000 television episodes. The program reunited cast members from many of his best-known shows, including Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends and Will & Grace, and also featured the casts of the then-running sitcoms The Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly.

His final directing credit was Mid-Century Modern, a traditional multi-camera sitcom made for Hulu, which starred Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, Nathan Lee Graham and the late Linda Lavin. Burrows also recently appeared as a fictionalized version of himself on the third season of Lisa Kudrow's The Comeback, playing on his reputation as one of television comedy's most celebrated directors.

As tributes poured in from across the sitcom world, The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady remembered Burrows on Instagram. Jessica Radloff, host of The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast, also paid tribute to Burrows, who joined her on the podcast last year to discuss directing the show's pilot episodes.