Ed Burns

About me:

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For the most up-to-date information please visit Ed's Official Website at www.edwardburns.net

Award-winning director, writer, producer and actor, Ed Burns continues to entertain audiences. His trademark independent filmmaking and character-driven works often take an intimate look at the complexities of relationships – between friends and amongst family – and the charming intricacies of city dwelling and suburban aspirations.

Lauded by critics and audiences alike, Burns gained international recognition for his first feature The Brothers McMullen which premiered in competition at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury prize. The film, which Burns wrote, directed and starred in, was shot on a budget of only $25,000 and went on to gross over $10 million at the domestic box office, making it the most profitable film of 1995 and establishing Burns as an independent film icon. The film also won "Best First Feature" at the 1996 Independent Spirit Awards.

Burns' second film, the romantic comedy She’s The One starring Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz, reinforced Burns’ versatile talent as a writer, director, and actor able to simultaneously and successfully wear multiple hats. His subsequent features, including Gramercy Pictures' intimate drama No Looking Back (Lauren Holly, Jon Bon Jovi), Paramount Classics' romantic comedy ensemble Sidewalks of New York (Heather Graham, Brittany Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Stanley Tucci), and the 1980's-set drama Ash Wednesday, which starred Burns and Elijah Wood as two New York brothers trying to escape their past, further grounded his reputation as an invaluable voice in the independent filmmaking community and beyond.

Most recently, Burns completed principal photography on the film Purple Violets, his 8th film in which he has written, directed, and starred in since his debut feature in 1995. Starring Burns Selma Blair, Debra Messing and Patrick Wilson, Purple Violets is sure to deliver quintessential Ed Burns humor and insight into human relations and the struggles and joys of what his films have connected many audiences to, the thirty-something “coming of age.”

Burns is currently in post-production on The Groomsmen, again highlighting his multifaceted talent as writer, director, and actor, with Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, Jay Mohr, Matthew Lillard and Donal Logue. The film will be released by Bauer Martinez Studios in August of 2006 and has already been praised by critics as a film “full of heart.” 2006 will also see in theaters Burns’ feature Looking for Kitty. Distributed in partnership with THINKfilm and shot within the miniscule budget of $250 thousand, Looking for Kitty was written and directed by Burns and stars the writer/director alongside David Krumholtz.

Burns’ many other accomplishments include an acting résumé highlighting starring roles opposite Dustin Hoffman and Andy Garcia in director James Foley's Confidence, which had it's world premiere at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, opposite Angelina Jolie in 20th Century Fox’s romantic comedy Life or Something Like It, and in New Line's Fifteen Minutes co-starring Robert De Niro. Burns also starred opposite Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, the critically acclaimed World War II epic which marked the first work in which Burns acted in a film he did not write and direct himself.

In addition to his acclaimed film career, Edward Burns’ television credits include serving alongside his brother as creators and executive producers of the half-hour comedy The Fighting Fitzgeralds for NBC starring Golden Globe winner Brian Dennehy. He has also appeared in numerous episodes of the hit comedy series Will and Grace.

Most recently, Burns and his producing partner, Aaron Lubin, have partnered with Pamela Schein Murphy of Lucky Day Pictures (which produced Burns’ upcoming film Purple Violets) to form Wild Ocean Pictures, a production company whose mission is to develop finance, and produce feature independent films.

Burns will next appear in Nancy Meyers’ upcoming romantic comedy Holiday, opposite Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law having recently completed production on The River King, a super-natural murder mystery based on Alice Hoffman's award-winning novel, for Myriad Pictures.

Edward Burns was born in Woodside, Queens and raised on Long Island. While at Hunter College in New York City, Burns switched his focus from English to filmmaking, quickly going on to make The Brothers McMullen. When the film won the Grand Jury Prize at Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival, Redford was so impressed with Burns' talents that he served as executive producer on both She’s The One and No Looking Back. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.