Edward Burns


Edward Fitzgerald Burns is an American actor, producer, writer, and director best known for appearing in several films including Saving Private Ryan, 15 Minutes, Life or Something Like It, Confidence, A Sound of Thunder, The Holiday, The Groomsmen, One Missed Call, 27 Dresses, Man on a Ledge, Friends with Kids, and Alex Cross. Burns directed movies such as The Brothers McMullen, She's the One, Sidewalks of New York, Purple Violets, and The Fitzgerald Family Christmas. He also starred as Bugsy Siegel in the TNT crime drama series Mob City and as Terry Muldoon in TNT's Public Morals.

Early life

Burns was born in Woodside, Queens, New York, the son of Molly, a federal agency manager, and Edward J. Burns, a public relations spokesman and police officer. He was raised a Roman Catholic. Burns is the second of three children in a family of Irish, and a small amount of Swedish, descent. He was raised in Valley Stream, New York, on Long Island. He briefly attended Chaminade High School before transferring to Hewlett High School. After high school, Burns attended, from 1987 to 1992, SUNY Oneonta, University at Albany, and Hunter College.

Career

Burns got his start in the film industry right after college as a production assistant on the Oliver Stone film, The Doors. While working as a gofer at Entertainment Tonight, he financed, produced, directed and starred in his first film The Brothers McMullen in his spare time, which was largely shot in his hometown of Valley Stream. Once he completed the film, he was able to get a copy to Robert Redford after an ET junket interview for Quiz Show at the Rhiga Royal Hotel in Manhattan. In 1996, Burns wrote, directed and starred in the ensemble drama She's The One with Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz and Amanda Peet, as well as Sidewalks of New York in 2001.
Burns is also known for his acting work on movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Life or Something Like It, and Confidence. Looking for Kitty, which Burns wrote, directed and starred in, was shot with a hand-held $3,000 digital Panasonic AG-DVX100 camera with a Mini35 adapter. The film's entire budget was $200,000 and was filmed in New York City with a tiny crew and without standard permits. Burns discussed this unusual film-making process in the director's commentary on the DVD and wrote in the Director's Letter "If you are an aspiring filmmaker, in this day of inflating budgets and runaway production, the truth is you can make a movie for no money in New York... and have a blast".
His film Purple Violets premiered exclusively on iTunes on November 20, 2007. Burns began a string of guest appearances on the HBO original series Entourage midway through season 3, as well as appearing as Grace Adler's boyfriend in Will & Grace. In Entourage Burns plays himself and is writing a new TV series in which Johnny Drama is able to land a part. In 2007, Burns announced plans to partner with Virgin Comics to create a series entitled Dock Walloper. Burns plans to use the comic series as a springboard to a film of the same story.
In March 2009, The Lynch Pin, a series of shorts starring, written and directed by Burns were released via the internet. The ten episodes are only available to view online as of August 2009 and future plans for the project are unknown.
With the modest success of Purple Violets, Burns was considering taking a studio directing assignment to make money. After reading a few scripts and taking a few meetings, he chose to remain a writer/director. He then wrote Nice Guy Johnny and shot it quickly, on the RED One camera, for a reported $25,000 with a small crew. Nice Guy Johnny premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2010.
To coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011, Burns wrote a movie, Newlyweds, that he also directed and starred in. Following a model similar to Nice Guy Johnny, Newlyweds was shot on the Canon 5D, with an even smaller crew, for $9000 in 12 days. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2011 as the closing night film. He claimed on Twitter that the $9,000 budget broke out to "5k for actors, 2k insurance, 2k food and drink. 9k in the can." In 2013 Burns starred as real-life gangster Bugsy Siegel in Frank Darabont's miniseries, Mob City.
In 2012, Burns set up a screenwriting contest with the web startup Scripped for a crowdsourced screenplay which he intended to help get produced.

Personal life

Burns is married to model Christy Turlington and they have two children, Grace and Finn. He and Turlington are Catholics.

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorProducerScreenwriterActorRolesNotes
1995The Brothers McMullenBarry/Finbar McMullenIndependent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
Producers Guild of America Award – Nova Award
Sundance Film Festival – Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic
Deauville American Film Festival – Jury Special Prize
Nominated – Deauville American Film Festival – Grand Special Prize
1996She's the OneMickey FitzpatrickNominated – Deauville American Film Festival – Grand Special Prize
1998Saving Private RyanPrivate Richard ReibenOnline Film Critics Society – Best Ensemble Cast Performance
Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1998No Looking BackCharlie
200115 MinutesFire Marshal Jordan Warsaw
2001Shark Attack 2Surfer Guy 2Cameo
2001Sidewalks of New YorkTommy Reilly
2002LethargyStore ClerkShort film
2002Ash WednesdayFrancis Sullivan
2002Life or Something Like ItPete Scanlon
2003ConfidenceJake Vig
2004The Breakup ArtistHimself
2004Looking for KittyJack Stanton
2005Will & GraceNick3 episodes
2005A Sound of ThunderTravis Ryer
2005The River KingAbel Grey
2006The GroomsmenPaulie
2006–2009EntourageHimself4 episodes
2006The HolidayEthan Ebbers
2007Purple VioletsMichael MurphyDirect-to-iTunes
Savannah Film and Video Festival – Best Feature
2008One Missed CallDetective Jack AndrewsNominated – Teen Choice Awards – Choice Movie Actor : Horror/Thriller
200827 DressesGeorge
2009Echelon ConspiracyJohn Reed
2010Nice Guy JohnnyUncle TerryBoston Film Festival – Festival Prize – Best Director
Nominated – Woodstock Film Festival – Jury Prize – Best Narrative Feature
2011NewlywedsBuzzy
2011Vietnam in HDJoe Galloway 3 episodes
2012Man on a LedgeJack Dougherty
2012Friends with KidsKurt
2012Alex CrossTommy Kane
2012The Fitzgerald Family ChristmasGerry
2013Mob CityBugsy Siegel5 episodes
2014LouieHimselfEpisode: "So Did the Fat Lady"
2015Public MoralsTerry MuldoonMain role
Television series
2018SummertimeJack Flynn
2019Beneath the Blue Suburban SkiesJim

Awards and nominations