Ed Burns (born Edward Fitzgerald Burns) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He first gained recognition as a cast member of the hit television series “Saved by the Bell” from 1989 to 1993. After leaving the show, Burns went on to appear in a number of films, including “The Brothers McMullen” (1995), “She’s the One” (1996), and “Sidewalks of New York” (2001).
Burns was born on January 29, 1968, in Woodside, Queens, New York. He was raised in a working-class Irish Catholic family and attended Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens before attending Hunter College. It was during his time at Hunter that he first became interested in acting, appearing in several student productions.
In 1989, Burns starred in the NBC sitcom “Saved by the Bell”. The show was a critical and commercial success, and he remained part of the cast until 1993. He then began appearing in a number of films, including “The Brothers McMullen” (1995) and “She’s the One” (1996). In 1998, Burns wrote, directed, and starred in “No Looking Back”, which won him the Best Director Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.
In 2001, Burns starred in the romantic comedy “Sidewalks of New York” which he also wrote and produced. He followed this with “Purple Violets” in 2007, which he wrote, directed, and produced. In 2008, Burns starred in the critically acclaimed HBO miniseries “Generation Kill”. He also starred in the television series “Public Morals” in 2015.
In addition to acting and writing, Burns has also produced several films, including “Purple Violets”, “Nice Guy Johnny”, and “Newlyweds”. He also directed the film “Newlyweds” in 2011.
Throughout his career, Burns has been nominated for several awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series in 1993 for “Saved by the Bell” and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries in 2008 for “Generation Kill”.
Ed Burns continues to appear in films and television shows, and
