Trivia
- Although he is not an extreme sports type of guy, Ed engages in snowboarding and surfing. He has also gone on some exotic fly fishing trips.
- In 1999, Edward, along with his castmates, was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award for his work in the film Saving Private Ryan. The category was Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture.
- Edward grew up in a very traditional Irish Catholic family.
- Edward is into American muscle cars and old cars. In high school, he bought a Skylark convertible for $750. He owns a 1968 Cutlass with a 454-cubic-inch engine which he keeps in a garage in New Jersey.
- Burns was a former landscaper at the Hamptons for three summers. He used to mow lawns.
- When Burns was in high school, he always thought he'd be a Division I basketball player and if he did good, he'd make it to the NBA.
- Edward dated actresses Winona Ryder, Lauren Holly, and Heather Graham.
- Edward worked for Entertainment Tonight as a production assistant.
- The names Edward's character Reiben in Saving Private Ryan reads off the dog tags are all friends of his.
- Burns wrote a book compiling his screenplays of She's the One, The Brothers McMullen, and No Looking Back. It was published by Hyperion on March 2, 1998.
- Edward has created a comic book series under Virgin Comics entitled "Dock Walloper".
- In 2000, Edward bought the loft of the late John F. Kennedy, Jr. located on N. Moore Street, Manhattan for over two million dollars.
- Edward's own bedroom as a child was used in the filming of the bedroom scenes in The Brothers McMullen. Also, the house Edward grew up in on Long Island is depicted in a painting inside Tommy's home office in the same movie.
- Edward is six feet and one inch tall.
- Edward got engaged to model Christy Turlington in 2001, broke off the engagement in 2002, and reunited with her that same year. They got married on June 7, 2003. Their daughter Grace was born on October 25, 2003 in New York. Their son Finn was born on January 2006.
- Edward's father, Edward J. Burns, is a retired police sergeant while his mother, Molly McKenna Burns, is an employee of the Federal Aviation Administration. He has a sister named Mary. His brother, Brian, is a producer, director and a writer.
- Robert Redford, founder of the Sundance Film Festival, was so impressed with Edward's film The Brothers McMullen that he executive-produced Burns' next film projects She's the One and No Looking Back.
- Edward holds the position of National Ambassador for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
- Edward was in the music video of Tom Petty's "Walls". He also appeared in Sarah McLachlan's music video of "I Will Remember You".
Quotes
- Edward: (in a May 2008 interview) I was a kid who went to film school and fell into acting. After putting myself in my first movie it morphed into this career I have, but my love is filmmaking and that is what I am passionate about. Hopefully in 40 years I will still be doing this.
- Edward: For me, the writing is the most satisfying, creatively satisfying. If you are an actor, you're an artist, but you are part of the team, ensemble; what you have to say is your interpretation of what someone else has written. It's a different kind of art form. Writing is your baby; you're the sole author of that piece.
- Edward: When a review starts out talking about my love life, or compares a filmmaking job to an acting job, they lose their objectivity. It's no longer about the piece, and I don't know what good that is going to do me.
- Edward: (on working with Anne Fletcher in "27 Dresses") I'd never worked with a woman filmmaker before and it was such a different energy on set, especially given that this was a romantic comedy that's basically about these two sisters. It was such a fun experience. I have had good times on movie sets, but I don't know that I ever laughed as much as I did on that set.
- Edward: The only way you'll know if there's more is if you take that first step.
- Edward: (on the impact of partner Christy Turlington on his fashion My brother kind of mocks us on this. He says, "Eddie, Christy is really stylish and classy and you should be adapting to her style." Instead I've got her in sneakers and raggedy T-shirts so I'm kind of bringing her down with me.
- Edward: I suffer from Irish-Catholic guilt. Guilt is a good reality check. It keeps that 'do what makes you happy' thing in check.
- Edward: I didn't have cold feet before getting married but before my daughter was born (in 2003) I definitely wrestled with, "God, I still feel like such a kid".
- Edward: (on being involved in all aspects of filmmaking) What I discovered was that I got to maintain a little more control over the overall vision so I guess that's the reason. Then, just generally, I'm probably a control freak.
- Edward: In my hometown [Valley Stream], there are two beautiful girls, total knockouts. They're checkout clerks at the supermarket. Not all homecoming queens turn into models and actresses.
- Edward: (on Los Angeles, California) I'd get totally lonely out here. It's strange. The weather is beautiful, but there's not a kid on a bike. Nobody's playing football on a front lawn. No one is gardening. Where are they all? The kids are inside playing Nintendo, and all the parents are inside writing screenplays.
