Darren E. Burrows

Following some minor roles in major films, Burrows came to prominence as a series regular on the television series Northern Exposure, in which he portrayed Ed Chigliak. The character is a mild-mannered, half-Native Alaskan who was abandoned as a young child and raised by the local Tlingits. A film buff and would-be director, he is shown producing a number of short films about life in small town Alaska. In season 5, Chigliak becomes a shaman-in-training. The character battles low self-esteem (a development that Burrows later expressed his disapproval over).^[1]

Burrows wrote a book about his experiences on the show called Northern Exposed, which was published in 2013.^[2]

In 2016, Burrows and his production company, Film Farms, held a crowdfunding campaign to fund a development project with the goal of creating more episodes. The working title for this project is "Northern Exposure: Home Again".^[3] Despite not meeting the original $100,000 goal, Burrows decided to continue with the project.^[4]

The revival was originally envisioned as a two-hour "visit to Cicely," but a ten-episode series was reportedly being pitched to various network, cable, and streaming venues.^[5] These efforts eventually stalled, and the show was not revived.

Burrows was born in Winfield, Kansas, the son of actor Billy Drago and stepson to actress Silvana Gallardo.^[6] As a child, he briefly lived near Aulne, Kansas.^[7] Burrows did not meet his father until the late 1980s when he came out to LA to meet Drago. In an effort to have something in common to talk to his father about, he decided to go to acting classes and "just kind of slipped into" acting.^{[8][better source needed]}. On the Northern Disclosure podcast, season one episode 6, Burrows confirms that he does not have any Native American ancestry.^[8] He has Romani ancestry from his paternal grandmother.^{[9][better source needed]}

Burrows currently lives in the Ozark Mountains, Missouri, on a ranch raising Red Dexter cattle with his wife Melinda^[8]. Inspired by an engraving class gifted to him by Melinda, Burrows also designs and handcrafts unique jewellery.^[8]

He and the rest of the Northern Exposure cast were nominated in 1995 for the Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.