A young triple threat of Irish extraction, Edward Burns first gained notice as the writer-director and co-star of the independently filmed "The Brothers McMullen," the winner of the Grand Prize at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Filmed on a shoe-string budget (reportedly under $30,000) over the course of eight months, the feature told the story of three Irish-American brothers trying to deal with their blue-collar upbringing, relationships, white-collar dreams and women. After receiving the prestigious award, the film was picked-up by 20th Century Fox's Searchlight Pictures for distribution and went on to gross in excess of $10 million.

Working with a larger budget ($3 million) for his second feature, Burns fashioned the romantic comedy "She's the One" (1996), featuring himself and a cast that included TV stars John Mahoney and Jennifer Aniston as well as Cameron Diaz. Again set in an Irish-American milieu, the feature examined the interrelations of a pair of brothers, the successful but unhappily married Francis (Mike McGlone) and the cab driving slacker Mickey (Burns) who shocks his family by marrying a woman he just met. Critical reception was mixed, with some feeling that this was just a rehash of the more genial "McMullen", and the film grossed just under $10 million.

Undaunted, he pushed ahead with a third feature, "No Looking Back" (1998), a triangular romance about old friends who confront their lives, co-starring Jon Bon Jovi and Lauren Holly. As a screen actor, the handsome, raspy-voiced Burns exudes a certain charm and charisma which he exploits by casting himself in the better-written, smart-alecky roles. When Steven Spielberg tapped him to co-star with Tom Hanks and Matt Damon in the WWII drama "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), it marked the first time Burns had acted under another director or spoken dialogue he had not written.