Ric Burns is a documentary filmmaker and writer, best known for his eight-part, 17-hour series New York: A Documentary Film, which premiered nationally on PBS to critical acclaim (1999, 2001, 2003). Burns has been writing, directing and producing historical documentaries for over 25 years, since his collaboration on the PBS series The Civil War (1990), which he produced with his brother Ken and co-wrote with Geoffrey Ward.

Since founding Steeplechase in 1989, he has directed many films of note for PBS. His work has won numerous film and television awards. Burns was educated at Columbia University and Cambridge University. He lives in New York City with his wife and two sons.