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Raymond William Stacey Burr ( May 21 , 1917 – September 12 , 1993 ) was an Actor , most known for his roles in the Television dramas '' Perry Mason '' and '' Ironside ''. LIFE AND ACTING CAREER He was born in New Westminster , British Columbia , Canada to William Johnston Burr (a descendant of Irish immigrants) and Minerva Smith (who was of Scottish and English descent). A dual citizen of Canada and the United States, Burr served in the U.S. Navy in World War II and was wounded at the Battle Of Okinawa . Burr broke into films in 1946 and made 90 in the next decade. He co-starred in the classics '' A Place In The Sun '' and '' Rear Window ''. Burr usually played menacing villains on the screen, although in 1956 he played the heroic reporter Steve Martin in '' Godzilla, King Of The Monsters '', the American re-edited version of the Japanese film '' Gojira ''. He reprised this role nearly three decades later in '' Godzilla 1985 ''. With the international success of ''Godzilla'', and shortly after starring on the '' (1982). In 1985 , Burr made a comeback as Perry Mason and made a series of 26 two-hour movies that were enormous ratings blockbusters, the last being completed only a few weeks prior to his death. By this time both he and the Mason character were wheelchair-bound, as his character in ''Ironside'' had been, but this time due to his real-life failing health. He also reprised the role of Ironside not long before his death, having to dye his hair red and shave off his trademark beard in order not to look too much like Perry Mason. SHOWING CHARITY In contrast to the "bad guys" and hard, unbending heroes he often played, Raymond Burr was in real life a generous man who gave enormous sums of money to charity. He once sponsored 20 foster children. He would insist that TV executives and directors treat his co-stars with the same respect shown him. He also gave generously over many years to the McGeorge School Of Law in Sacramento . RELATIONSHIPS In his younger years, Burr, who was predominantly Homosexual , was a significant other in Natalie Wood ’s life and loved the young actress. "When I was talking to Dennis Hopper about that," Wood biographer Suzanne Finstad says, "he was saying I just can't wrap my mind around that one. But you know, I saw them together. They were definitely a couple. Who knows what was going on there." No romantic relationship has ever been proved between Burr and Natalie Wood. Burr's official biography stated that he had been previously married, but both his wives and one child had died. However, these details were fabricated in an attempt to hide the fact that Burr was gay. Only one brief marriage which ended in divorce had actually occurred; the other marriages and the child were fiction. Robert Hofler in his 2005 book ''The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson: The Pretty Boys and Dirty Deals of Henry Willson '', alleged that Burr and Rock Hudson hosted gay parties at a rented home in Palm Springs , California . Raymond Burr lived with his partner, former actor Robert Benevides, for 35 years until Burr's death. At the time of Burr's death, Sonoma residents said they were well acquainted with Burr and Benevides, who operated their own vineyard there, and regarded them as any other married couple. DEATH Burr died of liver cancer on September 12 , 1993 in Sonoma, California , aged 76. Burr is interred in the Fraser Cemetery, New Westminster , British Columbia , Canada . The WGS84 coordinates of his plot are N49° 13.338 W122° 53.892. THE RAYMOND BURR PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE The Raymond Burr Performing Arts Centre in New Westminster, British Columbia opened in October 2000 near a city block bearing the family name of Burr. Originally a movie theatre under ownership of the Famous Players chain (as the Columbia Theatre) and at present a 238-seat intimate theatre, plans exist to expand the theatre to become a 650-seat regional performing arts facility. Since the theatre began producing plays, it has been the custom always to have a picture of Raymond Burr included somewhere on each set, and the first toast on the opening night of every production is always dedicated to his memory. Raymond Burr has a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 6656 Hollywood Blvd. EXTERNAL LINKS
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