He is an actor and producer, known for The Outer Limits (1963), Ironside (1967) and The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969). Raymond Burr was a Canadian actor, primarily known for his roles on television. "But it wasn't the large sum of money. The late actor moved to California at the age of six and embarked upon his acting career at a young age. Raymond Burr's partner, Robert Benevides (seen here with Erik Rhodes playing "Herman Albright"), appearing in his only Perry Mason episode, The Case of the Violent Vest, S4 E24 aired 4/29/1961. [20], As a young man Burr weighed more than 300 lbs., which limited his on-screen roles. Raymond Burr, Robert Benevides' gay partner, may have passed away on September 12, 1993, in his sleep due to Cancer which he had been fighting for a long period of time, but his work on television will live on in the streets. Until he sold the vineyards in 2017. K. Kathleen Knowles. Burr always had a passion for acting. Surprisingly, Roberts late-lover was married for four and a half years to fellow actress Isabella Ward before divorcing in 1952. He worked on a cattle ranch for a year before enrolling in school, which he eventually quit. It was then that he switched to the production and made movies like Ironside, The Outer Limits and The Bold Ones: The New Doctors.. [16] His courtroom performance in that film made an impression on Gail Patrick[18] and her husband Cornwell Jackson, who had Burr in mind when they began casting the role of Los Angeles district attorney Hamilton Burger in the CBS-TV series Perry Mason. [7] He did acting work in his teen years, making his stage debut at age 12 with a Vancouver stock company. Follow Featured Biography for more celebrity content. From the time they met in 1960 until Burr's death in 1993, Burr and Benevides made their relationship work. "[6]:119[d], Arthur Marks, a producer of Perry Mason, recalled Burr's talk of wives and children: "I know he was just putting on a show. "He played romantic leads and menacing villains with equal authority, and he earned a steady and comfortable income. The Raymond Burr Award for Excellence in Criminal Law was established in his honor. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. His second marriage to his co-star Isabella Ward ended in divorce after four years. Laura Morgan, his third wife, died of cancer in 1955. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". [22] He had a regular role in Jack Webb's first radio show, Pat Novak for Hire (1949),[23]:534 and in Dragnet (194950) he played Joe Friday's boss, Ed Backstrand, chief of detectives. Benevides was 13 years younger than him. Pamela Bell English. While he keeps a low profile of his family, Benevides did reveal how his father found an eight-acre property for him. [6]:34 Film historian Alain Silver concluded that Burr's most significant work in the genre is in ten films: Desperate (1947), Sleep, My Love (1948), Raw Deal (1948), Pitfall (1948), Abandoned (1949), Red Light (1949), M (1951), His Kind of Woman (1951), The Blue Gardenia (1953), and Crime of Passion (1957). Robert Benevides was born on February 9, 1930, in Visalia, California. Benevides, a graduate of Cal Berkeley, was an actor and film producer in Hollywood and New York for 38 years. Raymond Burr. Raymond William Stacy Burr[1][2][3]:1 was born May 21, 1917, in New Westminster, British Columbia. James Dean Photos. He became a contract player at RKO Pictures, playing a film noir villain in "Raw Deal" (1948). [19]:8399, By the age of 12, Burr was appearing in national radio dramas broadcasting in nearby San Francisco. He appeared in the 1948 suspense film "Pitfall," acting alongside Dick Powell. . [6]:2630, In 1960, Burr met Robert Benevides, an actor and Korean War veteran, on the set of Perry Mason. Donated by the actor Raymond Burr to Cal Poly Pomona in 1991, the collection contains a broad multicultural assortment of artworks from Japan, Fiji, Europe and the Americas, including paintings, prints, folios, silver sets and antique furniture. Comments. Nominated again in 1960, he received his second Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Series (Lead) at the 13th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1961. In the credits, he is listed as "Robert Harrow" playing "Young Man." After his death in 1993, his family began producing wine under the Raymond Burr Vineyards label. The duo founded the Sea God Nurseries, which operated in many places, and built a winery in California's Dry Creek Valley. He became a member of the Pasadena Playhouse drama faculty for 18 months, and he performed in some 30 plays over the years. Burr learned to speak Italian, Greek, Korean, Vietnamese, Fijian, Filippino, and other languages his adopted children spoke so he could communicate with them and teach them English. Robert Benevides ' gay partner Raymond Burr might no longer be together with us as he died on September 12, 1993, but the streets won't forget his works on television. The case is the same with Robert Benevides, who rose to fame as the partner of Canadian-American actorRaymond Burr. He's a great starin the old tradition."[94]. The Return of Ironside aired in May 1993, reuniting the entire original cast of the 196775 series. If it was revealed at that time in Hollywood history it would have been very difficult for him to continue. Bella stated that Burr would have told her if he had been married before. Burr said people wondered why he would leave civilization for an island in Fiji when they owned the place. Raymond Burr and Robert Benevides picture Robert Benevides was involved in a relationship with his gay partner Raymond Burr, real name William Raymond Stacy Burr. He was very fond of cooking. Well-known for his television acting, Burr won two Emmy Awards, in 1959 and 1961, for his role as Perry Mason, one of televisions early lawyer-based dramas. Burr took a liking to Benevides, who had spent the late 1950s trying to get into the acting business. Facts of [104] Burr received six Emmy nominations (196872) for his work in the TV series Ironside. While Benevides keeps a quiet profile regarding his family, he does explain how his father found him an eight-acre property. When he heard about the Foster Parents Plan and learned that the cost of feeding an adopted child for a month was ten dollars, Burr decided to adopt as many as he could. Classic Hollywood. Their partnership grew and advanced as their mutual interest in the knowledge of the cultivation and hybridization of orchids developed. Father and son [59], One last attempt to launch a series followed on CBS. [14]:357 Silver described Burr's private detective in Pitfall as "both reprehensible and pathetic",[14]:228 a characterization also cited by film historian Richard Schickel as a prototype of film noir, in contrast with the appealing television characters for which Burr later became famous. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Your email address will not be published. [4], Burr grew up during the Great Depression and hoped to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, but he was unable to afford the tuition. The induction ceremony was held on September 12, 2009. Raymond Burr had one of the most successful careers in Hollywood. Unmarried. He developed a passion for growing things and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps for a year in his teens. Raymond Burr Died at 76 in 1993 with Partner of 33 Years by His Side Who Got His Entire Estate By Oyin Balogun Jan 03, 2022 05:55 P.M. Raymond Burr had one of the most successful careers in Hollywood. According to A&E Biography, Burr was an avid reader with a retentive memory. [23]:258259[33] The half-hour transcribed program aired Sundays at 5:30p.m. [84], Burr developed his interest in cultivating and hybridizing orchids into a business with Benevides. [20], By 1993, when Burr signed with NBC for another season of Mason films, he was using a wheelchair full-time because of his failing health. [106] Completed in 1996, a circular garden at the entrance to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum in Sanibel, Florida, honors Burr for his role in establishing the museum. The series has been rerun in syndication ever since, and was released on DVD between 2006 and 2013. Unfortunately, there were times when Benevides was referred to in the media as Burrs business partner rather than the truth. "[6]:184, Burr married actress Isabella Ward (19192004)[69] on January 10, 1948. [64] His weight was always an issue for him in getting roles, and it became a public relations problem when Johnny Carson began making jokes about him during his Tonight Show monologues. In a two-hour television movie format, Mallory: Circumstantial Evidence aired in February 1976 with Burr again in the role of the lawyer who outwits the district attorney. [91], In 1993, Sonoma State University awarded Burr an honorary doctorate. Portrait of Raymond Burr circa 1947 | Photo: Getty Images. In the early 1960s, the show had 30 million viewers every Saturday night and Burr received 3,000 fan letters a week. Burr landed more roles in the late 1940s. His first film role was as a villain. We were both in our twenties playing much older men. The eclectic-ness of the collection is a result of both partners world travels to Europe, Asia, Polynesia and Canada during their lifelong, thirty-year relationship. Just Friends. Some reports claimed that they secretly married in 1963 and that Burr loved playing the role of Benevides' wife. [18], The series ran from 1957 to 1966 and made Burr a star. Old Hollywood. His will was challenged, without success, by the two children of his late brother, James E. However, multiple sources have reported that no one by that name appears on any of the published passenger manifests from the flight. Art collector, orchid breeder and donor to Cal Poly Pomona, Notification of Potential Workplace Exposure, Self-guided Visits, Group Visits & Large Group Guided Tours, Gilson Collection of Midcentury Industrial Design, Bruce Jewett Collection of Beatrice Wood Ceramics, Coll of Env. [10] Burr's first starring role on the stage came in November 1942 when he was an emergency replacement in a Pasadena Playhouse production of Quiet Wedding. Benevides and his partner Burr never married, but they were proud of their partnership and their role in traditional society as representatives of the LGBTQ community. It does not store any personal data. When Burr died in 1993, they had not released any of the wines, so Benevides decided to call it Raymond Burr Vineyards even though Burr never wanted it named after him. Burr met his partner, an actor Robert Benevides, in the mid-950s on the widely acclaimed and successful television program "Perry Mason." [3]:149[88] He gave enormous sums of money, including his salaries from the Perry Mason movies, to charity. At his death, Burr had a mix of emotions, having enjoyed both fame and tragedy. In the pilot episode, San Francisco Chief of Detectives Robert T. Ironside is paralyzed by a sniper during an attempt on his life and, after his recovery, uses a wheelchair for mobility, in the first crime drama show to star a policeman with a disability. The former companion of Raymond Burr was a perfect match for Robert Benevides, considering their similar interests in acting. In his final Perry Mason movie, The Case of the Killer Kiss, he was shown either sitting or standing while leaning on a table, but only once standing unsupported for a few seconds. [87], Burr was a well-known philanthropist. To learn about how we keep your information safe, view our, W. Keith & Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery. The longtime partner of Raymond Burr says he has not seen the new book out on the late actor but is planning on writing his own tome about his life with Burr. [72] "That was a time in Hollywood history when homosexuality was not countenanced", Associated Press reporter Bob Thomas recalled in a 2000 episode of Biography. We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. In 1952, their divorce was finalized, and neither of them married again. Being an actor, he wove so many tales that it was difficult to separate fact from fiction in his life. "[17], Burr's occasional roles on the right side of the law include the aggressive prosecutor in A Place in the Sun (1951). Burr's family relocated to China shortly after he was born and stayed there for five years. In Okinawa, he was injured and returned home. Robert Benevides rose to fame as the partner of Canadian-American actorRaymond Burr. He worked alongside other stars like John Wayne and Claudette Colbert. It was cancelled after 13 weeks. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. They split up after a few months, and she returned to Baltimore. Although the nonprofit organization hoped to raise funds to renovate and expand the venue, its contract was not renewed. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. [90] He also donated to the museum a large collection of Fijian cowries and cones from his island in Fiji. [98], Burr bequeathed his estate to Robert Benevides, and excluded all relatives, including a sister, nieces, and nephews. The following year, they put in the grapes and had their first bottle of wine in 1989. [3]:27[b], Burr reportedly was married at the beginning of World War II to an actress named Annette Sutherland[80]killed, Burr said, in the same 1943 plane crash that claimed the life of actor Leslie Howard. Included are a portfolio of mid-century lithographs by Swiss graphic designer, illustrator and printmaker Hans Erni (1909- 2015) who came to speak to Cal Poly Pomona students when the collection was first acquired. Years after his death, Burr's life partner, Benevides, named their vineyard after him since he never tasted the product before his passing. [93], Burr made repeated trips on behalf of the United Service Organizations (USO). I did know that I had trouble keeping track of whether he was married or not in these stories. As a television actor he was best known for his work on The Outer Limits (1963), Ironside (1967) and The Bold Ones: The New Doctors (1969). Accessed on March 27, 2010, Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Television Series Drama, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GXFuM4ZfYU, Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor, List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards, "Raymond Burr, Actor, 76, Dies; Played Perry Mason and Ironside", "Pasadena Playhouse, A Star Crucible, Reopens", "The Pasadena Playhouse Featured On 'Tour America's Treasures', Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, "The Heaviest of Them All: The Film Noir Legacy of Raymond Burr", "At the Bar; Raymond Burr's Perry Mason was fictional, but he was surely relevant and, oh, so competent", "Raymond Burr: Much More than Just Perry Mason", "California, County Marriages, 18501952", "Robert Benevides: Raymond Burr Vineyards, Sonoma County, California", "Tuesday Tasting: Raymond Burr 2003 Cabernet Franc", "8339 West Dry Creek Road, Healdsburg, California, 95448 United States", "Raymond Burr: Years of Sadness, Dreams of Peace", "11 things you might not know about Raymond Burr (#10)", "Deep Throat's Daughter, The Kindred Free Spirit", "Burr, in the closet during TV career, comes to life in new book", "This week in TV Guide: February 18, 1961", Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, "Raymond Burr Exhibit Renovation Complete", "How Netflix Reverse Engineered Hollywood", "Netflix Built Its Microgenres By Staring Into The American Soul", "Elisabeth Bergner 'Miss Julie' Souvenir Program", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAt3zroyoWg, "Ziv Launches Fine TV Series on Classic Yarns", "The Jack Benny Program, Season 12 (CBS) (196162)", "Perry Mason (19851993), The Perry Mason Mystery (19931995)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raymond_Burr&oldid=1134207649, Pasadena Playhouse, directed by Lenore Shanewise, Pasadena Playhouse, directed by Raymond Burr (also actor), Family Theater Series, Congregation of Holy Cross, Attorney successfully defends the woman he loves, charged with murder, then finds out that she is guilty. In their later years, the couple ventured into several businesses together and stuck by each other's side. St. Petersburg Times. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a57f9b39b03806364440a20349cb6bc7" );document.getElementById("afe063943e").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. His portrayal of the suspected murderer in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller Rear Window (1954) is regarded as his best-known film role. We believe that every person's story is important as it provides our community with an opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, share their hopes and dreams. Burr reprised the role in 1973's "The New Perry Mason" and the 1985-86 season's "Perry Mason Returns," the second-highest-rated television movie. 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