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Raymond William Stacy Burr was born on May 21, 1917 in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. His TV and film career began in the mid '30s.
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Raymond Burr grew up along with his parents, hardware salesman William and pianist Minerva, as well as with his younger siblings, James and Geraldine.
However, his parents divroced when he was six, and he moved with his mother and siblings to California.
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Burr's acting career started in 1934 when he joined a Toronto-based theatre company, which gave him the opportunity to tour in Australia, England and India.
He then attended Long Beach Junior College, at the same time he had a job as a radio actor and singer. By 1940 Burr was living in New York City, where he landed his first Broadway role in 'Crazy With the Heat'.
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In 1940 he made his film debut playing the uncredited role of "Mrs. Millicent Potter's chauffeur" in 'Earl of Puddlestone'. In 1946 he portrayed "Jeff" in 'San Quentin' and he continued landing significant movie roles in the following years.
Some of his notable film credits include Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' (1954), playing suspected murderer "Lars Thorwald", as well as the 1956 and 1985 films 'Godzilla, King of the Monsters!' and 'Godzilla 1985', where he played "Steve Martin".
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As of television, Burr made appearances in 'Family Theater' and 'Tales of Tomorrow'.
He, however, was best known for his main role as "Perry Mason" in the legal drama series of the same name, appearing for a total of 271 episodes from 1957 to 1966. His work on 'Perry Mason' earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, in 1959 and 1961.
He then portrayed "Robert T. Ironside" in 194 episodes of the crime drama show 'Ironside' from 1967 to 1975.
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As for Burr's love life, he was married to actress Isabella Ward ('West Side Story') from 1948 to 1952.
Later on, in 1960, the 'Rear Window' star met actor Robert Benevides. The latter quit acting in 1963, but was known for his appearances on 'The Restless Gun' and 'Death Valley Days'. It wasn't until Burr's death that it was revealed to the public that he was homosexual and Benevides had been his longtime partner.
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Quick facts about Raymond Burr:
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In 1993 a renal cell carcinoma was removed from Burr's body. In Spring that year it was revealed that the cancer had spread to his liver and was now inoperable.
After his diagnosis, the 'Rear Window' actor said goodbye to his beloved ones and even threw farewell parties.
He died on September 12, 1993 at his Sonoma County ranch, aged 76. The star was interred with his parents at New Westminster's Fraser Cemetery.
Actor Raymond Burr was a talented Hollywood star, better known for his appearances in films like Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window' and TV shows like 'Perry Mason'.
With a successful show business career that lasted almost six decades, Burr sadly died in 1993.
This caused his death.