Trivia

After he was diagnosed with kidney cancer, he refused to undergo surgery so that he could star in his final television movies: The Return of Ironside (1993) and Perry Mason: The Case of the Killer Kiss (1993).

Before dying from cancer he threw parties to say farewell to many of his friends.

While working with Errol Flynn, Flynn told him that if he died with $10 in his pocket he hadn't done a good job. This inspired him to always share his wealth with all.

Was incredibly generous, giving most of his money to charities and sharing it with friends.

Suffered eye strain from always having to look upwards while in a wheelchair on the Ironside (1967) set.

Interred at Fraser Cemetery, New Westminister, British Columbia, Canada.

Was a lounge singer in his younger days.

On 10/1/93 a memorial service was held at the Pasadena Playhouse. It was the very same theater in which he had made his acting debut 50 years before. A director's chair with his name on it, placed at center stage, played host to friends who paid tribute.

Was the original host of Unsolved Mysteries with Dennis Farina (1987), hosting only its first special in January 1987. He was then briefly replaced by Karl Malden. However, both actors requested salaries that producer John Cosgrove deemed astronomical. So by the time the show became a regular series in 1988, Robert Stack had been hired as the permanent host at what the producer believed to be a more reasonable salary.

His parents, Minerva and William Burr, after 33 years of separation, remarried in 1955.

Taught drama at Columbia University.

Commemorated on a 2008 Canadian postage stamp, one of four honoring achievements of Canadians in Hollywood. The other three depict Norma Shearer, Marie Dressler, and Chief Dan George.

He had an interest in, and knowledge of, the cultivation and hybridization of orchids. He and partner of 35 years, Robert Benevides, set up Sea God Nurseries, becoming, in the 20-odd years of its operation, an international presence with ranges in Fiji, Hawaii, the Azores and Southern California. They were responsible for over 1,500 new orchids added to the worldwide catalog. Burr cultivated an orchid that he named after his former Perry Mason (1957), co-star, Barbara Hale, as the symbol of friendship.

Was the director of the Pasadena Community Playhouse before entering the US Navy in World War II.

His mother Minerva died in 1974, at age 81 of cancer, while his father, William, died in 1985, at age 96.

Dropped out of San Rafael Military School at age 17 to join the Civilian Conservation Corps, where he learned to fight forest fires and plant trees.

On-screen he specialized in playing villains or characters who were stern and unyielding. In real life, he was known to be a very affable and generous man.

The Columbia Theatre on Columbia Street in New Westminster, British Columbia, was renamed in his honor in 2000.

His parents were married in Canada in 1914, after they migrated from Chicago, IL.

Had an art gallery on Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive in the early 1950s.

Appears as lawyer Perry Mason, with William Talman as District Attorney Hamilton Burger, on a 44¢ US commemorative postage stamp in the "Early TV Memories" issue honoring Perry Mason (1957), issued 8/11/2009.

Was considered for the role of Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke (1955). In an 8/23/75 article in "TV Guide" called "When Chester Forgot to Limp" commemorating trivia from the show as it was about to leave the air, the show's first producer, Charles Marquis Warren, recalled, "His voice was fine, but he was too big. When he stood up, his chair stood up with him". William Conrad, who played Matt Dillon on radio, was rejected for the TV version for similar reasons. In a memorial article in "TV Guide" published shortly after Burr's death, the original producers of Perry Mason (1957) almost rejected Burr for that role, again because Burr was overweight. He went on an intensive diet to get down to a size acceptable to the producers.

Attended Stanford, Columbia and Chungking Universities.

In 1965, Burr and his partner purchased 1,625 hectares (4,015 acres) on the island of Naitaba in the northern Lau Islands of Fiji, where they raised copra and cattle. The land was sold for $2.1 million in 1983 to Johannine Daist Communion for the use of American-born spiritual guru Adi Da.

Left his $32-million estate solely to long-term partner Robert Benevides.

Longtime companion of Robert Benevides. Benevides was a young actor Burr met on the set of the original Perry Mason (1957) television series. He was 13 years Burr's junior. He had a small role in the sci-fi film The Monster That Challenged the World (1957), billed as Bob Benevedes.

His official biography stated that he had been married three times, but two of 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 had actually occurred, and it had ended in divorce. The other two marriages and the child were fiction.

He was once a deputy sheriff.

In 1990, not long before he grew ill with cancer, he and longtime partner Robert Benevides started a vineyard at their Dry Creek Valley ranch, and released their first vintage. The wine was bottled in November 1992 and released after his death in 1995.

Best remembered by the public for his starring roles as the title characters of both series: Perry Mason (1957) and Ironside (1967).

Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6656 Hollywood Blvd.

Was of Northern Irish, English, and Scottish descent.

He, Michael J. Fox and Jim Carrey head a list of top Canadians in US television compiled by Banff Television Festival in June 2002.

Spent nine years on Perry Mason (1957), then eight years on Ironside (1967). He could have been in a third long series of Kingston: Confidential (1976) as an investigative reporter but unfavorable reviews caused it to be canceled after only a few episodes.

Featured in "Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir" by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry (McFarland, 2003).

His father was a Canadian hardware merchant.

Worked at the J.C. Penny catalog store in Vacaville,Ca.

Uncle of Bridget Burr, who is the daughter of Raymond's younger brother, James Edmond Burr.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 3, 1991-1993, pages 84-85. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001.

Foreshadowing a lifelong struggle with weight, Burr weighed an unusually heavy 12 pounds at birth.

Mentioned in If I Could See Me Now (1991).

Mentioned in Taxi episode Jim Joins the Network (1981).