Full name, Raymond William Stacey Burr; born May 21, 1917, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada; died of liver cancer (one source says kidney cancer), September 12, 1993, in Dry Creek Valley, CA. Television audiences knew Burr from his title role as the virtually undefeated defense attorney on PerryMason, which ran from 1957 to 1966 and for which he earned Emmys for best actor in both 1959 and 1961. The character was revived in 1985, with Burr starring in numerous made-for-television movies such as Perry Mason: The Case of the Notorious Nun and Perry Mason: The Case of the Maligned Mobster. Burr alsoplayed the hard-nosed detective who solved cases from a wheelchair on the Ironside television series, which ran from 1967 to 1975. The husky-voiced, heavy-set, six-foot tall actor began his dramatic career playing villains in films, one of his most memorable roles being the suspicious-acting neighbor who Jimmy Stewart watched intently in Rear Window. Just before his death, Burr hadfinished scenes for another Perry Mason television movie, The Case of the Killer Kiss.
BOOKS
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: