Born in New Westminister BC, Raymond “William Stacy” Burr was a Canadian Emmy-winning actor, known for his roles in the television dramas "Perry Mason" and "Ironside".
Burr spent most of his early life traveling, living in China and then California with his family. During World War II, he served in the Navy where he was injured on Okinawa. Soon after his homecoming in 1937, Burr began his acting career at the Pasadena Playhouse and landed his first Broadway role in "Crazy with the Heart" in 1941. Making his film debut in 1946 in "San Quentin", Burr continued to appear in over 90 movies from 1946 to 1957 before landing the role of defense attorney "Perry Mason".
In 1956, Burr auditioned for the role of District Attorney Hamilton Burger in the lawyer/detective drama "Perry Mason". Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the original Mason novels and co-creator of the television series, is said to have taken a look at Burr during the audition and declared, “He’s Perry Mason!”
In 1967, another acting opportunity arose for Burr with Universal Studios; a title role in the television drama "Ironside". In this series, Burr portrayed San Francisco Chief of Detectives Robert T. Ironside. This was the first crime drama show ever to star a disabled police officer. It was another another hit series for Burr. Burr was nominated twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama for his title role during the show’s run (1967 to 1975).
Winning two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Perry Mason, (which originally ran from 1957 to 1966 and reprised in 26 made-for-television movies from 1984 until his death in 1993) Burr was also nominated a further seven times, once for Mason and six times for "Ironside".
Burr was well known for his philanthropy. Between television production seasons he would take the time to journey to Vietnam to meet and visit with those serving on the front lines. Burr is remembered for his participation in United Service Organizations tours in Korea and Vietnam, his enormous donations to charity and his sponsorship of 27 foster children through the Christian Children’s Fund. Burr also gave benevolently to the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, including the donation of some "Perry Mason" scripts and he helped raise money for The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel, Florida.
Burr’s remarkable story came to an end after he was diagnosed with cancer in 1992. Refusing to undergo surgery, as it would have interfered with the shooting schedule of his final two television movies, it was determined after the filming was completed that the cancer had spread to several other organs, making it inoperable. On September 12, 1993 Burr passed away at his Sonoma County, California Ranch at the age of 76. He threw several “goodbye parties” before his death and is remembered by all through his lasting words: “Try to live your life the way you wish other people would live theirs.”
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.