Robert Benevis is famo as the gay partner of late actor Raymond Burr. Actor turned producer by profsn, Robert dated Burr om 1960 until ath parted them 1993.
Contents:
- HOW ‘PERRY MASON’ TACKLED QUEERNS WH A CONTEMPORARY LENS: “YOU’VE BEEN GAY, BUT YOU’VE NEVER BEEN GAY THE 1930S”
- ‘PERRY MASON’ STAR RAYMOND BURR BLAZED TRAILS FOR GAY ACTORS—EVEN IF HE HID BEHD A STRAIGHT TRAGEDY
- WAS PERRY MASON GAY? WHO WAS HIS LOVE INTERT?
- GAY HISTORY: RAYMOND BURR’S SECRET LIFE
HOW ‘PERRY MASON’ TACKLED QUEERNS WH A CONTEMPORARY LENS: “YOU’VE BEEN GAY, BUT YOU’VE NEVER BEEN GAY THE 1930S”
Naturally, their sexualy is too taboo to live openly such a fiercely homophobic era, and th Della and Haton’s iendship is also mutually beneficial: They n go out together publicly so that Haton particular n eva qutns about his private life, wh Della posg as a romantic tert. “I’ve never done a perd piece where I got to explore a gay experience, ” she says — while admtg the era which Ana liv is far different om her own generatn, spe their siar inti. “And she rightly said, ‘Well, you’ve been gay, but you’ve never been gay the 1930s.
‘PERRY MASON’ STAR RAYMOND BURR BLAZED TRAILS FOR GAY ACTORS—EVEN IF HE HID BEHD A STRAIGHT TRAGEDY
Perry isn’t a queer in like RuPl or Ellen or Elton—but the kids gettg to HBO’s Perry Mason should know their history and know the character’s place wh the gay non. Perry Mason serv a ltle regnn durg Pri bee of the actor most associated wh the role: Raymond Burr, one of the first—if not the first—gay actors to ever star the lead role of a succsful TV seri. Blanche Deverex’s gay brother) played him a short-lived ’70s TV revival, and Matthew Rhys is the current Mason.
Burr was also gay, and he achieved a level of notoriety on televisn that was unrivaled by every other gay TV actor of the era(s)—and like all of his gay peers, Burr was also eply closeted. To put Burr’s imposg stature ntext, of urse there were closeted gay actors workg on televisn when Burr land the lead role of Mason 1957.
It’s speculated that Burr or his people paid money to tone down the story om “Raymond Burr hooks up wh gay male bartenr” to “Raymond Burr unknowgly kiss a drag queen.
WAS PERRY MASON GAY? WHO WAS HIS LOVE INTERT?
In Burr’s se, his tth was gayer and greater than his fictn. I have a big, gay Suba, and I have a ty P. It’s strange to go back as a gay person to a hometown that’s now super queer-affirmg and progrsive and has a thrivg theater scene and mic scene.
GAY HISTORY: RAYMOND BURR’S SECRET LIFE
What are your thoughts on the ret-nng of gay narrativ perd piec? I’m steppg to a character who’s openly gay, which I am, who’s this era, which I was raised on and ma me want to be an actor.
” I was never gay the thirti, but I was gay the evangelil South. I wanted to see a story that didn’t nonize a gay person that left the church. Portra of Actor Raymond Burr, cir 1950 | Photo: Getty ImagHowever, the inic actor had to say those li bee of the fear that he would lose his role as Perry Mason and his whole reer if people found out he was gay and had a male lover.