The evince prented here suggts that Raymond Burr was ed gay. However, there are many other factors that may expla why he chose to rema silent about his homosexualy.
Contents:
- ‘PERRY MASON’ STAR RAYMOND BURR BLAZED TRAILS FOR GAY ACTORS—EVEN IF HE HID BEHD A STRAIGHT TRAGEDY
- GAY HISTORY: RAYMOND BURR’S SECRET LIFE
- WAS RAYMOND BURR GAY? KNOW HIS SEXUALY & PERSONAL LIFE
‘PERRY MASON’ STAR RAYMOND BURR BLAZED TRAILS FOR GAY ACTORS—EVEN IF HE HID BEHD A STRAIGHT TRAGEDY
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. Dpe the risk he faced if the tails of his private life ever beme known, Burr lived unr the radar as a closeted gay man. Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Red, Whe and Royal Blue’ on Amazon Prime Vio, a Charmgly Star-Crossed Gay Rom-Com.
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.
GAY HISTORY: RAYMOND BURR’S SECRET LIFE
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.
In Burr’s se, his tth was gayer and greater than his fictn. "Dpe beg a famo star, he lived an era where there was cricism of gay stars, so he did all he uld to hi his sexualy.
Ironsi, on the set of "Ironsi" cir 1975 Los Angel | Source: Getty ImagINSIDE RAYMOND BURR'S HIDDEN GAY LIFE WITH HIS PARTNER OF 33 YEARS In var scenars, Burr stated that he was married three tim. Yet, his fake marriag, fake relatnships, and the birth of his son might have been jt his fantasy to ver his homosexual relatnship wh his longtime met his partner, an actor Robert Benevis, the mid-950s on the wily acclaimed and succsful televisn program "Perry Mason. And there he was, stantly regnizable and the public eye, a gay man who kept his sexualy ncealed.
WAS RAYMOND BURR GAY? KNOW HIS SEXUALY & PERSONAL LIFE
Any admissn of homosexualy would have poisoned his reer at any time before the 1980s. Was Raymond Burr Gay?
In an terview wh Playboy magaze 1979, Burr said that he had been gay sce high school. “If you’re gog to be a homosexual actor, you better get ed to beg treated like one, ” he said. When asked by People magaze whether or not he was gay, Burr replied: “Well, I suppose so.