Raymond Burr

Raymond Burr was a Canadian-American actor celebrated for two of television's most iconic roles: Perry Mason (CBS, 1957–1966, two Emmy Awards) and Robert Ironside in Ironside (NBC, 1967–1975). He was gay and was in a relationship with actor Robert Benevides for over 30 years, from 1960 until Burr's death in 1993. During his lifetime, the relationship was framed in interviews as a close friendship; after his death, Benevides acknowledged its true nature. Burr invented fictional heterosexual backstories for the press throughout his career, reflecting the absolute impossibility of openness for a major American television star of his era.