For decades, the world believed that Raymond Burr was a mourning widower and a father who tolerated an unbearable loss.
But behind the Hollywood facade was a network of carefully designed lies – a fictional family, a mysterious marriage and the truth too dangerous that it could reveal at the time. Who was a real man behind the iconic figure of the courtroom of Perry Mason?
When the whisper turned into a confession and after his death a secret appeared, a shocking truth appeared – the one that painted Burra not only as a legend on the screen, but as a man who lived two life to protect one thing he most appreciated: love.
Hidden Life of Raymond Burra: The Secret Love, the Family Family and Permanent Legacy
Raymond William Stacy Burr, the famous actor best known for his roles in classic Hollywood films and TV shows, was born on May 21, 1917 in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. During his long career, Burr achieved significant fame, but behind the scenes his personal life was full of secrets, regret and secrets.
One of Burra’s biggest Lithuania was not a real family. Thought about his choice and once said:
“The only thing I regret in my life – I’m sorry to spend nine years of my life by binding. I couldn’t get married, have a family, even have friends.”
According to Burr, his first wife tragically died in an air accident in 1943. He also claimed that he had a son named Michael Burr, who died of leukemia. After his death, however, it was revealed that this story was invented. Burr later claimed that he had a second marriage, which ended in divorce in a few months, and a third that was equally mysterious. These assumed relationships, as well as the story of his son, proved to be false – all parts of a carefully designed narrative.
During his lifetime, Burr remained firmly consolidated about his personal affairs and constantly avoided questions about his marital history. Even his family admitted that they had never met his alleged wife or son. His ex -husband, Isabella Ward, revealed:
“No, I never met him. Because there was no son. But I don’t want to talk about it – it’s not my place to say something about it. I was Ray’s first wife. If there was a wife in front of me, he would tell me.”
The truth about Burry’s private life began to appear in 1993 when he was diagnosed with advanced kidney cancer. When he faced the end of his life, many secrets came to light.
Although Burr was briefly married to Ward, she later acknowledged that her marriage had not met her. For Burra, however, the marriage served a different purpose – it allowed him to hide his true identity. In an era where homos*xuality could destroy a career, Burr kept his s*xuality hidden to protect his status in Hollywood.
Over the past few days, Burr has decided to organize rich parties with a farewell in his California estate, where he lived with his longtime partner Robert Benevides. Both met in 1959, introduced by the infamous Hollywood character Scotty Bowers, and spent 35 years together. They even worked side by side on the cult show Perry Mason.
Benevides later confirmed their performance Bowers and spoke openly about their relationship. The legends suggested that he was secretly married in 1963. Friends of the couple remembered domestic scenes, with Burr on each other pink apron and doing housework, referring to Benevides as “my husband”.
One close known shared:
“If you went to their house, Raymond would wear an echoed pink apron and iron.
When Burr died, he left his entire property, including his precious vineyard, to Benevides – a man who was quietly along his side for more than three decades. Although his life was shrouded in mystery, Burr’s permanent love, and the devotion of Benevides eventually defined the most authentic part of his story.
Conclusion:
The life of Raymond Burra was a master class in maintaining carefully created public personalities and hiding a deeply personal truth that he felt he could not share in his life. Behind fame and success was a man who sacrificed to protect both his career and the man he loved. At a time when gay was openly destroyed by a Hollywood career, Burr chose silence and made stories to protect his truth.
Yet in his recent years, surrounded by close friends and his devoted partner Robert Benevides, he lived authentically, though quietly. In death, Burr’s secret was no longer hidden – and what appeared was the story of not fraud, but deep love, loyalty and quiet courage. His inheritance, now more complete, is not just a legacy of a renowned actor, but a man who, despite the restrictions of his era, loved and left everything on the one who stood through him.