Raymond Burr’s Hidden Love Life: The Untold Story Behind His Marriages and Family Tragedies

One famous actor was Raymond Burr. However, how many could claim to have known the individual who went by the well-known name? After all, he created a veil of lies to conceal his tremendous and forbidden love, and his entire existence was cloaked in them.

Raymond William Stacy Burr was born on May 21, 1917, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. He became a prominent figure in Hollywood with a career spanning decades, marked by numerous successful films and television shows. Burr is best remembered for his iconic portrayal of the defense attorney Perry Mason in the popular TV series, which solidified his status as a household name in entertainment.

Burr suffered greatly as a result of the show. Burr had to come on site early every morning to tape the show, which was an incredible hour-long installment every week. The actor put in endless hours, frequently sleeping in a small cottage on location while working on the next episode for 15 hours at a time.

Raymond Burr spent nine years portraying the title character in Perry Mason, a role that became synonymous with his name. As he looked back on those years, he admitted that he felt he had sacrificed much of his personal life in pursuit of the show’s success.

The actor expressed regret over the years he spent without a family or the opportunity to build meaningful personal connections, stating, “The one thing I regret in my life is that I tied myself down for nine years of my life. I was not allowed to get married, start a family, or even have friends.”

Despite these regrets, Burr made several attempts to start a family. Over the course of his life, he was married three times, but tragically, all of these marriages ended in heartbreak. His first wife died in a plane crash in 1943, and they had a son, Michael Burr, who passed away from leukemia.

His second marriage ended in divorce just months later, and his third marriage was shrouded in secrecy. Burr revealed that his third wife, Laura Andrina Morgan, tragically passed away from cancer before they could even go on their honeymoon. After his death, it was revealed that most of the details regarding his second marriage were fabricated.

Burr’s Closet’s Skeletons

The media eventually stopped questioning the actor about his personal life after years of uncertainty surrounding his previous spouses and his steadfast silence on the subject of his son. Burr frequently brushed off inquiries about his previous marriages and wanted to keep his private affairs out of the spotlight.

In addition to his many jobs and reputation as a gifted actor, Burr was interested in assisting young, underprivileged people in establishing themselves.

Even though he was reluctant to discuss his history, the story of his late wife and son captivated the nation. Burr’s response to reporters’ questions about them was always the same: “I don’t discuss that.” In a sense, his unwillingness to bring up the subject caused it to catch on like wildfire and become a part of his enigmatic folklore.

Because they believed the tragedy was too traumatic for Burr to dwell on, people eventually came to accept the story as true. Even while the public was eager to accept the story, things began to fall apart when Isabella Ward, Burr’s second wife of just a few months, said she had no knowledge of a previous marriage.

Burr never spoke about a woman before her, and Ward always maintained that she was his first wife. She added that she had never met his son before to his purported leukemia-related death. Additionally, Burr’s relatives acknowledged that they had never met the boy or the bride. Ward acknowledged:

“No, he and I never met. as there was no son. However, I don’t want to discuss that because I have no business saying anything about it. Ray’s first wife was me. He would have informed me if there had been a wife before me.

Burr insisted that his hectic schedule was the reason he decided to remain single. He said that it was hard for him to locate a woman who didn’t mind his 15-hour workday. He frequently arrived home much later than expected, but he spent the most of his evenings at the studio, sometimes lasting days without leaving.

Burr’s private life began to come to light in 1993. The actor was aware that his life was short after receiving a diagnosis of serious kidney cancer. People came to understand that most of what he had stated about his life was made up as the stories he had told about his background began to fall apart one by one.

The actress recognized that marriage wasn’t for her, even though she and Ward had been married for some time. Burr, however, had been hiding his sexual orientation as a gay man through the union. In order to preserve his job and prevent rejection from the rest of Hollywood, Burr had concealed his sexual orientation.

In his final days, Burr hosted a number of lavish parties at his California home, where he shared a home with his longtime lover, Robert Benevides, to bid farewell to his closest friends. After meeting through the notorious Scotty Bowers, Burr and Benevides have been together for 35 years. Additionally, they collaborated on “Perry Mason.”

Benevides said that he and Burr had spent the remainder of Burr’s life together after Bowers had fixed them up in 1959. According to rumors, the couple got married in secret in 1963 while Benevides took care of the house and knitted Burr sweaters over a fire. A couple’s close friend talked candidly about their relationship, saying:

“Raymond would be doing the ironing and sporting a pretty pink apron if you were to visit their home. Like the lady of the house, he fussed around. “I always called Robert’my husband.'” Raymond would knit sweaters for him in front of the fire.

All of Burr’s secrets were eventually made public by a number of sources after his death. The actor bequeathed to his companion, Benevides, all he possessed, including a vineyard. Benevides took over the vineyard after his death, carrying on his partner’s work. In the years that followed, he also talked candidly about their connection.

The Legacy of Raymond Burr

After his passing, Burr was still regarded as a remarkable genius, despite the public’s disappointment at discovering that he had made up a large portion of his background. He was praised for his performance in the numerous Hitchcock films he starred in, and his two hit TV series, “Perry Mason” and “Ironside,” were still regarded as outstanding entertainment.

After witnessing the extreme poverty of many individuals in the nations he visited, Burr became driven to improve the lives of children.

In addition to his many jobs and reputation as a gifted actor, Burr was interested in assisting young, underprivileged people in establishing themselves. The actor has taken in numerous unfortunate youths from Italy, Greece, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Fiji, and Hindustan throughout the years.

Burr frequently only provided the funds necessary for the adopted youngsters to begin establishing their independence. In one instance, he gave $132.41 to a Korean youngster whose father had lost both legs so that the boy could launch his own chicken company. Duk Hwa Lee, the young man, succeeded and remained in contact with Burr.

Burr felt that each youngster he assisted was deserving of his time and money. Every time he wrote to ask how things were doing, they always replied. They mailed the actor their report cards to brag about their academic achievements and kept him informed about their lives’ developments.

When the actor visited their nations, he frequently visited the 27 adopted children and their families. Burr brought six of the local kids back to his California home after purchasing his residence in Fiji. The actor then covered the cost of their college tuition and entrance exams.

After witnessing the extreme poverty of many individuals in the nations he visited, Burr became driven to improve the lives of children. He recognized he had the ability to truly change the lives of many when he observed homeless individuals freezing in the streets, hoping for some crumbs to get them through the night.

Burr began asking questions about initiatives to aid the poor. He was referred to the Foster Parents Plan by a friend who saw his passion in charitable endeavors. A child in need received the meager 10 bucks per month that the effort requested. They could also receive letters from the sponsor that were translated and sent to them.

Burr’s passion for charitable work deepened over time, and he started to get more involved in the lives of the kids he supported. When he visited their nation, he frequently took the children and their families shopping. The actor wants to help kids succeed in life as much as possible.

Over the years, Burr also assisted in providing for his nieces and nephews. He started a private program that benefited more than 30 kids worldwide. Burr spent his last days with Benevides in addition to leveraging his celebrity to help underprivileged kids. In secret, the two lived together in the same home.

Many individuals were already aware of Burr’s covert existence by that time, so Benevides made the decision to come clean.

Burr and Benevides frequently traveled together, seeing places they both cherished and taking in the world. Benevides talked candidly about their international excursions in an interview, claiming that Burr had a soft spot for Portugal. Together, they indulged in their passion for wine, sampling different bottles everywhere they traveled.

Benevides discussed his plans for his vineyard following the death of his companion in the same interview. Although the producer acknowledged that many people had questioned if he would sell the property, he was unsure of his next course of action. Benevides revealed:

“I adore this place, therefore I can’t see why I would sell and relocate elsewhere. What’s the point of going somewhere else? Since I own a small home in Praia do Almocharife, I do visit Faial annually. It’s a small old house, I guess. It has existed for a very long time.

Benevides revealed that in addition to having a particular place in his heart, the vineyard gives him the ability to support himself. Benevides maintained the farm’s operations and produced wine for sale while tending to the grounds in his later years. He said it took ongoing work to keep the vineyard going, but it was worth it.

Fortunately, Burr and Benevides were able to spend their final days together on a property in California’s Sonoma County. Before Burr passed away from his cancer, the two took care of the land. Benevides took over after his death, preserving his partner’s legacy by preserving the items he had cherished.

After Burr’s death, Benevides stayed out of the spotlight, embracing the privacy of the vineyard and the farm. Benevides was unaware that Bowers had begun to disseminate information about the many gay celebrities in Hollywood until a journalist reached out to him in an attempt to confirm what Bowers was saying.

Many individuals were already aware of Burr’s covert existence by that time, so Benevides made the decision to come clean. He attested to the fact that he had dated Burr. He affirmed Bowers’ integrity and honesty, even if he couldn’t attest to every detail in the book Bowers wrote.

Benevides is enjoying his retirement in addition to working on the vineyard. Speaking candidly about his life, he revealed that he travels most of the time. He said, “I made a promise to myself that I would travel every month.” He resides on one of the two properties that Burr left him. The only one who benefited was Benevides.

Even his sister and the rest of his family were written out of Burr’s will. The courts decided in Benevides’ favor, making him the only trustee of Burr’s entire estate, despite Burr’s family’s attempts to contest the will in order to obtain some of his assets.