Raymond Burr first Godzilla film. He won two Emmy Awards, in 1959 and 1961, for the role of Perry Mason, which he played for nine seasons (1957–1966) and reprised in a series of 26 television films (1985–1993). His second TV series, "Ironside", earned him six Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations. After Burr's death from cancer in 1993, his personal life came into question, as many details of his known biography appeared to be unverifiable. In 1996, Burr was ranked as number 44 of the 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time by "TV Guide". Raymond William Stacy Burr was born
Raymond Burr May 21, 1917, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. His father, William Johnston Burr (1889–1985), was a hardware salesman; his mother, Minerva Annette (née Smith, 1892–1974), was a pianist and music teacher. When Burr was six, his parents divorced. Burr's mother moved to Vallejo, California, with him and his younger siblings, Geraldine and James. His father remained in New Westminster. Burr briefly attended San Rafael Military Academy in San Rafael, California and graduated from Berkeley High School. In later years, Burr freely invented stories of a happy childhood. In 1986 he told journalist Jane Ardmore that when he was 12