Raymond Burr Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian American actor, primarily known for his title roles in the television dramas "Perry Mason" and "Ironside". He was prominently involved in multiple charitable endeavors, such as working on behalf of the United Service Organizations. Burr's early acting career included roles on Broadway, radio, television and in film, usually as the villain. His portrayal of the suspected murderer in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Rear Window" (1954) is regarded as his best-known film role; although he is also remembered for his role in the Americanized version of the
Raymond Burr weight, always an issue for him in getting roles, became a public relations problem when Johnny Carson began making jokes about him during his "Tonight Show" monologues. Burr refused to appear as Carson's guest from then on, and told "Us Weekly" years later: "I have been asked a number of times to do his show and I won't do it. Because I like NBC. He's doing an NBC show. If I went on I'd have some things to say, not just about the bad jokes he's done about me, but bad jokes he does about everybody who can't fight back