Raymond William Stacy Burr was born on 21 May 1917, in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, of German, Scottish, Irish, and English descent. Raymond was an actor, best known for being part of series such as “Ironside” and “Perry Mason”. He was also part of the film “Rear Window”, and all of his efforts helped put his net worth to where it was prior to his passing in September 1993.
So just how rich was Raymond Burr? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that was at $15 million, mostly earned through a successful career on television. Aside from that, Burr also had various roles in film, and on radio and stage. He was part of the “Perry Mason” franchise from 1957 to 1993, and all ensured the position of his wealth.
Raymond Burr Net Worth $15 million
Raymond attended a military academy and later matriculated from Berkeley High School. He made his stage debut at 12 years old, later finding consistent acting work while in his teens.
Burr had hoped to study at the Pasadena Playhouse, but since tuition was expensive he joined a theatre group in Toronto that toured around Canada. He then joined a group which would travel to several countries including England, India, and Australia. Afterwards, he attended Long Beach Junior College, and started working as a radio actor before making his way back to Pasadena Playhouse. In 1940, he moved to New York and made his Broadway debut in “Crazy With the Heat”. Two years later, he became a part of the production “Quiet Wedding” as a replacement, and would go on to act in around 30 plays, including “The Duke in Darkness”, and “French Wars of Religion”. These provided a solid start to his net worth.
Starting from 1946, Burr started to appear in many more films, becoming well known for his villainous roles. Some of the films he was a part of during this time include “Red Light”, “M”, “Raw Deal”, and “Crime of Passion”. His performances drew mixed reviews, but he became an icon of the noir genre. He would then go on to make a lot more notable films, including “Rear Window”, “Affair in Havana”, and “FBI Girl”. In between these, Raymond tried his hand at other roles, but he was playing significantly older roles because of his weight.
Raymond became popular thanks to his film and television roles but he also had a lot of uncredited radio roles. He had a very good radio voice and often played either villains or romantic leads in various radio productions. According to reports, he earned a significant amount of income from radio, with some of his projects including “Pat Novak for Hire”, “Suspense”, “Family Theatre”, and “Dragnet”. He was also part of “Fort Laramie” in which he portrayed the character Lee Quince who was a captain of cavalry during the post-Civil War period. Over time he would develop a significant following, receiving numerous fan mails, and improving his net worth.
The peak of Burr’s career would come in the 1950s, when he would establish himself as a television actor. In 1956, he auditioned for the show “Perry Mason” as District Attorney Hamilton Burger, however, the producers thought that he would be great as Perry Mason, and he would then go on a diet to fit the role. The series would run from 1957 to 1966 and would gain multiple nominations.
After “Perry Mason”, Burr would become part of the drama series “Ironside” in which he portrayed a police officer with a disability. He earned more nominations this time around as the series ran from 1967 until 1975. Ten years later, after a string of other series, Raymond returned to reprise his role of “Perry Mason” in numerous television movies. A lot of the original cast members returned for their respective roles too, and he would go on and make a total of 26 films before his health started to fail him.
For his personal life it is known that Burr married actress Isabella Ward in 1952 but it only lasted a few months before they divorced. Both of them never married again. Raymond Burr died from cancer in September 1993.
