Raymond Burr

Description by OLDIES.com:

Raymond Burr (1917-1993) was an enigma. A film noir regular known for his villainous roles in movies like Rear Window, he eventually became one of the most popular stars in TV history. He delighted millions of viewers each week with the top-rated shows Perry Mason and Ironside.

But Burr was leading a secret gay life at a time in Hollywood when exposure would have been career suicide. To protect his secret, he invented a dark and tragic past for himself as a grieving husband and father. There was even an invented affair with a teenage Natalie Wood, twenty-one years his junior. The myths would be perpetuated again and again, up to and including his obituary in the New York Times.

Hiding in Plain Sight examines the totality of Raymond Burr's career and his personal life, including his relationship with his partner of over thirty-five years, Robert Benevides. Burr met Benevides, a struggling actor, on the set of Perry Mason. Together, they built a business empire, traveled the world, and shared their passion for orchids and fine wine - keeping the true nature of their relationship a secret from all but their closest friends, a secret revealed here in depth for the first time.

Author Michael Seth Starr interviewed thirty people who knew or worked with Burr for this book, including Angela Lansbury, Barbara Hale, Robert Wagner, Fred Silverman, and Arthur Hiller.