Interesting that a guy who was so adept at playing creepy secondary movie roles would slip so comfortably into the hero role on the small screen. This not only demonstrates Burr's versatility as an actor, but is a lesson on how subtle the difference is between screen villains and the heroes who bring them to justice.

Perry Mason played a big part in establishing the template for procedural legal dramas to follow... from Cannon to Law and Order. While the series didn't factually portray in the world it strove to depict, it made for some great, escapist TV. It was comforting to know that Perry would pull a rabbit out of his hat at the last second and point to the real culprit who, up until that moment, would have been smirking amidst the courtroom gallery.

Having been part of the Hollywood LGBTQ+ community in the 70s and 80s, I was well aware that Burr's sexual orientation was an open secret. He was living proof that queer men aren't all flamboyant and foppish. In fact, many, like Burr, present as prototypically masculine. We come in all shapes and sizes, with lisps and without. And, Raymond Burr has left a fine legacy.