Robert Benevides (February 9, 1930 – April 9, 2024) was an American actor and production consultant. He was best known as the long-time domestic partner of actor Raymond Burr, with whom he operated a successful orchid business and a vineyard.
Early life and education Robert Leal Benevides was born on February 9, 1930, in Visalia, California. He was a Korean War veteran before beginning his career as an actor. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.
Career Benevides met actor Raymond Burr on the set of the TV series Perry Mason in 1960. They became domestic partners and remained together for 33 years, until Burr's death in 1993.
Benevides had several acting credits, appearing in television shows such as The Outer Limits, Ironside, The Lineup, and Death Valley Days. He sometimes used the screen name Robert Harrow.
In 1963, Benevides gave up acting to work behind the scenes. He became a production executive for 140 episodes of the TV series Ironside from 1969 to 1975, and a production consultant for 21 of the later Perry Mason TV movies. He also served as an executive producer for The Return of Ironside (1993).
Personal life Throughout Burr's life, their relationship was kept private from the general public due to industry norms regarding homosexuality at the time. After Burr's death, Benevides became more open about their life together, helping to clarify aspects of Burr's personal history which had previously been obscured by studio-driven narratives.
Death Benevides died on April 9, 2024, in Turlock, California, at the age of 94.
Filmography Television series YearTitleRoleNotes1957 West Point Cadet Tom Garber / Cadet Dan Cooper Episode: Dangerous Area & The Deep End1957 Official Detective Jackson Episode: The Night It Rained Bullets1957 The Restless Gun Evan Case Episode: Trail To Sunset1957 Death Valley Days Dave Chapman Episode: The Calico Dog1957 Navy Log Larry Hilton Episode: The Beach Pounders1957 The Loretta Young Show Bob Anderson Episode: Power Play1958 Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre Dave Bechdolt Episode: The Doctor Keeps a Promise1958 The Real McCoys Volunteer Episode: The Volunteer Fire Department1958 The Lineup Wilbur Beldon Episode: The G.I. Shoe Case1960 Goodyear Theatre Martin Buell Episode: The Glorious Fourth1960 Alcoa Theatre Martin Buell Episode: The Glorious Fourth1961 Perry Mason Young Man Episode: The Case of the Violent Vest1963 The Outer Limits Capt. James Harrison Episode: O.B.I.T
Film YearTitleRoleNotes1957 The Monster That Challenged the World Seaman Morty Beatty Debut
Joint ventures Benevides and Burr shared a passion for horticulture and winemaking. Their company, Sea God Nurseries, had nurseries in Fiji, Hawaii, the Azores, and California, and was responsible for developing over 1,500 new orchid hybrids, one of which Benevides named the "Barbara Hale Orchid" after Burr's Perry Mason co-star. They were also among the earliest importers and breeders of Portuguese Water Dogs in the United States.
Later, they established a vineyard in California's Dry Creek Valley, where they cultivated Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and grapes for Port wine. After Burr's death in 1993, Benevides continued to manage the property, renaming it the Raymond Burr Vineyards in his partner's memory (reportedly against Burr's initial wishes). The property was sold in 2017.
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