A commanding, heavy-set player, Raymond Burr first made an impression in vicious roles in the Anthony Mann films noir, "Desperate" (1947) and "Raw Deal" (1948). With his dark hair, prominent eyebrows and stern voice, Burr made an ideal villain. An economical actor, he brought an aura of authority to many of his best roles, whether it be the attorney prosecuting Montgomery Clift in "A Place in the Sun" (1951) or the white-haired, methodical murderer Lars Thorwald in Alfred Hitchcock's masterful "Rear Window" (1954).

During the course of his career, the Canadian-born actor often spun stories of