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Barbara Hale refused to play Della Street on Perry Mason again after the death of Raymond Burr
"I just couldn't have," said the actor.
With a passion for truth, justice, and helping out the little guy, Perry Mason was more than just a favorite television character. He was a beacon of hope, an idol for those watching the crime series. But as wonderful as Perry Mason was on screen, viewers will be delighted to discover that Raymond Burr was a real-life Mason off-screen.
Of course, Burr played the titular character throughout the show's nine-year run, as well as various Perry Mason films that followed the series.
Burr's former costar, Barbara Hale, spoke highly of the actor after his death.
"He was my hero," said Hale during an interview with The Washington Post. "He was in such pain, such terrible pain. But that man had such strength and such willpower."
Hale was so attached to Burr that she refused to play her character, Della Street after Burr had passed away. "I just couldn't have — I wouldn't have," said Hale.
After having worked together for years, Hale had a good understanding of who Burr was, at his core.
"He was truly an amazing man," said Hale during an interview with The Vincennes Sun-Commercial. "A gentleman, with the strength of an ox and the humor of a leprechaun. A great lover of mankind and the arts, of seeing that other people were taken care of, and were not harmed in any way. He was - there truly are no words to express it. No words. He was like a great, great sequoia tree, or redwood. And everyone leaned upon him. He shaded and protected everybody."
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