Perry Mason: What Happened To The Cast After The '50s Drama Came To A Close

Legal dramas had a particularly good run in the late 1950s. Films like "12 Angry Men" (1957), "Witness for the Prosecution" (1957), and "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959) became instant classics. Over in the land of TV, another legal drama took off with similar levels of success: "Perry Mason." Between 1957 and 1966, CBS welcomed viewers into the world of defense attorney Perry Mason and his quests to crack the most impossible of cases.

"Perry Mason" may not appeal to people now the way it did 70-ish years ago, but at the time, the nine-season series was all the rage: the show, along with some of its actors, won several awards in its heyday and was consistently top-rated by viewers. Erle Stanley Gardner's characters have continued to be brought back to life, with a short-lived 1973 revival series and a modern reimagining in the early 2020s. Neither of these had the same impact as the version from the 1950s and 1960s, though. 

What happened to all the major "Perry Mason" actors after the mid-century iteration of the series concluded? For some actors, their careers continued to blossom. For others, their days of stardom ended almost as quickly as they began. 

Before Matthew Rhys (and his surprising net worth) garnered attention as the 2020s version of Perry Mason, there was Raymond Burr. Burr may not have been the first person to portray the titular character, but he sure delivered the most memorable performance. He appeared on every episode of "Perry Mason." By the end of the series, Burr had won two Emmys.

Although "Perry Mason" ended in the 1960s, Burr reprised the character through the '80s and '90s. NBC made 30 TV movie sequels to the program, with Burr in 26 of them. Outside of the franchise that made him famous, Burr's career continued to flourish after he was cast as the main character in "Ironside." He played police chief Robert T. Ironside from 1967 to 1975.

Burr was diagnosed with kidney cancer in late 1992 or early 1993. He died on September 12, 1993, aged 76, after it spread to his liver. 

Like Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale appeared on every episode of "Perry Mason." She portrayed Della Street, the titular character's main receptionist. While there aren't many interviews from the time floating around online, Hale reportedly told The La Crosse Tribune in 1965 (via MeTV), "[The cast has] never even had a disagreement ... Ray Burr and I have worked together so much that we can actually speak in a kind of shorthand."

Hale reprised her character alongside Burr in NBC's "Perry Mason" TV movies; she appeared in all of them. Hale also appeared on an episode of "Ironside" and, throughout the 1970s, several episodes of "The Magical World of Disney." Her last roles outside of "Perry Mason" were in "Big Wednesday" (1978) and a 1982 episode of "The Greatest American Hero." 

Hale and her husband, fellow actor Bill Williams, had three children. In the 1980s, their son, actor William Katt, appeared in made-for-TV "Perry Mason" movies. Hale was one of the last surviving "Perry Mason" cast members when she died on January 26, 2017, aged 94. 

Throughout "Perry Mason," William Hopper portrayed private detective Paul Drake, who owned an investigative company situated next to Perry Mason's office. Hopper's father was an entertainer, while his mother was an actor-turned-columnist (an old example of nepo baby parents forgotten by Hollywood). Before Hopper was cast as Drake, he portrayed Natalie Wood's on-screen father in "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955). 

It turns out that Hopper's career ended with "Perry Mason." After the show, Hopper only appeared in one project: an uncredited judge in the comedy film "Myra Breckinridge" (1970). After he stepped away from showbiz, he became a car salesman. In 1961, he told the Montgomery County Sentinel (via MeTV), "I know an actor is supposed to have a romantic past, but all I can tell you is that I was plenty happy selling Packards." Hopper died on March 6, 1970, aged 55, from complications of a stroke. 

William Talman played district attorney Hamilton Burger throughout "Perry Mason," although the character was partially written out for a couple of seasons — Talman allegedly violated his CBS contract and was fired, then given his job back after viewers and co-stars objected. Before "Perry Mason," Talman served in World War II, appeared on Broadway, and had dozens of credits to his name. 

Talman's last roles were in 1967: he appeared in episodes of "The Virginian" and "The Invaders" and portrayed a district attorney in "The Ballad of Josie." Around the same time, Talman was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. He embarked on an anti-smoking campaign with the American Cancer Society in the last months of his life and filmed several PSAs, the first celebrity to do so. 

"I've got lung cancer. Take some advice about smoking and losing from someone who's been doing both for years: If you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, quit. Don't be a loser," Talman said in a surviving ad (via YouTube). He died at 53 on August 30, 1968.

Wesley Lau first appeared on an episode of "Perry Mason" as Amory Fallon, one of the series' many defendants, during one of the earlier seasons. After the actor who played Lt. Arthur Tragg, Ray Collins, passed away before the series ended, Lau started to regularly appear as Lt. Andy Anderson, a role he kept for most of the remaining episodes. 

Although Lau became an actor, he originally wanted to be a writer; he studied playwriting at the University of Wisconsin before World War II reared its head. After "Perry Mason" ended, Lau continued to act into the 1970s. His later TV credits included an episode of "Bonanza," three episodes of "The Magician," and three episodes of "Mission: Impossible." 

Lau eventually broke some ground as a screenwriter, albeit for a short time. The last film he worked on was "Lepke" (1975), which he co-wrote and starred in. Lau also wrote an episode of "Mission: Impossible." He died from a heart attack on August 30, 1984, aged 63. 

Richard Anderson starred throughout the last season of "Perry Mason" as Police Lieutenant Steve Drumm. Before Anderson's promotion, he briefly appeared in two 1964 episodes as separate defendants, Edward Lewis and Jason Foster. 

Anderson enjoyed a long career before and after "Perry Mason" ran its course; he retired from acting in the 1990s, although his last credited role was in the adventure film "The Blood Trail" (2015). A tiny sliver of Anderson's lengthy resume includes recurring characters on "Dan August," "The Bionic Woman," "Cover Up," and "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues." He's perhaps best remembered as portraying Oscar Goldman in "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1974-1978). 

In 2015, Anderson reminisced to The Washington Times, "I was 10 years old and saw a film, and I saw this guy in the film. He didn't say much, but I couldn't stop looking at him. I said, 'That's what I want to do. I want to be an actor like him!' Then I found out his name was Gary Cooper." Anderson died from natural causes, aged 91, on August 31, 2017. 

Michael Fox (no relation to actor Michael J. Fox, who went on to break records and rules on "Family Ties") portrayed multiple medical professionals throughout "Perry Mason": Dr. Hoxie, Dr. Lund, an unnamed autopsy surgeon, an unnamed coroner, an unnamed coroner's physician, and Abe Heyman. Before he joined the series, Fox was a regular actor on two TV anthologies, "Science Fiction Theatre" and "The Ford Television Theatre."

After "Perry Mason," Fox secured recurring roles in TV shows like "Gunsmoke," "Batman," and "Ironside." He eventually joined CBS' long-running soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful" as Saul Feinberg. He played the character for over 300 episodes between 1989 and 1996. (And as impressive as that may be, he didn't even come close to being one of the longest-running cast members on "The Bold and the Beautiful.") Fox died from pneumonia on June 1, 1996, aged 75.

Mort Mills first appeared on a 1960 episode of "Perry Mason" as a defendant, Barry Scott. That same year, he also starred in Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller "Psycho." Mills appeared on "Perry Mason" again throughout 1961 and 1965 as Sgt. Ben Landro, a character he portrayed for eight episodes. Before he joined the CBS legal drama, Mills starred in dozens of films and TV shows with one main role on "Man Without a Gun" (1957-1959).

Mills continued to nab small roles on TV after "Perry Mason" (with the exception of one movie, "Soldier Blue") up until his retirement; he last appeared in a 1973 episode of "The Streets of San Francisco." Some of the more popular shows that Mills popped up on were "Mannix," "Adam-12," and "Mission: Impossible." He briefly worked alongside Raymond Burr again for an episode of "Ironside," too.

Mills was 74 years old when he died on June 6, 1993. The reported cause of death was a heart attack. 

Dan Tobin made regular appearances on the last season of "Perry Mason" as one of Perry Mason's friends, Terrance Clay. Clay owned and operated a restaurant, Clay's Bar & Grill. Before he assumed the role, Tobin briefly portrayed a butler named Dickens in a 1964 episode. He previously starred in movies like "Woman of the Year" (1942) and in "The Fountain of Youth" (1956), an Orson Welles TV pilot that was never picked up.

Tobin continued to find success after "Perry Mason" with roles in movies like "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" (1967) and "Herbie Rides Again" (1974). His last TV roles until his apparent retirement in the late 1970s were in an episode of "Firehouse," an episode of "The Family Holvak," and an episode of "Family."

Tobin died at 72 on November 26, 1982 — and then, almost 40 years later, he delivered his last on-screen performance. An old movie directed by Welles, "The Other Side of the Wind," was completed and posthumously released in 2018. The "Citizen Kane"-esque film was shot throughout the 1970s; Welles edited it on-and-off until his own death in 1985. 

Connie Cezon starred in 17 episodes of "Perry Mason" between 1957 and 1964; she portrayed Gertie Lade, another one of Perry Mason's receptionists. Before she assumed the character, Cezon appeared in several "Three Stooges" short films like "Corny Casanovas" (1952) and "Up in Daisy's Penthouse" (1953). In a 1964 interview with the Philadelphia Daily News (via Newspapers), Cezon said of her "Perry Mason" role: "I wouldn't take this part as a one-shot thing. Any girl can do this."

After the show ended, Cezon became a celeb who abandoned fame for a normal life. He promptly quit acting to run her own cat boarding and sitting service. Cezon founded Connie's Kitty Castle (also spelled Connie's Kitty Kastle) in Los Angeles, although it's unclear what happened to the venture in the end and how successful it became. 

Cezon was diagnosed with breast cancer at an unknown point and eventually died from surgical complications on February 26, 2004. She was 78. 

S. John Launer appeared on 33 episodes of "Perry Mason" between 1958 and 1966. In 1960, Launer and another actor, Bert Spencer, were injured in a stagecoach accident while filming another TV show, "Laramie." On the CBS legal drama, Launer portrayed multiple judges, including Judge Thomas J. Hood, Judge Ryder, and Judge Telford. 

Launer continued to act in projects throughout the 1980s; he last appeared as a judge in "Billionaire Boys Club" in 1987. Suffice it to say, he was no stranger to wielding a gavel. He portrayed several judges, chairmen, and other high-ranking professionals in made-for-TV movies like "Scared Straight! Another Story" (1980), "Inmates: A Love Story" (1981), and "M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Drivers" (1983). 

Launer also appeared in two biographical dramas: he played a judge in "Gable and Lombard" (1976), which followed Clark Gable and Carole Lombard's relationship, and a Pepsi chairman in "Mommie Dearest" (1981), a feature film based on Joan Crawford (who had an iconic feud with Bette Davis) and her children. Launer died of natural causes, aged 86, on September 8, 2006. 

Kenneth MacDonald was another actor who portrayed more than one character on "Perry Mason." Over 32 episodes that spanned all nine seasons, MacDonald appeared as multiple judges; most of them went unnamed, while one was revealed to be Judge Carter. Like Connie Cezon, MacDonald appeared in over a dozen "Three Stoogies" projects up until he joined the CBS legal drama.

MacDonald could play serious and comedic parts equally well, something that served him over the rest of his career. After "Perry Mason" ended, MacDonald continued to work incessantly in virtually every genre possible. Some of MacDonald's last roles were in the police procedural show "The F.B.I," the movie musical "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band," and the drama TV movie "The Young Loner." MacDonald died from brain and lung cancer on May 5, 1972; he was 70. 

Willis Bouchey appeared as an unnamed judge in 23 episodes of "Perry Mason." Though the character didn't have a name, the judge became recognizable for his stern demeanor and general no-nonsense approach to every case he presided over. Bouchey portrayed dozens of characters throughout the 1950s, and while he starred on "Perry Mason," both credited and uncredited; two examples include the President in "Red Planet Mars" (1952) and Major Thomas in "The Long Gray Line" (1955).

Bouchey's career continued to flourish after the CBS series came to a close on film and TV, with him eventually regarded as a sound character actor. Bouchey's last TV roles before he retired were in episodes of "Mayberry R.F.D." and "The Jimmy Stewart Show." He also collaborated with Burt Kennedy in multiple projects like "Support Your Local Sheriff!" (1969), "Young Billy Young" (1969), and "Dirty Dingus Magee" (1970). Bouchey died on September 27, 1977. He was 70 years old. 

John Gallaudet appeared on 20 episodes of "Perry Mason" between 1959 and 1966 as five different judges; four were unnamed, while one was identified as Judge Penner. Before he was cast on the show, Gallaudet's career had undergone an interesting trajectory for the time. He appeared in several Broadway shows until he was signed to Columbia Pictures. Columbia promptly sent him to work in Canada, where he earned his first lead role in "Manhattan Shakedown" (1937).

After "Perry Mason" ended, Gallaudet appeared in two movies and a handful of TV shows until his apparent retirement in the mid-1970s. On the big screen, Gallaudet starred in the movie adaptation of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood" and made an uncredited appearance in "The Happy Ending." As far as TV goes, Gallaudet's biggest recurring roles were in the crime drama "Adam-12" and the comedy "My Three Sons." He played several characters on both series. 

Gallaudet was married to fellow actor Wynne Gibson from 1927 to 1930. He died on November 5, 1983, aged 80.

Richard Gaines also portrayed several characters on 14 episodes of "Perry Mason" between 1958 and 1961, including Judge Carwell and Judge Treadwell. Before he joined the cast, Gaines appeared in multiple Broadway productions and collaborated with directors William Burke and Cecil B. DeMille in movies like "Double Exposure" (1944) and "Unconquered" (1947). 

Gaines quietly retired shortly after his stint on "Perry Mason." He appeared in high-ranking roles in two other projects in 1961, although both were uncredited: "The Great Imposter," a comedy-drama, and "The Outsider," a biopic with Tony Curtis. Gaines' last role was as Mr. Gordon in a 1963 episode of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (originally named "Alfred Hitchcock Presents").

Gaines died on July 20, 1975. He was 70 years old and reportedly had a heart condition.