Richard Burton

Biography

Richard Burton CBE (born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s, and he gave a memorable performance of Hamlet in 1964. He was called "the natural successor to Olivier" by critic Kenneth Tynan. A heavy drinker, Burton's perceived failure to live up to those expectations disappointed some critics and colleagues and added to his image as a great performer who had wasted his talent. Nevertheless, he is widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation. Burton was nominated for an Academy Award seven times, but never won an Oscar. He was a recipient of BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Tony Awards for Best Actor. In the mid-1960s, Burton ascended into the ranks of the top box office stars. By the late 1960s, Burton was one of the highest-paid actors in the world, receiving fees of $1 million or more plus a share of the gross receipts. Burton remained closely associated in the public consciousness with his second wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor. The couple's turbulent relationship, in which they were married twice and divorced twice, was rarely out of the news.

Most Known For

Great Performances

as White Knight

Bambi

as Self

Spécial cinéma

as Self (archive footage)

Here's Lucy

as Richard Burton

The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self

Dinah!

as Self

Entertainment Tonight

as Self

Nineteen Eighty-Four

as O'Brien

The American Film Institute Salute to ...

as Self

Where Eagles Dare

as Maj. Smith

Film '72

as Self

Cleopatra

as Marcus Antonius

Boom!

as Chris Flanders

The Longest Day

as Flying Officer David Campbell

Exorcist II: The Heretic

as Father Philip Lamont

Absolution

as Father Goddard

Wagner

as Richard Wagner

Divorce His, Divorce Hers

as Martin Reynolds

Lovespell

as King Mark of Cornwall

Talking Pictures

as Self (archive footage)