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Richard Burton

Actor

Richard Burton

Born November 10, 1925 in Pontrhydyfen, Wales, UKDied August 5, 198465 films

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.

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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.

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The best way into Richard Burton's work
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? posterFirst watchWho's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?19667.7as GeorgeA history professor and his wife entertain a young couple who are new to the university's faculty. As the drinks flow, secrets come to light, and the middle-aged couple unload onto their…View film

Essential films

Ranked by acclaim and reach
The Longest Day poster7.6The Longest Day1962Where Eagles Dare poster7.5Where Eagles Dare1968Nineteen Eighty-Four poster6.8Nineteen Eighty-Four1984Cleopatra poster7.1Cleopatra1963Zulu poster7.4Zulu1964The Spy Who Came In from the Cold poster7.1The Spy Who Came In from the Cold1965The Robe poster6.8The Robe1953The Wild Geese poster6.8The Wild Geese1978

Filmography

65 films as actor
  1. 2006Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: LiveGeorge Herbert, The Journalist (archive sound)
  2. 1992Under Milk WoodFirst Voice (voice) (archive sound)
  3. 1984Nineteen Eighty-FourO'Brien
  4. 1983Alice in WonderlandWhite Knight
  5. 1981Circle of TwoAshley St. Clair
  6. 1981LovespellKing Mark of Cornwall
  7. 1979BreakthroughSergeant Steiner
  8. 1978The Wild GeeseCol. Allen Faulkner
  9. 1978AbsolutionFather Goddard
  10. 1978The Medusa TouchJohn Morlar
  11. 1977EquusMartin Dysart
  12. 1977Exorcist II: The HereticFather Philip Lamont
  13. 1976Brief EncounterAlec Harvey
  14. 1974The Gathering StormWinston Churchill
  15. 1974The KlansmanBreck Stancill
  16. 1974The VoyageCesare Braggi
  17. 1973Massacre in RomeSS-Obersturmbannführer Herbert Kappler
  18. 1973The Battle of SutjeskaJosip Broz Tito
  19. 1973Divorce His - Divorce HersMartin Reynolds
  20. 1972BluebeardBaron von Sepper
  21. 1972Hammersmith Is OutHammersmith
  22. 1972The Assassination of TrotskyLeon Trotsky
  23. 1972Under Milk WoodFirst Man
  24. 1971Mooch Goes to HollywoodNarrator (voice) (uncredited)
  25. 1971VillainVic Dakin
  26. 1971Raid on RommelCapt. Alex Foster
  27. 1969Anne of the Thousand DaysKing Henry VIII
  28. 1969StaircaseHarry Leeds
  29. 1968CandyMacPhisto
  30. 1968Where Eagles DareMaj. Smith
  31. 1968Boom!Chris Flanders
  32. 1967The ComediansBrown
  33. 1967Doctor FaustusDoctor Faustus
  34. 1967The Taming of the ShrewPetruchio
  35. 1966Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?George
  36. 1965The Spy Who Came In from the ColdAlec Leamas
  37. 1965The SandpiperEdward Hewitt
  38. 1965What's New Pussycat?Man In Strip Club
  39. 1964HamletHamlet
  40. 1964The Night of the IguanaRev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon
  41. 1964BecketThomas Becket
  42. 1964ZuluNarration spoken (voice)
  43. 1963The V.I.P.sPaul Andros
  44. 1963CleopatraMarcus Antonius
  45. 1962The Longest DayFlight Officer David Campbell
  46. 1960A Subject of Scandal and ConcernGeorge Holyoake
  47. 1960The Bramble BushDr. Guy Montford
  48. 1960The TempestCaliban
  49. 1960The Fifth Column
  50. 1960Ice PalaceZeb Kennedy
  51. 1959Look Back in AngerJimmy Porter
  52. 1958Wuthering HeightsHeathcliff
  53. 1957Bitter VictoryCapt. Leith
  54. 1957Sea WifeBiscuit
  55. 1956Alexander the GreatAlexander
  56. 1955The Rains of RanchipurDr. Major Rama Safti
  57. 1955Prince of PlayersEdwin Booth
  58. 1953The RobeMarcellus Gallio
  59. 1953The Desert RatsCaptain "Tammy" MacRoberts
  60. 1952My Cousin RachelPhilip Ashley
  61. 1951Green Grow the RushesRobert 'Bob' Hammond
  62. 1950The Woman with No NameNick Chamerd
  63. 1950WaterfrontBen Satterthwaite
  64. 1949Now BarabbasPaddy
  65. 1949The Last Days of DolwynGareth