Historical Figures Codexery

Richard Burton

Welsh actor known for his powerful presence and baritone voice.

Richard Walter Jenkins Jr., who later became known as Richard Walter Burton, was born on 10 November 1925 in Pontrhydyfen, Glamorgan, Wales, and worked as a Welsh actor.[1][2] Burton's career spanned both film and stage, and he was recognized for his strong stage presence and deep baritone voice.[3]

Quick Facts

Birth name
Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.
Born
10 November 1925
Birthplace
Pontrhydyfen, Glamorgan, Wales
Died
5 August 1984
Place of death
Céligny, Switzerland
Burial place
Old Cemetery ("Vieux Cimetière") of Céligny
Education
Exeter College, Oxford
Occupation
Actor

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Burton was the twelfth of thirteen children in a Welsh-speaking family, and his father was a coal miner.[2] His mother died of postpartum infections when he was not quite two years old, and his sister Cecilia and her husband Elfed raised him.[4][5] He made his feature film debut in The Last Days of Dolwyn in 1949 and gained his first Academy Award nomination for My Cousin Rachel.[6][7] On stage, he established himself as a Shakespearean actor, starring as Prince Hal, Henry V, Hamlet, and Othello among other roles.[8]

Burton married Sybil Williams on 5 February 1949, and later became closely associated with Elizabeth Taylor, his second and third wife, with whom he starred in eleven films.[9][10] Richard's older brother Ifor, who worked as a miner and played rugby, was the one who fostered Richard's love for the sport.[11] Philip Burton, a teacher, became Richard's legal guardian, and on 26 November 1943 Richard legally changed his surname to Burton via deed poll.[12][13] Burton's reputation as a talented performer who squandered his abilities was reinforced by his problem with heavy drinking.[8]

What the cited sources add

Philip Burton's obituary states that Richard's first major role was Owen Brown in Gallows Glorious in November 1942, a part with an emotional tribute that Richard made the most of.[13] The same obituary notes that Philip Burton gave Richard his first broadcasting role in his own play Youth at the Helm for BBC Welsh radio.[13] The obituary records that Richard and Philip's friendship suffered a setback after the affair with Elizabeth Taylor during Cleopatra, and they did not speak for nearly four years.[13] Philip Burton was unable to adopt Richard because he fell short by 20 days of the legal requirement to be at least 21 years older than the person he wished to adopt.[13]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Obituary Variety, 8 August 1984 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bragg 1988, p. 6–8; "Pontrhydyfen", The Richard Burton Museum; "Richard Burton People"; "Richard Burton People" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Clarke, "Show Business: The Mellifluous Prince of Disorder", 20 August 1984 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Pontrhydyfen", The Richard Burton Museum; Bragg 1988, p. 6–8; Munn 2014, p. 15 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A Selection of Richard Burton Personal Items", The Richard Burton Museum (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The 25th Academy Awards", Oscars.org, 4 October 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "My Cousin Rachel — Notes", Turner Classic Movies; "Winners & Nominees 1953", Golden Globe Award; "25th Academy Awards", Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 4 October 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kalfatovic, "American National Biography: Supplement 2", Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 64; Sellers, "Hellraisers: The Life and Inebriated Times of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, and Oliver Reed", Thomas Dunne Books, 2009, p. 145 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Alpert 1986, p. 26 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Richard Burton: Life, 1957–1970", The Official Richard Burton Website, 2012 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bragg 1988, p. 6–8; Bragg 1988, p. 6–8 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Richard Burton" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jenkins, "Obituary: Philip Burton", The Independent, 11 February 1995 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Jenkins, "Obituary: Philip Burton", The Independent, 11 February 1995. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Richard Burton (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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