Richard Burton
Welsh actor known for his powerful presence and baritone voice.
Richard Walter Burton (born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor renowned for his commanding presence and distinctive baritone voice, with a career spanning both film and stage. He first appeared on screen in the 1949 British drama *The Last Days of Dolwyn* and earned his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Philip Ashley in *My Cousin Rachel* (1952). On stage, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor, taking on roles such as Prince Hal, Henry V, Ferdinand, Hamlet, Sir Toby Belch, Coriolanus, and Othello. Critic Kenneth Tynan hailed him as “the natural successor to Olivier,” though some critics and colleagues later felt he failed to fulfill that promise, a perception compounded by his heavy drinking. Over his career, Burton won a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, and a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing King Arthur in *Camelot* (1960). Despite seven Oscar nominations—for *My Cousin Rachel*, *The Robe*, *Becket*, *The Spy Who Came In from the Cold*, *Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*, *Anne of the Thousand Days*, and *Equus*—he never won. He remains famously linked to Elizabeth Taylor, his second and third wife, with whom he shared a turbulent public relationship, two marriages, and eleven films. Born in Pontrhydyfen, Glamorgan, as the twelfth of thirteen children in a Welsh-speaking family, his father was a coal miner and his mother a barmaid. She died of postpartum infections when he was not yet two, after which his sister Cecilia and her husband raised him in Port Talbot. Burton excelled in school, becoming the first in his family to attend secondary school, and showed an early talent for singing and poetry.
- born
- 10 November 1925
- died
- 5 August 1984
- field
- Actor
- nationality
- Welsh
- known_for
- Shakespearean roles, including Hamlet (1964); seven Academy Award nominations; portrayal of King Arthur in Camelot (1960); marriage to Elizabeth Taylor
Lore & Background
Noted for his powerful presence and baritone voice, Burton had an expansive film and stage career. He made his feature film debut in the British drama The Last Days of Dolwyn in 1949 and gained attention for his role as Philip Ashley in the romantic mystery My Cousin Rachel, earning his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. On stage, he established himself as a Shakespearean actor, starring in roles such as Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 1 (1951) and Henry IV, Part 2 (1951), Henry V in Henry V (1951), Ferdinand in The Tempest (1951), Prince Hamlet in Hamlet (1953), Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night (1953), Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus in Coriolanus (1953), and Othello in Othello (1955). He was called 'the natural successor to Olivier' by critic Kenneth Tynan. Burton's perceived failure to live up to those expectations disappointed some critics and colleagues; his heavy drinking added to his reputation as a great performer who had wasted his talent. Throughout his career he received numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Grammy Award. He received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of King Arthur in the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot (1960). Despite seven Academy Award nominations Burton failed to win an Oscar; he was nominated for his performances in My Cousin Rachel (1952), The Robe (1953), Becket (1964), The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and Equus (1977). Burton has remained closely associated in the public mind with his second and third wife, Elizabeth Taylor, due to their publicly turbulent relationship, in which they married and divorced twice, and starred in eleven films together.
Reader's Guide
Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr. on 10 November 1925 in Pontrhydyfen, Glamorgan, Wales, the twelfth of thirteen children. His father, Richard Walter Jenkins Sr., was a coal miner; his mother, Edith Maude Jenkins, worked as a barmaid. She died when Burton was not quite two years old, from postpartum infections. His sister Cecilia and her husband Elfed James raised him until age seventeen. He attended Eastern Primary School and Port Talbot Secondary School. In 1939, he sought help from schoolmaster Philip Burton, who later became his legal guardian; Burton changed his surname to Burton in 1943. He joined the Air Training Corps and a youth drama group, and made his first foray into theatre with a minor role in a school production of The Apple Cart.
Did You Know?
- Burton was the twelfth of thirteen children.
- He changed his surname to Burton after his schoolmaster and legal guardian, Philip Burton.
- He was nominated for seven Academy Awards but never won.
- He received the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Camelot.
- He married Elizabeth Taylor twice and starred in eleven films with her.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"This article is about the 20th-century actor. For the 19th-century explorer and author, see Richard Francis Burton. For the organizational theorist, see Richard M. Burton." — Richard Burton "In "Richard Burton, 58, is Dead; Rakish Stage and Screen Star" — Richard Burton "You reach the top of the heap, but it's a circle, and you slip on the down side; maybe for years. You get scared. He said then he thought he was coming out of a slump." — Richard Burton "In "Richard Burton, 58, is Dead; Rakish Stage and Screen Star" — Richard Burton
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