Richard Burton
Born
November 10, 1925 (age 58)
Died
August 5, 1984
Birthplace
Pontrhydyfen, Wales, UK

Richard Burton

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.

Movies

Guilty Rebel
Guilty Rebel
2024
Narrator (archive footage)
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: Live
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: Live
2006 ★ 6.9
George Herbert, The Journalist (archive sound)
Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood
1992 ★ 4.0
First Voice (voice) (archive sound)
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
1984 ★ 6.8
O'Brien
Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland
1983 ★ 6.8
White Knight
To the Ends of the Earth
To the Ends of the Earth
1983 ★ 6.0
Narrator
Lovespell
Lovespell
1981 ★ 4.6
King Mark of Cornwall
Circle of Two
Circle of Two
1981 ★ 4.5
Ashley St. Clair
Breakthrough
Breakthrough
1979 ★ 5.7
Sergeant Steiner
The Wild Geese
The Wild Geese
1978 ★ 6.8
Col. Allen Faulkner
Absolution
Absolution
1978 ★ 6.4
Father Goddard
The Medusa Touch
The Medusa Touch
1978 ★ 6.8
John Morlar
Equus
Equus
1977 ★ 7.0
Martin Dysart
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Exorcist II: The Heretic
1977 ★ 4.5
Father Philip Lamont
Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter
1976 ★ 4.6
Alec Harvey
Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
1976 ★ 5.2
Malcolm Lowry (voice)
The Gathering Storm
The Gathering Storm
1974 ★ 7.0
Winston Churchill
The Klansman
The Klansman
1974 ★ 5.6
Breck Stancill
The Voyage
The Voyage
1974 ★ 5.0
Cesare Braggi
Massacre in Rome
Massacre in Rome
1973 ★ 6.0
SS-Obersturmbannführer Herbert Kappler
The Battle of Sutjeska
The Battle of Sutjeska
1973 ★ 6.3
Josip Broz Tito
Bluebeard
Bluebeard
1972 ★ 5.3
Baron von Sepper
Hammersmith Is Out
Hammersmith Is Out
1972 ★ 5.7
Hammersmith
The Assassination of Trotsky
The Assassination of Trotsky
1972 ★ 5.1
Leon Trotsky
Under Milk Wood
Under Milk Wood
1972 ★ 5.9
First Man
Mooch Goes to Hollywood
Mooch Goes to Hollywood
1971 ★ 4.3
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Villain
Villain
1971 ★ 6.1
Vic Dakin
Raid on Rommel
Raid on Rommel
1971 ★ 5.8
Capt. Alex Foster
Anne of the Thousand Days
Anne of the Thousand Days
1969 ★ 7.1
King Henry VIII
Staircase
Staircase
1969 ★ 5.5
Harry Leeds
The Violent Universe
The Violent Universe
1969
Narrator - Verse Spoken
Candy
Candy
1968 ★ 5.1
MacPhisto
Where Eagles Dare
Where Eagles Dare
1968 ★ 7.5
Maj. Smith
A Wall in Jerusalem
A Wall in Jerusalem
1968
Narrator (English version) (voice)
Robert Kennedy Remembered
Robert Kennedy Remembered
1968 ★ 6.8
Narrator
Boom!
Boom!
1968 ★ 5.9
Chris Flanders
The Comedians
The Comedians
1967 ★ 6.1
Brown
Doctor Faustus
Doctor Faustus
1967 ★ 5.2
Doctor Faustus
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
1967 ★ 6.9
Petruchio
Lionpower from MGM
Lionpower from MGM
1967 ★ 4.5
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1966 ★ 7.7
George
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
1965 ★ 7.1
Alec Leamas
The Sandpiper
The Sandpiper
1965 ★ 6.3
Edward Hewitt
What's New Pussycat?
What's New Pussycat?
1965 ★ 6.0
Man In Strip Club
Hamlet from the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Hamlet from the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
1964 ★ 6.5
Hamlet
The Night of the Iguana
The Night of the Iguana
1964 ★ 7.1
Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon
Becket
Becket
1964 ★ 7.1
Thomas Becket
Zulu
Zulu
1964 ★ 7.4
Narration spoken (voice)
The V.I.P.s
The V.I.P.s
1963 ★ 6.1
Paul Andros
Cleopatra
Cleopatra
1963 ★ 7.0
Marcus Antonius
The Longest Day
The Longest Day
1962 ★ 7.6
Flying Officer David Campbell
A Subject of Scandal and Concern
A Subject of Scandal and Concern
1960
George Holyoake
The Bramble Bush
The Bramble Bush
1960 ★ 4.6
Dr. Guy Montford
The Tempest
The Tempest
1960 ★ 6.0
Caliban
The Fifth Column
The Fifth Column
1960 ★ 9.5
Ice Palace
Ice Palace
1960 ★ 5.8
Zeb Kennedy
Look Back in Anger
Look Back in Anger
1959 ★ 6.6
Jimmy Porter
March to Aldermaston
March to Aldermaston
1959 ★ 8.0
Narrator (voice)
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights
1958
Heathcliff
Bitter Victory
Bitter Victory
1957 ★ 6.2
Capt. Leith
Sea Wife
Sea Wife
1957 ★ 5.2
Biscuit
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great
1956 ★ 6.0
Alexander
The Rains of Ranchipur
The Rains of Ranchipur
1955 ★ 5.0
Dr. Major Rama Safti
Prince of Players
Prince of Players
1955 ★ 4.7
Edwin Booth
Thursday's Children
Thursday's Children
1954 ★ 6.7
Narrator (voice)
The Robe
The Robe
1953 ★ 6.8
Marcellus Gallio
The Desert Rats
The Desert Rats
1953 ★ 6.3
Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts
My Cousin Rachel
My Cousin Rachel
1952 ★ 6.7
Philip Ashley
Green Grow the Rushes
Green Grow the Rushes
1951 ★ 5.8
Robert 'Bob' Hammond
The Woman with No Name
The Woman with No Name
1950 ★ 6.0
Nick Chamerd
Waterfront
Waterfront
1950 ★ 6.4
Ben Satterthwaite
Now Barabbas
Now Barabbas
1949 ★ 6.5
Paddy
The Last Days of Dolwyn
The Last Days of Dolwyn
1949 ★ 6.8
Gareth

TV Series