Richard Burton

Acting · Born 1925-11-10 in Pontrhydyfen, Wales, UK

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…

Filmography

• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? as George
• The Longest Day as Flying Officer David Campbell
• The Spy Who Came In from the Cold as Alec Leamas
• Cleopatra as Marcus Antonius
• Where Eagles Dare as Maj. Smith
• Zulu as Narration spoken (voice)
• John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick as Self (archive footage)
• What's New Pussycat? as Man In Strip Club
• The Assassination of Trotsky as Leon Trotsky
• Breakthrough as Sergeant Steiner

TV

• Here's Lucy as Richard Burton
• Hallmark Hall of Fame as Caliban
• Wagner as Richard Wagner
• The American Film Institute Salute to ... as Self
• Talking Pictures as Self (archive footage)
• Sphinx – Secrets of the History as Marc Antony (archive footage)
• The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
• Ellis Island as Sen. Phipps Ogden
• Hallmark Hall of Fame as Alec Harvey
• Hallmark Hall of Fame as Winston Churchill