Burton, Richard (1925-1984), a Welsh actor, gained recognition for both classical and modern roles in motion pictures and the stage. He was noted for his brooding manner and rich voice. He received international notoriety for his flamboyant personal life, especially his relationship with American actress Elizabeth Taylor.
Burton was born in Pontrhydfen, Wales, near Swansea, on Nov. 10, 1925. His given and family name was Richard Walter Jenkins. He was the son of a coal miner and was brought up by his sister after his mother died. Philip H. Burton, his English teacher, encouraged the boy to become an actor. In 1943, Philip Burton became Richard’s guardian, and Richard changed his last name to Burton. Burton acted in Liverpool and Oxford in the early 1940’s before serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II (1939-1945). He made his motion-picture debut in The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949). Burton achieved his first major success on the stage in Christopher Fry’s verse play The Lady’s Not for Burning in 1949. He repeated the success on Broadway the next year.
In 1951, Burton won acclaim as a Shakespearean actor at Stratford in England. He appeared the same year in Legend of Lovers on Broadway and then turned primarily to making movies. His early films included My Cousin Rachel (1952) and The Robe (1953).
Burton met Elizabeth Taylor while they were filming the historical epic Cleopatra (1963). Their romance made international headlines. They married in 1964 and divorced in 1974. They remarried in 1975 and divorced again in 1976.
Burton’s personal life became a bigger story than his achievements as an actor. He appeared in a number of inferior films. Many critics believe his turbulent private life, aggravated by heavy drinking, damaged what could have been a triumphant acting career. Burton did appear in some highly regarded films, notably Becket (1964), The Night of the Iguana (1964), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966, co-starring Taylor), Staircase (1969), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), and Equus (1977). He received six Academy Award nominations as best actor during his career.
Burton also made a few notable stage appearances. He starred as King Arthur in the lavish musical comedy Camelot (1960). He earned praise for his performances in Hamlet in 1964 and the stage version of Equus in 1976. Burton co-starred with Elizabeth Taylor in a revival of Noel Coward’s comedy Private Lives in 1983. He died on Aug. 5, 1984.
