Richard Burton
Biography
Richard Burton was a Welsh actor known for his mellifluous baritone voice. He established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s. Burton gave a memorable performance of Hamlet in 1964, earning him the title of "the natural successor to Olivier" from critic Kenneth Tynan. He was nominated for an Academy Award seven times, but the specifics of his nominations are not detailed. Burton is widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation.
Career overview
Richard Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s. He gained recognition for his performances, particularly in the title role of Hamlet in 1964. Critic Kenneth Tynan referred to Burton as "the natural successor to Olivier," highlighting his potential as a leading actor.
Throughout his career, Burton received significant recognition, being nominated for an Academy Award seven times. Despite these nominations, he did not win an Oscar. Burton's performances and reputation as a talented actor were widely acknowledged, with many regarding him as one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation.
Burton's personal struggles, including his heavy drinking, contributed to a perception that he had not lived up to his full potential. This perception was held by some critics and colleagues, who felt that he had wasted his talent. However, his body of work and enduring reputation as a skilled actor have cemented his status as a notable figure in the acting world.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Richard Burton: Wild Genius (2025) as Self (archive footage)
- Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (2024) as Self (archive footage)
- Guilty Rebel (2024) as Narrator (archive footage)
- This Is Joan Collins (2022) as Self (Archive Footage)
- Julie Andrews Forever (2019) as Self (archive footage)
- Talking Pictures (2013) as Self (archive footage)
- Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: Live (2006) as George Herbert, The Journalist (archive sound)
- Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003) as Self (archive footage)
- Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood (2001) as Self (archive footage)
- Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1 (1999) as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Sphinx – Secrets of the History (1994) as Marc Antony (archive footage)
- Under Milk Wood (1992) as First Voice (voice) (archive sound)
- Richard Burton's Christmas Story (1991) Novel
- John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick (1988) as Self (archive footage)
- In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton (1988) as Self (Archive Footage)
- Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC (1988) as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- To Be Hamlet (1985) as Self
- Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) as O'Brien
- Ellis Island (1984) as Sen. Phipps Ogden
- Wagner (1983) as Richard Wagner
- All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra (1983) as Self
- Alice in Wonderland (1983) as White Knight
- I, Leonardo: A Journey of the Mind (1983) as Self - Narrator (voice)
- To the Ends of the Earth (1983) as Narrator
- Entertainment Tonight (1981) as Self
- Circle of Two (1981) as Ashley St. Clair
- Lovespell (1981) as King Mark of Cornwall
- Breakthrough (1979) as Sergeant Steiner
- The Wild Geese (1978) as Col. Allen Faulkner
- Absolution (1978) as Father Goddard
- The Medusa Touch (1978) as John Morlar
- Mystery of the Sacred Shroud (1978) as Self - Narrator
- Stars' War: The Flight of the Wild Geese (1978) as Self
- Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) as Father Philip Lamont
- Equus (1977) as Martin Dysart
- The Man with No Name (1977) as Self
- Brief Encounter (1976) as Alec Harvey
- CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years (1976) as Self
- Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (1976) as Malcolm Lowry (voice)
- Spécial cinéma (1974) as Self (archive footage)
- Dinah! (1974) as Self
- The Klansman (1974) as Breck Stancill
- The Gathering Storm (1974) as Winston Churchill
- The Voyage (1974) as Cesare Braggi
- The American Film Institute Salute to ... (1973) as Self
- Divorce His, Divorce Hers (1973) as Martin Reynolds
- Massacre in Rome (1973) as SS-Obersturmbannführer Herbert Kappler
- The Battle of Sutjeska (1973) as Josip Broz Tito
- Bluebeard (1972) as Baron von Sepper
- The Assassination of Trotsky (1972) as Leon Trotsky
- Under Milk Wood (1972) as First Man
- Hammersmith Is Out (1972) as Hammersmith
- Great Performances (1971) as White Knight
- Film '72 (1971) as Self
- Raid on Rommel (1971) as Capt. Alex Foster
- Villain (1971) as Vic Dakin
- Mooch Goes to Hollywood (1971) as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
- Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) as King Henry VIII
- The Violent Universe (1969) as Narrator - Verse Spoken
- Staircase (1969) as Harry Leeds
- Here's Lucy (1968) as Richard Burton
- Where Eagles Dare (1968) as Maj. Smith
- Candy (1968) as MacPhisto
- Boom! (1968) as Chris Flanders
- Robert Kennedy Remembered (1968) as Narrator
- On Location: Where Eagles Dare (1968) as Self
- A Wall in Jerusalem (1968) as Narrator (English version) (voice)
- Lionpower from MGM (1967) as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- The Taming of the Shrew (1967) as Petruchio
- The Taming of the Shrew (1967) Producer
- The Comedians (1967) as Brown
- Doctor Faustus (1967) as Doctor Faustus
- Doctor Faustus (1967) Director
- Doctor Faustus (1967) Producer
- The Comedians in Africa (1967) as Self (uncredited)
- Acting in the 60's: Richard Burton (1967) as Self - Interviewee
- Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) as George
- For Florence (1966) as Self - Narrator
- What's New Pussycat? (1965) as Man In Strip Club
- The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965) as Alec Leamas
- The Sandpiper (1965) as Edward Hewitt
- The Big Sur (1965) as Self / Narrator
- A Statue for "The Sandpiper" (1965) as Self
- Zulu (1964) as Narration spoken (voice)
- The Night of the Iguana (1964) as Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon
- Hamlet (1964) as Hamlet
- Becket (1964) as Thomas Becket
- The Caretaker (1964) Associate Producer
- On the Trail of the Iguana (1964) as Self
- Cleopatra (1963) as Marcus Antonius
- The V.I.P.s (1963) as Paul Andros
- The Longest Day (1962) as Flight Officer David Campbell
- A Tribute to Dylan Thomas (1962) as Self
- The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe (1962) as Self / Arthur
- Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years (1960) as Winston Churchill
- Borrowed Pasture (1960) as Self - Narrator
- The Bramble Bush (1960) as Dr. Guy Montford
- A Subject of Scandal and Concern (1960) as George Holyoake
- Ice Palace (1960) as Zeb Kennedy
- The Tempest (1960) as Caliban
- The Fifth Column (1960)
- Look Back in Anger (1959) as Jimmy Porter
- March to Aldermaston (1959) as Narrator (voice)
- Wuthering Heights (1958) as Heathcliff
- Bitter Victory (1957) as Capt. Leith
- Sea Wife (1957) as Biscuit
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self - Host
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self - Nominee / Award Accepter
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self - Co-Host / Special Award Recipient / Presenter
- Tony Awards (1956) as Self - Co-Host
- Tony Awards (1956) as Arthur (archive footage)
- Alexander the Great (1956) as Alexander
- The Rains of Ranchipur (1955) as Dr. Major Rama Safti
- Prince of Players (1955) as Edwin Booth
- Thursday's Children (1954) as Narrator (voice)
- The Robe (1953) as Marcellus Gallio
- The Desert Rats (1953) as Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts
- My Cousin Rachel (1952) as Philip Ashley
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Caliban
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Alec Harvey
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) as Winston Churchill
- Green Grow the Rushes (1951) as Robert 'Bob' Hammond
- The Woman with No Name (1950) as Nick Chamerd
- Waterfront (1950) as Ben Satterthwaite
- Now Barabbas (1949) as Paddy
- The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949) as Gareth
- The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) as Self
- Bambi (1948) as Self