Probably more frequently remembered for his turbulent personal life and multiple marriages, Richard Burton was nonetheless regarded as one of the great British actors of the post-WWII period.
Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins in Pontrhydyfen, Wales, to Edith Maude (Thomas) and Richard Walter Jenkins, a coal miner. His mother died while he was a toddler and his father abandoned the family, leaving him to be raised by his sister Cecilia and her husband Elfred. He received a scholarship to Oxford University to study acting and made his first stage appearance in 1944.
His first film appearances were in routine British movies such as The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949), Waterfront (1950) and Green Grow the Rushes (1951). Then he started to appear in Hollywood movies such as My Cousin Rachel (1952), La tunique (1953) and Alexandre le grand (1956), added to this he was also spending considerable time in stage productions, both in the UK and USA, often to splendid reviews.
The late 1950s was an exciting and inventive time in UK cinema, often referred to as the "British New Wave", and Burton was right in the thick of things, and showcased a sensational performance in Les corps sauvages (1959). He also appeared with a cavalcade of international stars in the World War II magnum opus Le jour le plus long (1962), and then onto arguably his most "notorious" role as that of Marc Antony opposite Elizabeth Taylor in the hugely expensive Cléopâtre (1963). This was, of course, the film that kick-started their fiery and passionate romance (plus two marriages), and the two of them appeared in several productions over the next few years including Hôtel international (1963), Le chevalier des sables (1965), the dynamic Qui a peur de Virginia Woolf? (1966) and La mégère apprivoisée (1967), as well as box office flops like Les comédiens (1967), _Dr. Faustus_, and the disastrous _Boom!_. However, Burton was often better when he was off on his own giving higher caliber performances, such as those in Becket (1964), the film adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play La nuit de l'iguane (1964), the brilliant espionage thriller L'espion qui venait du froid (1965) and alongside Clint Eastwood in the World War II action adventure film Quand les aigles attaquent (1968).
His audience appeal began to decline somewhat by the end of the 1960s as fans turned to younger, more virile male stars, however Burton was superb in Anne des mille jours (1969) as King Henry VIII, he put on a reasonable show in the boring Le cinquième commando (1971), was over the top in the awful Salaud (1971), gave sleepwalking performances in Hammersmith Is Out (1972) and Barbe-bleue (1972), and was wildly miscast in the ludicrous L'assassinat de Trotsky (1972) and the disastrous remake of Brief Encounter (1974).
By the early 1970s, quality male lead roles were definitely going to other stars, and Burton found himself appearing in some movies of dubious quality, just to pay the bills and support family, including Divorce His - Divorce Hers (1973) (his last on-screen appearance with Taylor), L'homme du clan (1974), L'exorciste II: L'hérétique (1977) and La grande menace (1978). However, he won another Oscar nomination for his excellent performance as a concerned psychiatrist in Equus (1977). He appeared with fellow acting icons Richard Harris and Roger Moore in Les oies sauvages (1978) about mercenaries in South Africa, and whilst the film had a modest initial run, over the past thirty-five years it has picked up quite a cult following.
His final performances were as the sinister "O'Brien" in 1984 (1984), and in the TV mini series Ellis Island, les portes de l'espoir (1984). He passed away on August 5th, 1984 in Celigny, Switzerland from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Burton was an avid fan of Shakespeare, poetry and reading, having once said "home is where the books are".
