Richard Burton (10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor who had an extensive career primarily on stage and in film.

Known for his powerful presence and mellifluous baritone voice he starred in numerous notable films. He made his feature film debut in the British drama The Last Days of Dolwyn in 1949. Burton gained attention for his role as Philip Ashley, the protagonist in the romantic mystery My Cousin Rachel (1952) earning his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Burton's stardom grew earning Academy Award for Best Actor nomination for portraying a history professor in a troubled marriage in the Mike Nichols directed drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) opposite his wife Elizabeth Taylor. He also starred in 10 other films opposite Taylor including The V.I.P.s (1963), Cleopatra (1963), The Sandpiper (1965), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), Doctor Faustus (1967), The Comedians (1967), Boom! (1968), Under Milk Wood (1971), Hammersmith is Out (1972).

Burton received further Oscar nominations for playing a Roman officer in the Biblical epic The Robe (1953), Thomas Becket in the historical drama Becket (1964), a British MI6 agent in spy thriller The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), King Henry VIII in the historical drama Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), and a psychiatrist treating a young patient in psychological drama Equus (1977). During this time Burton also starred in Alexander the Great (1956), The Longest Day (1962), and The Night of the Iguana (1965), Wagner (1983). His final film role was in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984).

On stage, Burton gained prominence as a Shakespearean actor acting in numerous works of William Shakespeare. He portrayed roles such as Prince Hal in Henry IV, Part 1 (1951) and Henry IV, Part 2 (1951), Henry V of England in Henry V (1951), Ferdinand in The Tempest (1951), Prince Hamlet in Hamlet (1953), Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night (1953), Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus in Coriolanus (1953), and Othello in Othello (1955). Burton originated the role as King Arthur in the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot from 1960 to 1961 acting opposite Julie Andrews on Broadway.

Acting credits Film + Filmography of Richard Burton Year Film Role Director Notes Gareth Now Barabbas Paddy Waterfront Nick Chamerd Green Grow the Rushes Robert "Bob" Hammond My Cousin Rachel Philip Ashley Marcellus Gallio Henry Koster Thursday's Children Narrator Documentary film Prince of Players Edwin Booth Rama Safti Alexander the Great Alexander the Great Sea Wife Biscuit Bitter Victory Jimmy Leith Look Back in Anger Jimmy Porter Ice Palace Zeb Kennedy Guy Montford Dylan Thomas Narrator Documentary film David Campbell , Andrew Marton,Bernhard Wicki, Gerd Oswald Cleopatra Mark Antony Paul Andros Zulu Narrator Becket Thomas Becket T. Laurence Shannon What's New Pussycat? Guest appearance Edward Hewitt Alec Leamas Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George Florence: Days of Destruction Narrator Documentary film Petruchio Also producer Doctor Faustus Doctor Faustus Brown Himself Short subject made to promote The Comedians Boom! Chris Flanders Where Eagles Dare Jonathan Smith Candy McPhisto Staircase Harry C. Leeds Anne of the Thousand Days Henry VIII of England Raid on Rommel Alex Foster Villain Vic Dakin Under Milk Wood First Voice Leon Trotsky Joseph Losey Hammersmith Is Out Hammersmith Bluebeard Baron Kurt von Sepper Battle of Sutjeska Josip Broz Tito Massacre in Rome Herbert Kappler Cesare Braggi Breck Stancill Exorcist II: The Heretic Philip Lamont Equus Martin Dysart John Morlar Allan Faulkner Absolution Goddard Breakthrough Rolf Steiner Andrew V. McLaglen Circle of Two Ashley St. Clair Lovespell Mark of Cornwall Wagner Richard Wagner To the Ends of the Earth Narrator Documentary film Nineteen Eighty-Four O'Brien Posthumous release (final film role)

Television + Television appearances of Richard Burton Date Programme Role Notes 1952 Celanese Theatre Mat Burke Episode: "Anna Christie" 1958 DuPont Show of the Month Heathcliff Episode: "Wuthering Heights" Hallmark Hall of Fame Caliban Episode: "The Tempest" A Subject of Scandal and Concern George Holyoake Television film by BBC Television The Ed Sullivan Show Himself Episode: "Salute to Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe" Camera Three Episode: "A Child's Christmas in Wales" 1963 The Ed Sullivan Show Episode: "Richard Burton, Morecombe and Wise, Arthur Worsley, Dave Madden" 1969 Episode: "The Swinging, Soulful Sixties" 1970 Here's Lucy Episode: "Lucy Meets the Burtons" 1971 Mooch Goes to Hollywood Narrator Television film by Jim Backus — Jerry Devine Productions 1973 Divorce His, Divorce Hers Martin Reynolds Television film by the American Broadcasting Company The Merv Griffin Show Himself Episode: "May 15, 1974" Film... Episode: "Film '74 Special, Richard Burton: If it Stops, I'm Dead" Hallmark Hall of Fame Alec Harvey Episode: "Brief Encounter" Parkinson Himself Episode: "Richard Burton" Hallmark Hall of Fame Winston Churchill Episode: "The Gathering Storm" The Hollywood Greats Himself Episode: "Humphrey Bogart" Film... Episode: "Film 77 Episode 8" Good Morning America Episode: "October 11, 1977" Episode: "October 12, 1977" Episode: "October 13, 1977" Dinah! Episode: "October 17, 1977" Episode: "November 18, 1977" Good Morning America Episode: "March 28, 1978" Film... Episode: "Film '78 Episode 11" 1979 The Bob Hope Salute to 1920s and '30's Television special 1981 Good Morning America Episode: "July 27, 1981" Entertainment Tonight Episode: "February 1, 1982" Episode: "February 4, 1982" Bob Hope's Star-Studded Spoof of the New TV Season, G-Rated, with Glamour, Glitter and Gags Television special The Fall Guy Episode: "Reluctant Traveling Companion" 1983 Great Performances White Knight Episode: "Alice in Wonderland" Entertainment Tonight Himself Episode: "July 31, 1984" Ellis Island Phipps Ogden Main role; 2 episodes

Theatre + Stage credits of Richard Burton Year Show Role Director Theatre 1943 The Druid's Rest Glen Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool 1944 St Martin's Theatre, London Measure for Measure Angelo Christ Church, Oxford 1948 Castle Anna Hicks Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith 1949 The Lady's Not for Burning Richard / Esme Percy Globe Theatre, London 1950 The Boy With A Cart Cuthman Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith A Phoenix Too Frequent Tegeus Dolphin Theatre, Brighton 1950–1951 The Lady's Not for Burning Richard Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, New York City 1951 Henry IV, Part 1 Prince Hal / John Kidd Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon Henry IV, Part 2 Henry V Henry V of England The Tempest Ferdinand 1951–1951 Legend of Lovers Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York City 1952 Montserrat Montserrat / Nigel Green Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith 1953 Hamlet Prince Hamlet The Assembly Hall, Edinburgh 1953–1954 The Old Vic, London King John Philip of Cognac Twelfth Night Sir Toby Belch Coriolanus Gaius Marcius Coriolanus The Tempest Caliban 1955–1956 Henry V Henry V of England Othello Othello 1957–1958 Time Remembered Albert Morosco Theatre, New York City 1960–1961 Camelot King Arthur 1964 Richard Burton's Hamlet Prince Hamlet Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City 1966 Doctor Faustus Faustus Oxford Playhouse, Oxford 1976 Equus Martin Dysart Plymouth Theatre, New York City 1980 Camelot King Arthur David H. Koch Theater, New York City 1983 Private Lives Elyot Chase Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, New York City

Radio + Selected radio broadcasts of Richard Burton Date Programme The Corn Is Green In Parenthesis The Last Days of Dolwyn Nightmare Abbey New Judgement Hippolytus The Lady's Not for Burning Sea Flood Men of Steel, the Birth of a Giant Night Birds Taffy was a Welshman Good for the Boy Younger Generation Night Must Fall Under Milk Wood The Duchess of Malfi The Old Vic Comes North Henry of Agincourt The Dark Tower Under Milk Wood A Christmas Story  – Vivat Rex

Discography Albums + Album recordings by Richard Burton Year Title Label Type 1954 Homage to Dylan Thomas Argo Records PLP 1060 Solo Under Milk Wood Spoken Arts SA 791 SA 792, 791-792 Cast Recording The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Argo Records RG 41 Solo 1955 Richard Burton Reads 15 Poems by Dylan Thomas Argo Records SW 503 1958 Love Poems of John Donne Caedmon Audio TC 1141 1960 Camelot Columbia Masterworks KOL 5620 Cast Recording 1961 The Poetry of Thomas Hardy Caedmon Audio TC 1140 Solo 1962 Coriolanus Caedmon Audio SRS M 226 Cast Recording 1964 Richard Burton's Hamlet Columbia Masterworks DOL 302 Famous Scenes From Sir John Gielgud's Production Of William Shakespeare's Hamlet Columbia Masterworks OL 8020 The Night of the Iguana MGM Records PR 4 1965 The English Poets — Samuel Taylor Coleridge Argo Records RG 438 Solo 1966 The Days of Wilfred Owen Warner Bros. Records B 1635 1969 Doctor Faustus His Master's Voice ALP 2270 Cast Recording 1971 The World of Dylan Thomas Argo Records PA/A 166 Cast Recording 1975 The Little Prince P.I.P. Records PIP 6813 1978 A Personal Anthology Argo Records ZDSW 714 Solo Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds CBS Records S CBS 96000 Cast Recording

Singles + Singles by Richard Burton Year Title Label Billed as Notes 1964 "Married Man" DRG Records DARC 2100/B Richard Burton Part of the Broadway musical Baker Street.

See also List of awards and nominations received by Richard Burton

References

Bibliography

External links Richard Burton Complete Filmography at TCM Movie Database