
Richard Burton
Known for Acting · 118 credits
- Born
- 1925-11-10
- Died
- 1984-08-05
- Place of birth
- Pontrhydyfen, Wales, UK
- Also known as
- Dick Burton · Richard Walter Jenkins · ریچارد برتون
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 mid-1960s, Burton ascended into the ranks of the top box office stars. By the late 1960s, Burton was one of the highest-paid actors in the world, receiving fees of $1 million or more plus a share of the gross receipts. Burton remained closely associated in the public consciousness with his second wife, actress Elizabeth Taylor. The couple's turbulent relationship, in which they were married twice and divorced twice, was rarely out of the news.
Known For

Great Performances
1971
as White Knight

Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Host / Self - Nominee / Award Accepter / Self - Co-Host / Special Award Recipient / Presenter / Arthur (archive footage)

Bambi
1948
as Self

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self

Here's Lucy
1968
as Richard Burton

Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self (archive footage)
TV Shows (17)

Great Performances
1971
as White Knight

Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Host / Self - Nominee / Award Accepter / Self - Co-Host / Special Award Recipient / Presenter / Arthur (archive footage)

Bambi
1948
as Self

The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self

Here's Lucy
1968
as Richard Burton

Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self (archive footage)

Dinah!
1974
as Self
Film '72
1971
as Self

Entertainment Tonight
1981
as Self

The American Film Institute Salute to ...
1973
as Self

Talking Pictures
2013
as Self (archive footage)

Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Caliban / Alec Harvey / Winston Churchill

Ellis Island
1984
as Sen. Phipps Ogden

Wagner
1983
as Richard Wagner

Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years
as Winston Churchill

Divorce His, Divorce Hers
1973
as Martin Reynolds

Sphinx – Secrets of the History
1994
as Marc Antony (archive footage)
Movies (101)

The Longest Day
1962
as Flight Officer David Campbell

Cleopatra
1963
as Marcus Antonius

Candy
1968
as MacPhisto

Where Eagles Dare
1968
as Maj. Smith

The Robe
1953
as Marcellus Gallio

Nineteen Eighty-Four
1984
as O'Brien

Exorcist II: The Heretic
1977
as Father Philip Lamont

Zulu
1964
as Narration spoken (voice)

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1966
as George

The Wild Geese
1978
as Col. Allen Faulkner

The Medusa Touch
1978
as John Morlar

The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
1965
as Alec Leamas

Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
1988
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Alexander the Great
1956
as Alexander

What's New Pussycat?
1965
as Man In Strip Club

The Night of the Iguana
1964
as Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon

John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
1988
as Self (archive footage)

The Taming of the Shrew
1967
as Petruchio

Anne of the Thousand Days
1969
as King Henry VIII

Becket
1964
as Thomas Becket

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes
2024
as Self (archive footage)

Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
2003
as Self (archive footage)

Villain
1971
as Vic Dakin

The Klansman
1974
as Breck Stancill

Bluebeard
1972
as Baron von Sepper

The Desert Rats
1953
as Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts

Raid on Rommel
1971
as Capt. Alex Foster

Look Back in Anger
1959
as Jimmy Porter

Equus
1977
as Martin Dysart

Boom!
1968
as Chris Flanders

Now Barabbas
1949
as Paddy

The Assassination of Trotsky
1972
as Leon Trotsky

Hamlet
1964
as Hamlet

The Voyage
1974
as Cesare Braggi

Wuthering Heights
1958
as Heathcliff

Circle of Two
1981
as Ashley St. Clair

The Comedians
1967
as Brown

The V.I.P.s
1963
as Paul Andros

Ice Palace
1960
as Zeb Kennedy

Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood
2001
as Self (archive footage)

The Sandpiper
1965
as Edward Hewitt

Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1
1999
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Battle of Sutjeska
1973
as Josip Broz Tito

Breakthrough
1979
as Sergeant Steiner

Lovespell
1981
as King Mark of Cornwall

Massacre in Rome
1973
as SS-Obersturmbannführer Herbert Kappler

My Cousin Rachel
1952
as Philip Ashley

Absolution
1978
as Father Goddard

Staircase
1969
as Harry Leeds

Hammersmith Is Out
1972
as Hammersmith

The Rains of Ranchipur
1955
as Dr. Major Rama Safti

Richard Burton: Wild Genius
2025
as Self (archive footage)

In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton
1988
as Self (Archive Footage)

CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years
1976
as Self

Bitter Victory
1957
as Capt. Leith

This Is Joan Collins
2022
as Self (Archive Footage)

Brief Encounter
1976
as Alec Harvey

Lionpower from MGM
1967
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

The Fifth Column
1960

Mooch Goes to Hollywood
1971
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Under Milk Wood
1972
as First Man

Waterfront
1950
as Ben Satterthwaite

Sea Wife
1957
as Biscuit

Alice in Wonderland
1983
as White Knight

All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra
1983
as Self

Stars' War: The Flight of the Wild Geese
1978
as Self

Prince of Players
1955
as Edwin Booth

To Be Hamlet
1985
as Self

A Wall in Jerusalem
1968
as Narrator (English version) (voice)

The Last Days of Dolwyn
1949
as Gareth

On the Trail of the Iguana
1964
as Self

The Gathering Storm
1974
as Winston Churchill
The Man with No Name
1977
as Self

March to Aldermaston
1959
as Narrator (voice)

The Big Sur
1965
as Self / Narrator

Doctor Faustus
1967
as Doctor Faustus

Under Milk Wood
1992
as First Voice (voice) (archive sound)

Thursday's Children
1954
as Narrator (voice)

Julie Andrews Forever
2019
as Self (archive footage)

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: Live
2006
as George Herbert, The Journalist (archive sound)

The Tempest
1960
as Caliban

The Woman with No Name
1950
as Nick Chamerd

A Statue for "The Sandpiper"
1965
as Self

The Violent Universe
1969
as Narrator - Verse Spoken

Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
1976
as Malcolm Lowry (voice)

A Tribute to Dylan Thomas
1962
as Self

The Comedians in Africa
1967
as Self (uncredited)

The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe
1962
as Self / Arthur

On Location: Where Eagles Dare
1968
as Self

Robert Kennedy Remembered
1968
as Narrator

The Bramble Bush
1960
as Dr. Guy Montford

To the Ends of the Earth
1983
as Narrator

For Florence
1966
as Self - Narrator
I, Leonardo: A Journey of the Mind
1983
as Self - Narrator (voice)

Green Grow the Rushes
1951
as Robert 'Bob' Hammond

A Subject of Scandal and Concern
1960
as George Holyoake

Acting in the 60's: Richard Burton
1967
as Self - Interviewee

Borrowed Pasture
1960
as Self - Narrator

Guilty Rebel
2024
as Narrator (archive footage)
Mystery of the Sacred Shroud
1978
as Self - Narrator

Sketch For Dawn
2025
as Narrator (voice) (Archive footage)
About Richard Burton
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. Nevert… With 118 credits spanning from 1948 to 2025, Richard Burton has appeared in 101 films and 17 TV shows.
Fans searching for Richard Burton movies, Richard Burton filmography, or the latest projects starring Richard Burton can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Richard Burton Movies
- The Longest Day (1962) — as Flight Officer David Campbell
- Cleopatra (1963) — as Marcus Antonius
- Candy (1968) — as MacPhisto
- Where Eagles Dare (1968) — as Maj. Smith
- The Robe (1953) — as Marcellus Gallio
Where to Watch Richard Burton Films
Most Richard Burton movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Richard Burton, check our movies catalogue and browse page.