Richard Burton
Known for Acting · 117 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
Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self (archive footage)
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Host / Self - Nominee / Award Accepter / Self - Co-Host / Special Award Recipient / Presenter / Arthur (archive footage)
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Bambi
1948
as Self
Dinah!
1974
as Self
TV Shows (17)
Great Performances
1971
as White Knight
Spécial cinéma
1974
as Self (archive footage)
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Host / Self - Nominee / Award Accepter / Self - Co-Host / Special Award Recipient / Presenter / Arthur (archive footage)
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Bambi
1948
as Self
Dinah!
1974
as Self
Here's Lucy
1968
as Richard Burton
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)
Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years
1960
as Winston Churchill
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Caliban / Alec Harvey / Winston Churchill
Ellis Island
1984
as Sen. Phipps Ogden
Wagner
1983
as Richard Wagner
Divorce His, Divorce Hers
1973
as Martin Reynolds
Sphinx – Secrets of the History
1994
as Marc Antony (archive footage)
Movies (100)
Candy
1968
as MacPhisto
Cleopatra
1963
as Marcus Antonius
Where Eagles Dare
1968
as Maj. Smith
The Longest Day
1962
as Flight Officer David Campbell
Nineteen Eighty-Four
1984
as O'Brien
Lionpower from MGM
1967
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Exorcist II: The Heretic
1977
as Father Philip Lamont
Boom!
1968
as Chris Flanders
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1966
as George
The Taming of the Shrew
1967
as Petruchio
The Robe
1953
as Marcellus Gallio
The Night of the Iguana
1964
as Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
1965
as Alec Leamas
The Wild Geese
1978
as Col. Allen Faulkner
Hamlet
1964
as Hamlet
Alexander the Great
1956
as Alexander
What's New Pussycat?
1965
as Man In Strip Club
Zulu
1964
as Narration spoken (voice)
Anne of the Thousand Days
1969
as King Henry VIII
The Sandpiper
1965
as Edward Hewitt
Becket
1964
as Thomas Becket
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes
2024
as Self (archive footage)
The Assassination of Trotsky
1972
as Leon Trotsky
Raid on Rommel
1971
as Capt. Alex Foster
Circle of Two
1981
as Ashley St. Clair
Richard Burton: Wild Genius
2025
as Self (archive footage)
Equus
1977
as Martin Dysart
The Medusa Touch
1978
as John Morlar
Look Back in Anger
1959
as Jimmy Porter
Bluebeard
1972
as Baron von Sepper
Guilty Rebel
2024
as Narrator (archive footage)
Massacre in Rome
1973
as SS-Obersturmbannführer Herbert Kappler
Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There
2003
as Self (archive footage)
The V.I.P.s
1963
as Paul Andros
The Comedians
1967
as Brown
Breakthrough
1979
as Sergeant Steiner
Absolution
1978
as Father Goddard
My Cousin Rachel
1952
as Philip Ashley
The Battle of Sutjeska
1973
as Josip Broz Tito
Brief Encounter
1976
as Alec Harvey
Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood
2001
as Self (archive footage)
The Bramble Bush
1960
as Dr. Guy Montford
Doctor Faustus
1967
as Doctor Faustus
The Big Sur
1965
as Self / Narrator
Wuthering Heights
1958
as Heathcliff
Green Grow the Rushes
1951
as Robert 'Bob' Hammond
The Voyage
1974
as Cesare Braggi
Borrowed Pasture
1960
as Self - Narrator
Mooch Goes to Hollywood
1971
as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
The Woman with No Name
1950
as Nick Chamerd
To Be Hamlet
1985
as Self
Villain
1971
as Vic Dakin
The Gathering Storm
1974
as Winston Churchill
Now Barabbas
1949
as Paddy
Hammersmith Is Out
1972
as Hammersmith
Lovespell
1981
as King Mark of Cornwall
Sea Wife
1957
as Biscuit
Robert Kennedy Remembered
1968
as Narrator
Bitter Victory
1957
as Capt. Leith
The Comedians in Africa
1967
as Self (uncredited)
Ice Palace
1960
as Zeb Kennedy
John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
1988
as Self (archive footage)
Under Milk Wood
1972
as First Man
March to Aldermaston
1959
as Narrator (voice)
Prince of Players
1955
as Edwin Booth
The Klansman
1974
as Breck Stancill
The Rains of Ranchipur
1955
as Dr. Major Rama Safti
All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra
1983
as Self
Waterfront
1950
as Ben Satterthwaite
Under Milk Wood
1992
as First Voice (voice) (archive sound)
The Man with No Name
1977
as Self
Alice in Wonderland
1983
as White Knight
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1
1999
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Desert Rats
1953
as Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts
The Violent Universe
1969
as Narrator - Verse Spoken
Julie Andrews Forever
2019
as Self (archive footage)
Thursday's Children
1954
as Narrator (voice)
A Statue for "The Sandpiper"
1965
as Self
The Last Days of Dolwyn
1949
as Gareth
The Tempest
1960
as Caliban
The Fifth Column
1960
This Is Joan Collins
2022
as Self (Archive Footage)
On the Trail of the Iguana
1964
as Self
Mystery of the Sacred Shroud
1978
as Self - Narrator
In from the Cold? A Portrait of Richard Burton
1988
as Self (Archive Footage)
I, Leonardo: A Journey of the Mind
1983
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: Live
2006
as George Herbert, The Journalist (archive sound)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
1988
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe
1962
as Self / Arthur
CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years
1976
as Self
On Location: Where Eagles Dare
1968
as Self
A Subject of Scandal and Concern
1960
as George Holyoake
Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
1976
as Malcolm Lowry (voice)
To the Ends of the Earth
1983
as Narrator
Stars' War: The Flight of the Wild Geese
1978
as Self
Acting in the 60's: Richard Burton
1967
as Self - Interviewee
Staircase
1969
as Harry Leeds
A Wall in Jerusalem
1968
as Narrator (English version) (voice)
A Tribute to Dylan Thomas
1962
as Self
For Florence
1966
as Self - Narrator
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 117 credits spanning from 1948 to 2025, Richard Burton has appeared in 100 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
- Candy (1968) — as MacPhisto
- Cleopatra (1963) — as Marcus Antonius
- Where Eagles Dare (1968) — as Maj. Smith
- The Longest Day (1962) — as Flight Officer David Campbell
- Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) — as O'Brien
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.