Highest rated as cast or director
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.
Acted in 71
2000s
- 2006
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: Live
George Herbert, The Journalist (archive sound)
1990s
- 1994
- 1992
Under Milk Wood
First Voice (voice) (archive sound)
1980s
- 1984
Ellis Island
Sen. Phipps Ogden · 3 episodes
- 1983
Alice in Wonderland
White Knight
Wagner
Richard Wagner · 10 episodes
- 1981
Circle of Two
Ashley St. Clair
Lovespell
King Mark of Cornwall
1970s
- 1979
Breakthrough
Sergeant Steiner
- 1978
- 1977
Equus
Martin Dysart
- 1976
Brief Encounter
Alec Harvey
Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry
Malcolm Lowry (voice)
- 1974
The Gathering Storm
Winston Churchill
The Voyage
Cesare Braggi
- 1973
Massacre in Rome
SS-Obersturmbannführer Herbert Kappler
Divorce His, Divorce Hers
Martin Reynolds · 2 episodes
- 1972
Bluebeard
Baron von Sepper
Hammersmith Is Out
Hammersmith
The Assassination of Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Under Milk Wood
First Man
- 1971
Villain
Vic Dakin
1960s
- 1969
Staircase
Harry Leeds
- 1968
Boom!
Chris Flanders
- 1967
Doctor Faustus
Doctor Faustus
- 1966
- 1965
- 1964
Hamlet
Hamlet
The Night of the Iguana
Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon
- 1963
The V.I.P.s
Paul Andros
- 1962
- 1960
A Subject of Scandal and Concern
George Holyoake
The Bramble Bush
Dr. Guy Montford
The Tempest
Caliban
The Fifth Column
Movie
Ice Palace
Zeb Kennedy
1950s
- 1959
- 1958
Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff
- 1957
Sea Wife
Biscuit
- 1956
- 1955
The Rains of Ranchipur
Dr. Major Rama Safti
Prince of Players
Edwin Booth
- 1953
The Desert Rats
Captain "Tammy" MacRoberts
- 1952
- 1951
Green Grow the Rushes
Robert 'Bob' Hammond
- 1950
The Woman with No Name
Nick Chamerd
Waterfront
Ben Satterthwaite
1940s
- 1949
Now Barabbas
Paddy
The Last Days of Dolwyn
Gareth
Produced 3
1960s
- 1967
Doctor Faustus
Producer
- 1964
The Caretaker
Associate Producer
Directed 1
1960s
- 1967
Doctor Faustus
Director
Wrote 1
1990s
- 1991
Richard Burton's Christmas Story
Novel
Appearances42
2020s
- 2025
Richard Burton: Wild Genius
Self (archive footage)
- 2024
- 2022
This Is Joan Collins
Self (Archive Footage)
2010s
- 2019
Julie Andrews Forever
Self (archive footage)
- 2013
2000s
- 2004
- 2003
- 2001
Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
1990s
- 1999
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1980s
- 1988
John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick
Self (archive footage)
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1985
To Be Hamlet
Self
- 1983
All-Star Party for Frank Sinatra
Self
To the Ends of the Earth
Narrator
- 1981
1970s
- 1978
Stars' War: The Flight of the Wild Geese
Self
- 1976
CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years
Self
- 1974
- 1973
- 1971
Mooch Goes to Hollywood
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
1960s
- 1969
The Violent Universe
Narrator - Verse Spoken
- 1968
On Location: Where Eagles Dare
Self
Robert Kennedy Remembered
Narrator
- 1967
The Comedians in Africa
Self (uncredited)
Acting in the 60's: Richard Burton
Self - Interviewee
Lionpower from MGM
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1966
For Florence
Self - Narrator
- 1965
The Big Sur
Self / Narrator
A Statue for "The Sandpiper"
Self
- 1964
On the Trail of the Iguana
Self
- 1963
- 1962
The Broadway of Lerner and Loewe
Self / Arthur
- 1960
1950s
- 1959
March to Aldermaston
Narrator (voice)
- 1956
- 1954
Thursday's Children
Narrator (voice)
