Richard Burton

Lore & Background

Burton was born the twelfth of thirteen children in Pontrhydyfen, Glamorgan, Wales, to a Welsh-speaking family. His father was a coal miner and his mother a barmaid; she died of postpartum infections when Burton was not quite two years old. He was raised by his sister Cecilia and her husband Elfed James in Port Talbot. From age five he attended Eastern Primary School and later Port Talbot Secondary School, becoming the first in his family to attend secondary school. He showed an excellent speaking and singing voice from childhood, winning an eisteddfod prize as a boy soprano.

In 1939, Burton sought help from schoolmaster Philip Burton, who became his legal ward in 1943 after Burton changed his surname to Burton by deed poll. Philip tutored him intensely and helped develop his acting voice. Burton joined the Air Training Corps and a youth drama group, where he learned acting fundamentals. He qualified for university in 1943 and studied at Exeter College, Oxford, as part of an RAF scholarship program before active service.

Burton was nominated for seven Academy Awards for My Cousin Rachel (1952), The Robe (1953), Becket (1964), The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), and Equus (1977). He won a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, and a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Camelot (1960). By the late 1960s, he was one of the highest-paid actors in the world. He was closely associated with his second wife, Elizabeth Taylor, with whom he had a turbulent relationship, marrying and divorcing twice.

Reader's Guide

Richard Burton's significance lies in his reputation as one of the finest actors of his generation, despite a career marked by both acclaim and disappointment. His mellifluous baritone voice and Shakespearean prowess, particularly his 1964 Hamlet, earned him comparisons to Laurence Olivier. However, his heavy drinking and perceived failure to fully realize his potential led some critics and colleagues to view him as a great performer who wasted his talent. Burton's seven Academy Award nominations without a win underscore his consistent high-level work, while his Tony Award for Camelot and his status as a top box-office star in the mid-1960s highlight his commercial and critical success. His legacy is also intertwined with his highly publicized marriages to Elizabeth Taylor, which kept him in the news. Burton's early life—from a Welsh mining family to becoming a legal ward of his schoolmaster—shaped his disciplined approach to acting. He remains a subject of study for his vocal technique, his impact on film and stage, and the tension between his natural gifts and personal struggles.

Did You Know?

• Burton was the twelfth of thirteen children and was raised by his sister Cecilia after his mother died when he was not quite two years old.
• He changed his surname to Burton by deed poll in 1943 after becoming the legal ward of his schoolmaster, Philip Burton.
• Burton was nominated for seven Academy Awards but never won.
• He said he 'would rather have played for Wales at Cardiff Arms Park than Hamlet at The Old Vic' regarding his love of rugby.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"This article is about the 20th-century actor. For the 19th-century explorer and author, see Richard Francis Burton. For the organizational theorist, see Richard M. Burton." — Richard Burton "In "Richard Burton, 58, is Dead; Rakish Stage and Screen Star" — Richard Burton "You reach the top of the heap, but it's a circle, and you slip on the down side; maybe for years. You get scared. He said then he thought he was coming out of a slump." — Richard Burton "In "Richard Burton, 58, is Dead; Rakish Stage and Screen Star" — Richard Burton