Richard Burton was a Welsh actor who became known for his performances in Shakespearean roles during the 1950s. His mellifluous baritone voice earned him praise from Kenneth Tynan, who called him the “natural successor” to Olivier. In 1964, Burton starred in a memorable performance of Hamlet.
Early life
Richard Burton was a famous American actor. He appeared in numerous stage productions throughout his career. He was also a film actor, and played many roles in films. But he specialized in historical roles in motion pictures during the 1950s.
Burton’s life began in Pontrhydyfen, a mining village in South Wales. His mother died when he was two years old, leaving him in the care of his older sister Cis. Burton joined the Royal Air Force in 1944 and was subsequently discharged in 1947.
After leaving the military, he entered the theatre. He took on a number of roles on the London stage.
His first major Shakespeare role was Measure for Measure, performed in front of Terence Rattigan. The role earned Burton a nomination for an Oscar.
Burton’s performance as King Arthur in Camelot garnered him a contract with Twentieth Century Fox. But his performance was marred by a serious spinal ailment. Despite the surgery, he was able to return to the stage in 1979 and 1980, playing Prince Hal in the Broadway revival of “Camelot.”
While working as a director in his early career, Burton was a heavy drinker and gambler. He also narrated plays for BBC radio. As an actor, Burton appeared in a range of minor British films and television programmes.
Burton became president of the Richard Burton Schools in 1925, and was a board member of the Book League of America in 1934. At Sarah Lawrence College, he served as a lecturer on literature from 1928 to 1931.
Burton had an unorthodox relationship with Elizabeth Taylor. They had two daughters together. It became a matter of tabloid headlines for many years.
In 1961, Richard Burton won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in “Camelot.” A few years later, he appeared in the Broadway adaptation of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf with Taylor.
Burton died from cerebral hemorrhage in 1984. His funeral was attended by Elizabeth Taylor. She had been in the audience when Burton was awarded CBE. This award is considered one of the highest honors in the entertainment industry.
Romance with Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had a passionate love affair. The two met on the set of Cleopatra in 1962. They were married for twelve years. Their love affair was notorious, so it was no surprise that their relationship came with its share of complications.
They began making films together in 1966. During that time, they made a number of flops. But their romance remained strong. It was the most talked about love story of all time.
Taylor and Burton starred in eleven movies together. They shared the screen in such films as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, National Velt, and Lassie Come Home. At the end of the day, however, the couple split. In fact, they divorced once and remarried again.
They enjoyed an opulent lifestyle. They went on vacations together and bought a nine hundred thousand dollar private jet. They also rented out a luxury apartment in Puerto Vallarta. This is a place located near the Los Arcos landmark.
Richard Burton was an actor with a reputation as a ladies man. He had several affairs, including one with a co-star. One woman, Suzy Hunt, even visited him while he was skiing in Gstaad.
Elizabeth Taylor was a sexy lady. She attended the same ballet school as Princess Margaret. Her parents were former actors. They moved to the U.S. during World War II.
They had four children. Despite her acclaim as a sex queen, she was divorced twice. Eventually, she married Eddie Fisher. However, it was her third husband, Richard Burton, who was credited as the best lover in her life.
Burton’s first impression of Taylor was a sexy lady. Taylor had a penchant for diamonds. For a moment, Burton thought that she was “unquestionably gorgeous.”
Elizabeth and Richard fought often, but not always. There was one incident where they were actually hurt. Elizabeth suffered from back and neck pain. She was a heavy drinker. Apparently, she had a painkiller addiction.
They both made fun of each other, but they were also devoted to each other. Elizabeth even warned Burton not to engage in infidelity.
Marriage to wife Sybil Williams
Richard Burton was born in Wales. His father was a coal miner. The family lived in the village of Tylorstown in the Rhondda Valley. Sybil’s mother died at a young age. She went to school and attended the Lamda drama school. Her teacher recommended her to Emlyn Williams.
When she graduated from high school, Sybil enrolled in the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. After she completed her training, she worked as a window dresser. This job led to her being offered a part in a film. It was on the set of that film that she met Richard Burton.
Although they were married, they separated for a period of time. They were married again 16 months later. As a result, Burton’s behavior became more erratic. He had affairs with Jean Simmons and Claire Bloom.
When the relationship ended, Burton filed for divorce. At that point, Taylor asked Burton if he would stay with her. Burton said yes, and then went on to marry Miss Taylor.
However, after the pair were married, they had no honeymoon. Instead, they moved to Switzerland. They then bought a house on the shore of Lake Geneva. While in Switzerland, they also became friends with Valerie Douglas.
When they returned to New York, they opened a nightclub named Arthur. It was a popular celebrity hangout. But after some racial insensitivity, the club closed. In 1969, the club was racially motivated. Afterwards, Christopher was given a one-million dollar settlement.
Burton’s next marriage was to Sally Hay. She was a former actress who had appeared in Harvey. Burton’s fourth marriage was to Susan Hunt. Another former actress, Suzy Miller, was his fifth.
Burton has been married to seven different women. His fifth wife, Suzy Miller, was married for six years. And his most recent wife, Sally Hay, was married for one year.
Burton has had a number of famous wives. In addition to Elizabeth Taylor, he has been married to Susan Hunt, Suzy Miller, Jean Simmons, and Sally Hay.
Burton and Sybil’s marriage lasted fourteen years. They had two daughters together.
Death from puerperal fever
Richard Burton was born in Pontrhydyfen, a mining village in Wales. He was the twelfth of thirteen children. The family lived in a very poor house, where the only foods they had were sausages, mash, bread and cheap meat. They had to share their income with other people, so they would do laundry.
When Richard was about two years old, his mother was taken into the care of her sister, Cecilia Jenkins. However, Richard’s mother died in 1927, leaving a thirteenth child behind. After that, the household was in a very poor state, and it was impossible to give them proper care.
Elfed, as he was known, was a fine father figure. In addition to taking care of Richard, he taught him manners and encouraged him to act. And when Richard went off to school, Elfed would always make sure he was going to be there.
Elfed never got angry with Richard and he often forgave him for indiscretions. In fact, he treated him like a son. But as time passed, he grew into a heavy drinker.
One of the reasons for that was his own lack of knowledge about his mother. He was also frustrated with the fact that he did not have any memories of her.
In fact, he cried for hours at a time whenever he missed his mother. Even after she had passed away, Richard continued to be upset about his lack of memories.
Richard was enrolled in school at the age of 11, where he was very successful. Philip Burton, his legal guardian, helped him become an actor. This led to a contract to play on the stage.
His acting career would continue for many years. He earned a place as one of the world’s top box office stars in the 1960s and he was nominated for seven Academy Awards. He also received a Golden Globe in 1978 for his role in Equus.
During his lifetime, Burton had more than forty films to his credit. He won a BAFTA for Best British Actor in 1966, and he was nominated for seven more.
