British actor, Richard Burton

Richard Burton

(1925–84)

British actor (d. 58) | The Robe (1953), Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

Welsh leading actor whose dark, brooding good looks did not bring him immediate film success either in Britain or Hollywood

Mini Biography

Burton’s 1963 marriage to Elizabeth Taylor helped him climb to the crest of stardom, as did their subsequent divorces and reunions. High living and a kind of contempt for his work kept him from the heights of both serious achievement and popular acclaim.

Latest Richard Burton Pictures

Main title from The VIPs (1963) (4). Richard Burton as Paul Andros
  • 15th September, 2021
Dennis Price, Richard Burton
The VIPs (1963) opening credits (4)
Hardback book of A Christmas Story by Richard Burton, published 1989. With an introduction by Sally Burton
  • 31st July, 2021
Richard Burton
A Christmas Story hardback (1989)| Richard Burton (1)
Elizabeth Taylor married Richard Burton in March 1964 and they adopted their daughter Maria that same year. Here, the couple are pictured at the Lancaster Hotel in Paris, where they spent Christmas with their children. Taylor is wearing a $6,000 mink ski jacket from Chombert as she strides past a Christmas tree towards the camera. Burton in the background holds a dog in his arms
  • 5th December, 2020
  • Candid
Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton at the Lancaster Hotel, Paris over Christmas 1964
Photograph of Bitter Victory (1957) (1) featuring Richard Burton
  • 19th October, 2020
Richard Burton
Bitter Victory (1957) photo (1) | Richard Burton

Select Richard Burton Filmography

Waterfront (1950) opening credits (3)
Waterfront (1950)
Ben Satterthwaite
Waterfront (1950) opening credits (3)
My Cousin Rachel (1952)
Philip Ashley
The Robe (1953) opening credits
The Robe (1953)
Marcellus Gallio
The Desert Rats (1953) opening credits
The Desert Rats (1953)
Capt ‘Tammy’ MacRoberts
Bitter Victory (1957) opening credits (7)
Bitter Victory (1957)
Capt Leith
Look Back in Anger (1959) opening credits (4)
Look Back in Anger (1959)
Jimmy Porter
Cleopatra (1963) opening credits (3)
Cleopatra (1963)
Mark Antony
The VIPs (1963) opening credits (11)
The VIPs (1963)
Paul Andros
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) opening credits
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
Alec Leamas
The Taming of the Shrew (1967) opening credits (6)
The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
Petruchio
Where Eagles Dare (1968) opening credits
Where Eagles Dare (1968)
Maj Smith
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) opening credits (5)
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
King Henry VIII
Villain (1971) opening credits (6)
Villain (1971)
Vic Dakin
Raid on Rommel (1971) opening credits (6)
Raid on Rommel (1971)
Foster
Massacre in Rome (1973) opening credits (5)
Massacre in Rome (1973)
Lt Col Herbert Kappler
Brief Encounter (1974) opening credits (5)
Brief Encounter (1974)
Alec Harvey
The Wild Geese (1978) opening credits
The Wild Geese (1978)
Col Allen Faulkner
The Medusa Touch (1978) opening credits (6)
The Medusa Touch (1978)
Morlar
Breakthrough (1979) opening credits (3)
Breakthrough (1979)
Sgt Rolf Steiner
+ Show all productions (9 more)

Personal Details

Born
Died
British actress, Elizabeth Taylor
Wife  m. 1964–1974 (divorced)
British actress, Elizabeth Taylor
Wife  m. 1975–1976 (divorced)
Jean Simmons, British actress, wears a lacy top and a pearl necklace as she poses for a 1950s publicity photo
Significant Romance

Watch Richard Burton on British television