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Richard Burton Biography
Birth Name:
Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.
Birth Place:
Pontrhydyfen, Wales
Profession
Actor, producer, director
Fast Facts
- Twelfth out of 13 children born to a Welsh coal miner and his wife
- Mother, Edith, died in childbirth when Richard was 2; he was subsequently raised by his older sister, Cecilia, and her husband
- Was made the legal ward of his teacher Philip Burton, whose name he took as his own, in 1943
- Won a scholarship to Exeter College at Oxford in 1943
- Served in British Royal Air Force as a navigator from 1944 to '47
- Became a superstar after taking on the role of King Arthur in the 1960s Broadway musical Camelot
- Had a famously stormy relationship with Elizabeth Taylor, whom he married twice
- Purchased the famed 69-carat Cartier diamond for Taylor in 1969; it was renamed the Taylor-Burton Diamond
- Famed for his deep, sonorous speaking voice
Awards
- 1985Emmy-Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Special: nominated
- 1978Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: winner
- 1977Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
- 1970Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
- 1969Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
- 1968BAFTA Film Awards-Best British Actor: nominated
- 1968Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: nominated
- 1967BAFTA Film Awards-Best British Actor: winner
- 1967BAFTA Film Awards-Best British Actor: winner
- 1967Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
- 1966Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
- 1965Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
- 1960BAFTA Film Awards-Best British Actor: nominated
- 1960Golden Globe-Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: nominated
- 1953Golden Globe-New Star of the Year - Actor: winner
- 1953Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: nominated
- 1952Oscar-Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: nominated
Relationships
- David Jenkins -- Brother
- Graham Jenkins -- Brother
- Ifor Jenkins -- Brother
- Tom Jenkins -- Brother
- Verdun Jenkins -- Brother
- Jessica Burton -- Daughter
- Maria Burton Carson -- Daughter
- Susan Hunt -- Ex-wife
- Sybil Williams -- Ex-wife
- Richard 'Dic' Walter Jenkins -- Father
- Edith Maud Jenkins -- Mother
- Cecilia James -- Sister
- Sally Hay -- Wife