Richard Burton, CBE (/ˈbÉœË rtÉ™n/; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.;
10 November 1925 â€" 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 and dramaturge Kenneth Tynan. A heavy drinker, Burton's
purported 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; he is nevertheless 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 was rarely out of the news.Burton was
born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr. on 10 November 1925 in a house at 2
Dan-y-bont in Pontrhydyfen, Glamorgan, Wales. He was the twelfth of
thirteen children born into the Welsh-speaking family of Richard
Walter Jenkins Sr. (1876â€"1957), and Edith Maude Jenkins (née
Thomas; 1883â€"1927). Jenkins Sr., called Daddy Ni by the family, was
a coal miner, while his mother worked as a barmaid at a pub called the
Miner's Arms, which was also the place where she met and married her
husband. According to biographer Melvyn Bragg, Richard is quoted
saying that Daddy Ni was a "twelve-pints-a-day man" who sometimes went
off on drinking and gambling sprees for weeks, and that "he looked
very much like me". He remembered his mother to be "a very strong
woman" and "a religious soul with fair hair and a beautiful face".
10 November 1925 â€" 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 and dramaturge Kenneth Tynan. A heavy drinker, Burton's
purported 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; he is nevertheless 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 was rarely out of the news.Burton was
born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr. on 10 November 1925 in a house at 2
Dan-y-bont in Pontrhydyfen, Glamorgan, Wales. He was the twelfth of
thirteen children born into the Welsh-speaking family of Richard
Walter Jenkins Sr. (1876â€"1957), and Edith Maude Jenkins (née
Thomas; 1883â€"1927). Jenkins Sr., called Daddy Ni by the family, was
a coal miner, while his mother worked as a barmaid at a pub called the
Miner's Arms, which was also the place where she met and married her
husband. According to biographer Melvyn Bragg, Richard is quoted
saying that Daddy Ni was a "twelve-pints-a-day man" who sometimes went
off on drinking and gambling sprees for weeks, and that "he looked
very much like me". He remembered his mother to be "a very strong
woman" and "a religious soul with fair hair and a beautiful face".
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