Richard Burton (d. 1984)

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Biography

Richard Walter Burton was a Welsh actor.

Timeline

The story of Richard Burton, told in moments.

1925 Birth

Born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr. in Pontrhydyfen, South Wales. Twelfth of thirteen children. His mother died when he was two. A schoolteacher named Philip Burton became his guardian and gave him his surname.

What did Philip Burton give you beyond a surname? How did being the twelfth of thirteen children shape you? Was Wales your identity or your origin story?

1953 Life

Moved to Hollywood after stage success. He was nominated for an Oscar for My Cousin Rachel. Critic Kenneth Tynan called him "the natural successor to Olivier."

Did Hollywood feel like a natural step or a betrayal of the stage? How did Olivier's shadow feel? Was the Oscar nomination a promise or a curse?

1963 Event

Met Elizabeth Taylor on the set of Cleopatra. Both were married to other people. Their affair was front-page news for months. The Vatican condemned it.

What happened when you first saw Elizabeth Taylor? Did the affair feel like love or destruction? How did you handle the Vatican's condemnation?

1964 Event

Married Taylor. Divorced in 1974. Married her again in 1975. Divorced again in 1976. He gave her the 69-carat Taylor-Burton diamond.

Why marry the same woman twice? Was the 69-carat diamond about love or spectacle? Did Elizabeth Taylor consume you or complete you?

1984 Death

Died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Geneva at 58. He'd been nominated for seven Oscars without winning. His doctor said his spine was coated in crystallized alcohol.

Does seven Oscar nominations without a win haunt you? Was your spine coated in crystallized alcohol a metaphor for the life? Do you wish you'd chosen differently?

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