Richard Burton CBE (born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 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 Kenneth Tynan. A heavy drinker, Burton's perceived 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. Nevertheless, he is 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, in which they were married twice and divorced twice, was rarely out of the news.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 10, 1925
- August 5, 1984 (aged 58)
- Pontrhydyfen, Wales, UK
- Actor, also producer and director
- 47 on MovieCove · 86 credits in all
What are Richard Burton's films like?
Across their 48 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 1 · Earnest 44
Light 9 · Serious 7 · Dark 31
A split, not a type: Grounded 24 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 10
Gentle 4 · Charged 22 · Intense 21
Steady 16 · Shifting 24 · Whiplash 7
Straight-faced 34 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 3
Slow burn 27 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 1
Casual 14 · Engaged 26 · Full focus 7
A split, not a type: Easy watch 9 · Affecting 16 · Heavy 22
A split, not a type: Resolved 25 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 12
Roles they play
Usually the Hero: 23 of 36 analyzed roles.
Show the 36 rolesHide the roles
- Heroas Philip Ashley in My Cousin Rachel (1952)
- Heroas Capt. 'Tammy' MacRoberts in The Desert Rats (1953)
- Heroas Marcellus Gallio in The Robe (1953)
- Heroas Dr. Major Rama Safti in The Rains of Ranchipur (1955)
- Heroas Alexander in Alexander the Great (1956)
- Heroas Captain Leith in Bitter Victory (1957)
- Shapeshifteras Mark Antony in Cleopatra (1963)
- Shadowas Paul Andros in The V.I.P.s (1963)
- Heroas Thomas Becket in Becket (1964)
- Heroas Hamlet in Hamlet (1964)
- Heroas T. Lawrence Shannon in The Night of the Iguana (1964)
- Heroas Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
- Heroas George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
- Heroas Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
- Heroas Brown in The Comedians (1967)
- Heroas Doctor Faustus in Doctor Faustus (1967)
- Heroas Smith in Where Eagles Dare (1968)
- Mentoras Chris Flanders in Boom! (1968)
- Tricksteras Smith in Where Eagles Dare (1968)
- Shadowas King Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
- Heroas Foster in Raid on Rommel (1971)
- Shadowas Vic Dakin in Villain (1971)
- Heroas Leon Trotsky in The Assassination of Trotsky (1972)
- Shadowas Kurt Von Sepper in Bluebeard (1972)
- Shapeshifteras Kurt Von Sepper in Bluebeard (1972)
- Shadowas Lt. Col. Herbert Kappler in Massacre in Rome (1973)
- Shapeshifteras Alec Harvey in Brief Encounter (1974)
- Heroas Martin Dysart in Equus (1977)
- Heroas Father Lamont in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
- Heroas Father Goddard in Absolution (1978)
- Heroas Colonel Allen Faulkner in The Wild Geese (1978)
- Shadowas John Morlar in The Medusa Touch (1978)
- Heroas Sgt. Rolf Steiner in Breakthrough (1979)
- Mentoras Ashley St. Clair in Obsession (1980)
- Heroas Richard Wagner in Wagner (1983)
- Shadowas O'Brien in 1984 (1984)
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet21
- Tragic12
- Ambiguous8
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Richard Burton's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 47 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (16).
- Zulu (1964) · actor · free
- Becket (1964) · actor · free
- 1984 (1984) · actor · free
- The Medusa Touch (1978) · actor · free
- Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation (2020) · actor · free
- Bitter Victory (1957) · actor · free
- Absolution (1978) · actor · free
- What's New Pussycat (1965) · actor · free
- A Wall in Jerusalem (1968) · actor · free
- Obsession (1980) · actor · free
- Alexander the Great (1956) · actor · free
- Mooch (1974) · actor · free
- +4 more
- Shout! TV, show their 5 titles on Shout! TV
- ScreenPix, show their 2 titles on ScreenPix
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Full Moon, show their title on Full Moon
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- Kino Film Collection, show their title on Kino Film Collection
- Midnight Pulp, show their title on Midnight Pulp
Subscription and free streaming for Richard Burton's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
86 credits, 47 with a MovieCove page; 36 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Guilty Rebel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: Live (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Sphinx – Secrets of the History (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Under Milk Wood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Richard Burton's Christmas Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Ellis Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
1984(1984)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Alice in Wonderland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Wagner(1983)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
To the Ends of the Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)
Obsession(1980)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
Lovespell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Breakthrough(1979)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
The Wild Geese(1978)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
Absolution(1978)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
The Medusa Touch(1978)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Equus(1977)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Exorcist II: The Heretic(1977)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
Brief Encounter(1974)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
The Gathering Storm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
The Klansman(1974)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
The Voyage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)
Massacre in Rome(1973)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Battle of Sutjeska (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Divorce His, Divorce Hers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Bluebeard(1972)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Hammersmith Is Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Under Milk Wood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Mooch(1974)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Villain(1971)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Raid on Rommel(1971)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Great Performances (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Staircase (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Violent Universe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
Candy(1968)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Where Eagles Dare(1968)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
A Wall in Jerusalem(1968)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Here's Lucy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Robert Kennedy Remembered (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Boom!(1968)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
The Comedians(1967)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Doctor Faustus(1967)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
The Taming of the Shrew(1967)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
The Sandpiper(1965)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
What's New Pussycat(1965)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Hamlet(1964)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
The Night of the Iguana(1964)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Becket(1964)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Zulu(1964)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
The Guest(1963)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
The V.I.P.s(1963)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Cleopatra(1963)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
The Longest Day(1962)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
A Subject of Scandal and Concern (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Bramble Bush (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Tempest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Fifth Column (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Ice Palace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Look Back in Anger(1959)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
March to Aldermaston (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Wuthering Heights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Bitter Victory(1957)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Sea Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Tony Awards (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Alexander the Great(1956)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films
The Rains of Ranchipur(1955)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Prince of Players (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Thursday's Children (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
The Robe(1953)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
The Desert Rats(1953)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
My Cousin Rachel(1952)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Green Grow the Rushes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
The Woman with No Name (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Waterfront (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Now Barabbas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
The Last Days of Dolwyn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 83 titles from 1949 to 2024; peak year 1964.
Biggest box office
Cleopatra (1963)
Highest rated
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
Most popular right now
Cleopatra (1963)
Film career
Peak 1964 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 25 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1952Screen debut· My Cousin Rachel
- 1953First top-billed film· The Desert Rats
- 1968Career best· Where Eagles Dare
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Richard Burton's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 71st percentile, the median of all 46; across their 47 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 68th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up20
- 50th to 74th10
- 25th to 49th13
- Below 25th4
Shape of the crowd
23 of their 47 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved8
- Universally Panned1
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser23
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed11
Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 39 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Richard Burton's work okay for kids?
Across up to 16 MovieCove titles with content scores, frightening / intense runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Richard Burton work with?
People who share at least 2 of Richard Burton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Elizabeth Taylor shares the most, 10.
Directors
- Andrew V. McLaglenShared titles: Breakthrough (1979), The Wild Geese (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Andrew V. McLaglen
- Joseph LoseyShared titles: The Assassination of Trotsky (1972), Boom! (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Joseph Losey
- Peter GlenvilleShared titles: The Comedians (1967), Becket (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Peter Glenville
- Henry KosterShared titles: The Robe (1953), My Cousin Rachel (1952)See all 2 shared titles with Henry Koster
Writers
- William ShakespeareShared titles: The Taming of the Shrew (1967), Hamlet (1964), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1959)See all 3 shared titles with William Shakespeare
- John BowenShared titles: Absolution (1978), Brief Encounter (1974)See all 2 shared titles with John Bowen
- Tennessee WilliamsShared titles: Boom! (1968), The Night of the Iguana (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Tennessee Williams
- Paul DehnShared titles: The Taming of the Shrew (1967), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Dehn
Actors
- Elizabeth TaylorShared titles: Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate (2004), Boom! (1968), Doctor Faustus (1967), The Comedians (1967), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), The Sandpiper (1965), Cleopatra (1963), The Guest (1963), The V.I.P.s (1963)See all 10 shared titles with Elizabeth Taylor
- Michael HordernShared titles: The Medusa Touch (1978), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), Alexander the Great (1956)See all 6 shared titles with Michael Hordern
- Cyril CusackShared titles: 1984 (1984), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)See all 3 shared titles with Cyril Cusack
- Brook WilliamsShared titles: Absolution (1978), Raid on Rommel (1971), Where Eagles Dare (1968)See all 3 shared titles with Brook Williams
Composers and cinematographers
- Arthur IbbetsonShared titles: The Medusa Touch (1978), Brief Encounter (1974), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Where Eagles Dare (1968)See all 4 shared titles with Arthur Ibbetson
- Oswald MorrisShared titles: Equus (1977), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), Look Back in Anger (1959)See all 4 shared titles with Oswald Morris
- Jack HildyardShared titles: The Wild Geese (1978), Cleopatra (1963), The V.I.P.s (1963)See all 3 shared titles with Jack Hildyard
- Ennio MorriconeShared titles: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), Massacre in Rome (1973), Bluebeard (1972)See all 3 shared titles with Ennio Morricone
Producers
- Denis HoltShared titles: Absolution (1978), The Medusa Touch (1978), Equus (1977), Brief Encounter (1974), Where Eagles Dare (1968)See all 5 shared titles with Denis Holt
- Elliott KastnerShared titles: Absolution (1978), Equus (1977), Villain (1971), Where Eagles Dare (1968)See all 4 shared titles with Elliott Kastner
- Richard McWhorterShared titles: Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), Doctor Faustus (1967), The Taming of the Shrew (1967)See all 3 shared titles with Richard McWhorter
- Lester PerskyShared titles: Equus (1977), Boom! (1968)See all 2 shared titles with Lester Persky
Mixed roles
- Noël CowardShared titles: Brief Encounter (1974), Boom! (1968), The Guest (1963)See all 3 shared titles with Noël Coward
- John HustonShared titles: Candy (1968), The Night of the Iguana (1964)See all 2 shared titles with John Huston
- Darryl F. ZanuckShared titles: Cleopatra (1963), The Longest Day (1962)See all 2 shared titles with Darryl F. Zanuck
