The Official Richard Burton Website

Burton makes a strong debut in this drama. Set in a Welsh village, the locals are promised a ‘better life’ in Liverpool as their beautiful valley is set to be flooded for the provision of a reservoir for mill towns in Lancashire. Burton, having left the village as a delinquent, returns to ‘sell’ the idea of a better life – the locals are divided in their opinion.

Burton plays ‘Bob Hammond’, the leader of an enterprising gang that uses an ancient charter to smuggle brandy into the southern coast of England.

In this WW2 drama Burton plays a Scottish Army officer in charge of a disparate group of ANZAC troops that become engaged in the Battle of Trobuk against Field Marshal Rommel. Despite the problems facing Burton’s character, he manages to successfully bring down Rommel’s men.

Promoted as, ‘The first motion picture in CinemaScope – the modern miracle you see without glasses!’, Burton plays Marcellous Gallio, a Roman officer who wins Christ’s robe in a dice game during the Crucifixion.

Edwina Esketh and her husband arrive in a small town in India. The spoilt madam soon meets and falls in love with an Indian doctor called Dr. Safti played by Burton. The film is entitled accordingly, as there is a terrible earthquake that is followed by days of rain.

A biopic of the American actor Edwin Booth the brother of John Wilkes Booth – Abraham Lincoln’s assassin. Burton plays Edwin the actor and consequently acts, with confidence, extracts from Richard III, Hamlet, Othello, Romeo and Juliet.

Billed as, ‘The Colossus who conquered the world!’, Burton plays ‘the colossus’, Alexander. This film uses CinemaScope and employs great armies of extras to good effect.

This edgy WW2 drama features Burton and Curt Jurgens as leaders of an assault on Rommel’s HQ. The uncomfortable atmosphere between the two characters is due to Burton having had an affair with Jurgen’s wife. The film was shot in Lybia.

A Japanese submarine sinks a cargo ship containing British evacuees from Singapore. Some of the passengers survive – an attractive woman (who is actually a nun), a bigoted administrator, an army officer and a seaman – by escaping in a lifeboat. Inner characteristics are exposed under the testing conditions.

This film of the John Osborne play epitomizes the era in which it was made. Burton plays the relentlessly whingeing Jimmy Porter who grinds down his wife with his attitude that life owes him a living.

Burton plays a New England doctor who returns to his home town and falls in love with his dying friend’s wife. Adapted from a bestseller by Charles Mergendahl. Corruption and adultery feature heavily.

The backdrop of this film is the development of Alaska from 1918 to statehood in 1958 and the trials of Zeb Kennedy, played by Burton.

A colossal war movie portraying the WW2 D-Day landings. Burton stars alongside Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Kenneth Moore, Robert Mitchum, and Sean Connery. Burton speaks the best line: ‘I don’t mind being one of the few; trouble is we keep getting fewer.’

‘The motion picture the world has been waiting for!’, rang the publicity machine for this epic, glorious, historical drama. Burton plays Mark Antony to Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra – filling their roles to the very brim. To this day, taking inflation into account, this is the most expensive film ever made: $40m at the time, approximately $250m in today’s money.

A slick production telling the tale of a flight delay at Heathrow. The film unfolds around the ensuing repercussions for the uppity passengers. Burton plays Paul Andros, married to Frances Andros who is played by Elizabeth Taylor. The cast also includes Margaret Rutherford, Maggie Smith, Orson Welles and surprisingly, David Frost.

Burton plays the title role alongside Peter O’Toole as King Henry II and Sir John Gielgud as King Louis VII of France.

Based on the Tennessee Willams play, Burton stars as Reverend Laurence Shannon, a defrocked cleric who is trying to find God again. With Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner also starring the tagline reads: ‘One man, three women, one night’.

Burton more than fills the title role in this filmed recording of two public performances of the New York theatrical production.

A vintage Hollywood Burton-Taylor vehicle. It was filmed at the height of the public’s mania over the couple. Burton plays an Episcopalian priest who runs a school to which Taylor’s son is sent. There is a torrid affair, followed by whistle blowing from a jealous colleague of Burton.

Classed as the most authentic Cold War films, Burton exercises his acting talent to full effect as Alec Leamas, a British spy sent to East Germany – supposedly to defect. With bleak black and white photography and smart directing, this film adaptation of John Le Carre’s novel, is one of the best of its kind.

Woody Allen’s debut as a writer and performer includes Peter Sellers, Peter O’Toole, Richard Burton, Romy Schneider and Ursula Andrews. While it is rumoured that Allen is not particularly proud of the unchecked ad-libbing, the film is hilarious and has a soundtrack written by Burt Baharrach.

Paint-blistering performances by Burton and Taylor who, as fictional husband and wife, brutally expose their decaying marriage. The two show no mercy in lacerating each other with verbal volleys in front of their dinner guests – acted by George Segal and Sandy Dennis. This is a five Oscar-winning exhausting feast and feat for all involved.

Christopher Marlowe’s play, depicting a man who sold his soul to the devil, was one of Burton’s favourites. He cast himself as Faust and Elizabeth Taylor (his wife at the time) as Helen of Troy. Burton first put the play on at Oxford and then utilized his box-office muscle to, finance, produce and co-direct this screen version.

‘In the war between the sexes, there always comes a time for unconditional surrender,’ reads the tagline for this film of Shakespeare’s play. Acting at the height of their love affair, Burton and Taylor lift the lead characters from the page to the screen with tremendous, compelling vitality. Add the rich photography, sets and costumes and you have pure visual indulgence.

Burton and Taylor star in this adaptation of Tennesse William’s play The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore. Noël Coward plays Taylor’s confident.

A cast of big names who allegedly got paid $50,000 each for a week’s work in this kookie satire. Charles Aznavour, Marlon Brando, James Coburn, John Huston, Walter Matthau, Ringo Starr, John Astin and Anita Pallenberg join Burton.

This historical drama focuses on Henry VIII’s obsession with siring a male heir and the repercussions falling on those around him. Burton plays Henry as a soulful yet determined monarch. Margaret Furse won an Oscar for the costumes she designed in this film.

Burton and Rex Harrison parade as two ageing homosexual hairdressers that have been living together for 20 years. The film reveals that their relationship does not withstand the test of time or absence.

A WW2 espionage adventure staring Burton as Major John Smith who is tasked with leading a crack commando force to rescue a key American General who was captured by the Nazis. Then, a hugely profitable picture: now, a movie classic.

A WW2 drama in which Burton plays Captain Foster, who releases prisoners to attack Trobruk. The film was originally meant for TV.

Burton side-steps the confines of roles that made him the world’s highest paid movie star to play Vic Dakin, a homosexual East End thug who rules by fear, yet is loved by his mother. The film is successfully black, violent and ugly.

A screen version of Dylan Thomas’ celebrated radio play. Burton plays First Voice – the narrator – with comfortable familiarity. He not only knew Dylan well, but also had already performed the play on radio. In both versions Burton’s voice, once again, raises the hairs on our necks. Outstanding work.

Burton energetically portrays Trotsky in this historical drama about the assassination of the Russian revolutionary. Shot on authentic locations, Alan Delon stars as Frank Jacson, the assassin charged by Stalin to commit the fatal deed.

Burton plays Baron Kurt von Sepper, a WW1 pilot who is admired as a ladykiller and literally is one.

Burton plays a mentally disturbed patient in a hospital run by a doctor, whose sanity is also questionable.

As Marshall Tito, Burton portrays the breakthrough of a German encirclement. The actor persuaded the producers to rewrite his role to mirror the first-hand account of the battle by F W D Deakin in his book The Embattled Mountain. The film was originally released under the title The Battle of Sutjeska.

Based on a true story, Burton stars with Marcello Mastroianni as a priest who tries to stop mass executions in retaliation for the death of German troops by partisans.

Burton plays Breck Stancill, a simple landowner to Lee Marvin as Sheriff Big Track Bascomb, in this film about simmering racial tensions in a small southern town between civil rights activists and active members of the Klu Klux Klan.

Based on Pirandello’s story of two lovers, unable to marry, who are destroyed by fate. Burton plays Cesar opposite Sophia Loren as Adriana.

Only half of this film was made. Burton is cast as Reid Lawerence, an actor who is paralysed by a falling lift.

Much less a sequel than a rethinking of the original source material. The focus here is on the quest of Father Lamont, played by Burton, to deal with the demon still present in Linda Blair.

Originally a play by Peter Shaffer, this is a powerful psychological drama about a boy whose repressed emotions lead him to blind six horses. Burton takes the role of Martin Dysart the psychologist. Martin’s long speeches suit Burton’s strong narrative abilities.

Burton plays a priest in a Catholic boarding school for boys. His protégé runs away with a hippie and commits murder. The boy’s confessions cause complete consternation for Burton who is compelled to find the corpses.

As a sequel to Sam Pekinpah’s Cross of Iron, this wartime drama is set in the period towards the end of WW2. Burton as Sergeant Steiner, attempts to secure a ceasefire and surrender. The film was also released under the title Breakthrough.

Supported by an impressive cast of British actors – Michael Horden, Gordon Jackson and Derek Jacobi – Burton plays a novelist driven to the brink by his murderous mental powers in this supernatural thriller.

A real Boys Own action adventure film which races along as a good action film should. Burton plays mercenary leader Allen Faulkner, hired by a wealthy and unscrupulous merchant banker to rescue an imprisoned African leader. Roger Moore, Richard Harris, Hardy Kruger and Stewart Granger all look as if they are enjoying their roles.

Burton is cast as the ageing King Mark of Cornwall in this film of Wagner’s opera. Filmed in Ireland, it was also released under the title Tristan and Iseult/Isolde.

In this drama Burton stars as a 60-year-old failed artist to Tatum O’Neal’s 16-year-old, wilful schoolgirl. They befriend each other after spotting each other at a porn movie they have gone to see. She persuades him to resume his career as an artist, he persuades her to become a writer.

This huge nine-hour biographical panorama of the life and times of Wagner includes an impressive cast. Burton plays Wagner, Vanessa Redgrave as Cosima von Bulow, John Gielgud as Pfistermeister, Ralph Richardson as Pfordten, and Laurence Olivier as Pfeufer. Filming took place over seven months, in Switzerland, Bavaria, Venice, Sienna and Hungary.

George Orwell’s study of a dystopian future is made bleaker than the 1955 film version of the same novel. Set in a futuristic state, Oceania, the totalitarian regime ensures that the human spirit has difficulty surviving. Burton plays O’Brien, who, with his voice and patience, manages to personify ‘Big Brother’s’ omnipresence.