Richard Burton’s centenary passed late last year.
He was born Richard Jenkins on November 10, 1925 in the little mining village of Pontrhydyfen.
There was nothing little about Burton’s life though. From an unlikely start he conquered the international film world and lived an extraordinary life.
Young Richard Jenkins took on the name of his teacher, Philip Burton, whose influence helped to keep him in school and put him on the stage. He is among the most important single figures in Burton's life. But, he is not the most famous, as we'll see.
A young Richard Burton with his teacher Philip Burton, whose name the actor took on. His teacher became his legal guardian and was a huge influence on his life.
Although, a working class Welsh community might seem a more natural environment to produce a sportsman than an actor, Burton was able to follow his artistic muse from a young age. Though he was happy to indulge the stereotypes of his background too, saying: “I would rather have played for Wales at Cardiff Arms Park than Hamlet at the Old Vic."
Whether that was true or not, his destiny lay on stage rather than pitch, and his life produced some extraordinary numbers, with - particularly for collectors - some figures from his storied on-off relationship with Elizabeth Taylor.
1 - The Big Three
Richard Burton was born in Pontrhyfen but his difficult family life soon meant he was living down the valley in a suburb of Port Talbot called Taibach.
A seaside steel town, whose glowing, steaming, burning works provided inspiration for the look of Blade Runner, Port Talbot is also a key location in Welsh acting legend.
The steel works at Port Talbot, unlikely birthplace of some of the best actors in Hollywood history.
Sir Anthony Hopkins was born there. And Michael Sheen spent much of his childhood in the town.
There are probably no mysterious powers in the waters of the Severn Estuary or River Neath. Nor any magic in young Richard Jenkins's eccentric training shouting lines across the valleys above the town. Much more likely is that this coincidence was down to a strong, local community art and theatre tradition that nurtured three remarkable talents.
2 - 12 siblings, 12 pints
Richard Jenkins was probably destined to become a miner. It’s what his grandfather did, and his father, both of whom were seriously injured while working underground. Many of his brothers followed them down the pit, but Richard escaped.
His father was a heavy drinker. That was the culture of the time and place where he lived. He was also devastated by the loss of his wife shortly after the birth of their 13th child.
The Hollywood version of Welsh Valleys mining life in How Green was my Valley. For Richard Jenkins the lifestyle meant hard drinking, hard work, and injury that he was glad to escape.
Richard said his father was a “12 pints a day man”, and he struggled to identify his many children.
A crowded home meant Richard was soon living with his sister and brother in law down in Port Talbot. The move helped shape him.
3 - $1 million
Richard’s acting started at school. His teacher, the Mr Burton from whom he took his stage name, took him on and guided him through school plays and local am-dram before he took to the stage professionally.
By 1953 Richard Burton was a star and was offered a $1 million contract by legendary producer Daryl F Zanuck at 20th Century Fox.
Coverage of Burton’s refusal to sign unless he could return to the UK to play Hamlet helped bolster his reputation for rebellion and integrity, though he did take the deal and do the seven films required. The cash helped him start to live the life of luxury for which he was to become notorious.
A studio PR shot of Burton from 1955. His looks, brooding intensity, voice and acting skills made him a Hollywood leading man par excellence.
4 - Seven near misses
Burton’s artistic reputation is of an actor who didn’t quite live up to his promise.
Some of this is probably snobbery about screen acting, and perhaps judgement of his life and lifestyle. But, it is not helped by the fact that he never won an Oscar despite seven nominations.
He was nominated as best supporting actor for his debut Hollywood role in 1952’s My Cousin Rachel. As best actor in 1953 for The Robe, and in the same category for Becket (1964), The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Anne of the Thousand Days (1969) and Equus (1977).
Burton in The Robe, overseeing the crucifixion of Christ. He was nominated for the Oscar that he would never win for the second time for the 1953 Biblical epic.
Elizabeth Taylor starred with Burton in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and did win the Oscar as best actress, which was said to have upset the Welshman.
5 - Nothing
Richard Burton’s first award came in an Eisteddfod. He was from from a Welsh speaking family in a Welsh-speaking community and barely spoke English until he went to school.
He was proudly Welsh.
And, one of his greatest performances, as First Voice in Dylan Thomas’s radio play Under Milk Wood he performed for free, alongside an all-Welsh cast, who all waived their fees.
The 1954 production was made not long after Thomas, from Swansea, just west of Port Talbot, had died in New York. Like Burton, Thomas drank heavily.
Burton would later narrate a film version of Under Milk Wood and was buried with a copy of Thomas’s poems after a reading of the poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night” at his funeral.
6 - $31.1 million
Cleopatra is important in lots of ways.
For Burton and Taylor it’s where they met, and - after a frosty start - sparked one of the great popular celebrity love stories of the 20th century.
Burton and Taylor met on the set of Cleopatra, and their affair was soon the talk of the world.
The film cost $31.1 million. A fair amount of it went to its stars - Taylor got a ground-breaking $1 million.
The budget, the sets, the extras… the movie became an avatar for the an era or opulent, epic movie making that surely could not last without bankrupting studios.
It was a high point of epic Hollywood and created the legend of Burton and Taylor.
7 - Two and two
Taylor and Burton married twice and divorced twice.
Their affair on the set of Cleopatra and beyond was obvious enough and notorious enough that even the Pope condemned it (both were married at the time).
They married in 1964 and stayed together until June 1974. Their first divorce lasted just over a year and they married again for nearly 10 months from October 1975.
A beautiful couple and both powerful actors they were fascinating to the paparazzi and gossip columnists who followed their jet-set lifestyle avidly.
Burton’s family were reportedly upset by his divorce from Sybil Williams, with whom they got on well, until Taylor came to visit them and “charmed the pants off them.”
8 - $88million and $65 million
Taylor and Burton made 10 films together. They were big box office apart and together and between them they are said to have been paid $88 million during their first marriage.
Of that they are said to have spent $65 million.
Much of it was simply blown on lavish living. Burton wrote in his diaries of a flight that ended with him buying the plane for his wife.
And, they bought a lot of jewels. Burton would apologise with diamonds - they both drank and used drugs and often argued. They also owned a considerable collections of art, boats, property...
Here are some of the big numbers for collectors.
In 1969 Burton bought the La Peregrina Pearl for $37,000. Taylor commissioned a necklace from Cartier, adding in some diamonds and rubies for good measure. It was auctioned in 2011 for $11 million to become the most valuable pearl ever sold.
Burton gave Taylor the Taj Mahal Diamond for her 40th birthday in 1972. That was auctioned for $8.8 million in 2011.
The Krupp Diamond became the Taylor Diamond. The couple lived a life of excess, and that included generous gift giving.
The Taylor Burton Diamond was bought in 1969 for $1.1 million. At the time it was the most expensive diamond ever bought, and Burton had to buy it from Cartier after the jeweler beat him to it at auction. It was cut from a 1966-discovered stone of 240.80-carats that was trimmed to a 69.42-carat pear-shaped stone. It became emblematic of the couple’s stormy, showy relationship. Taylor sold it for around $5 million in 1978.
Burton gave Elizabeth the Krupp Diamond in 1968. The massive 33-carat-plus ring-set diamond had been at the heart of the a big FBI operation after it was stolen from Vera Krupp, its first owner, in 1959. Burton paid over $300,000 at auction to get it for Liz, and, in time it became known as the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond. It made $8,818,500 at auction in 2011.
9 - 1984
Burton’s final film role was in 1984.
He played O’Brien, the film’s central figure, a role requiring gravitas and depth. Despite worries about his reputation - he was at least third choice for the role - he delivered a fine performance that became an epitaph after his death just before the film was released.
10 - 100 + 4 = 58
Burton told an interviewer he smoked 100 cigarettes a day.
He said he drank as many as four bottles of spirits a day too.
He lived hard for much of his life, from his youth in south Wales to London, Beverley Hills and Swiss tax exile.
And he died aged just 58 in 1984 to considerable mourning in the film world and in Wales.
What a legacy he and Taylor, who passed away in 2011, left.
Buying Burton Taylor memorabilia today
Many of Richard Burton's papers are in an archive at Swansea University.
Elizabeth Taylor's jewels were auctioned off after her death - the source of these 2011 price-tags. The sale made over $115 million in total. Gowns, shoes and other fashion-related items from her life have also made big money at auction (often for charities she supported).
A good deal of Elizabeth's papers have been archived and shared online at the Elizabeth Taylor Archive that opened this September.
Memorabilia from both of their film careers is highly sought after. A cloak Elizabeth wore in Cleopatra sold for just under $60,000 in 2012.
Burton's Mark Anthony costume from the film realised $85,000 at auction in 2020.
We have a Burton Taylor letter that you can discover here.
And a strand of Liz's hair.
Burton described Taylor as the greatest luck of his lucky life. The pair were obsessed with each other but couldn't stay together despite a considerable body of good work together. Click the image to own the item.
And, we also have large collections of movie memorabilia.
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