What was Richard Burton's Net Worth?
Richard Burton was a Welsh actor who had a net worth of $20 million at the time of his death in 1984. That's the same as around $60 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation. Richard Burton was best known for his baritone voice, blatant sense of confidence, and talent for becoming various Shakespearian legends on the stage. Regarded as one of the finest actors of his generation, many felt that Burton had insulted his innate abilities by overshadowing his career with bouts of heavy drinking and romantic escapades, such as marrying actress Elizabeth Taylor twice. His Tony-award-winning portrayal of King Arthur in the 1960 musical Camelot helped to secure Burton a place in history among the theater's most unforgettable stars.
Early Years
Richard Walter Jenkins Jr., also known as Richard Burton, was born on November 10, 1925, in Pontrhydyfen, Wales. He was the twelfth of thirteen children born to Richard Jenkins and Edith (Thomas). His father was employed as a coal miner, and his mother worked as a barmaid at a local pub. Burton's mother died when he was just two years old due to an infection that occurred following the birth of his younger brother. Burton was raised by an older sister and her husband.
Burton attended Eastern Primary School in Wales as well as Port Talbot Secondary School. While a student, he won the Eisteddfod Prize for his impressive soprano voice. He also took part in a school production of "The Apple Cart," a 1928 play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. He left school to work in the coal mines but was not physically suited to the occupation. He then decided to join Port Talbot Squadron 499 of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps as well as the Taibach Youth Centre, where he was taught the finer points of acting.
Burton eventually returned to school, and plans were made for his teacher, Philip Burton, to adopt him. Legal requirements regarding the teacher's age prevented the adoption, so he instead became the boy's legal ward and changed his surname from Jenkins to Burton.
In a 1943 school production of Pygmalion, another play by Shaw, Burton portrayed Professor Henry Higgins. Welsh dramatist Emlyn Williams saw the play and offered Burton a role in "The Druid's Rest," which debuted at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool.
Burton went on to attend Exeter College in Oxford, England, as part of a six-month scholarship program. While there, in 1944, he starred in the Oxford University Dramatic Society's production of William Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure." Upon completion of the program he went to the seaport town of Torquay in Devon to train as a pilot. Due to his poor eyesight, he wasn't assigned to pilot training but instead became a Royal Air Force navigator. He was discharged in 1947 after completing a three-year stint.
Liz Taylor and Richard Burton (Photo by Bob Penn/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)
Film, Theatre & Television
In 1948, Richard Burton moved to London and contracted with British theatrical producer Henry Tennent. While touring with the cast of "Dark Summer" in 1948, he was asked to screen test for the British dramatic film "The Last Days of Dolwyn" and won the role of Gareth. That same year, he appeared in English poet and playwright Christopher Fry's play "The Lady's Not Burning," which ran at several English theatres before moving on to Broadway in 1950. Burton's performance earned him a Theatre World Award, and he went on to appear in several British films, such as "Green Grow the Rushes" in 1951.
In staged Shakespearian works, he played the title role in Henry V and Ferdinand, the prince of Naples, in "The Tempest."
In 1952, Burton was given the role of Philip Ashley in the 1952 American romantic mystery film "My Cousin Rachel." His co-star, British actress Olivia de Havilland, didn't like him and accused him of having "coarse-grained charm." The next year, he appeared in the war film "Dessert Rats" and the epic Biblical film "The Robe"- the first motion picture to use anamorphic cinematography – also known as Cinemascope. For his portrayal of Marcellus Gallio in the film, Burton was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. At a party to celebrate the film's success, Burton met actress Elizabeth Taylor, who found him to be "full of himself."
No stranger to turning down great-sounding deals, Burton said no when American film producer and executive Darryl Zanuck offered him a $1 million seven-film contract. Burton changed his mind when told the schedule would be altered to allow the fulfillment of his theatre obligations first. He then went on to play Hamlet at the Old Vic Theatre in London. He went on to play Sir Toby Belch in "The Twelfth Night," Caliban in "The Tempest" and Philip of Cognac in "King John."
Burton starred in the film "Prince of Players" in 1955, "Alexander the Great" in 1956, and "Bitter Victory" in 1957.
In 1958, he starred with French actress Yvonne Furneaux in the television adaption of the Emily Bronte novel "Wuthering Heights." His portrayal of Jimmy Porter in the 1959 film "Look Back in Anger" was considered by many to have been his best role.
After playing King Arthur in the 1960 Broadway production of "Camelot," Burton was referred to as "The King of Broadway."
In 1963, Burton played Mark Antony in Cleopatra, once again acting alongside Elizabeth Taylor. The scandalous off-screen relationship between the two married stars brought an unsuccessful lawsuit and accusations of damaging the film's reputation by the film studio.
Burton played Alec Leamas in the film "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" and appeared on the Offord Playhouse stage with Elizabeth Taylor in "Doctor Faustus" in 1966. During that decade, he was one of highest highest-paid actors in the world. By the 1970s, his free-spending and addiction to alcohol began to take a toll on his life and career. His films that decade included "Exorcist II: The Heretic" and "Medusa Touch." His last acting appearance was on the television miniseries "Ellis Island," which aired after his death.
Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive
Award Nominations
In 1952, Richard Burton was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for "My Cousin Rachel." He was also nominated for Academy Awards in 1953 for "The Robe," in 1964 for "Becket," in 1965 for "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold," in 1966 for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," in 1969 for "Anne of the Thousand Days" and in 1977 for "Equus."
Burton was nominated for a 1957 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for "Time Remembered." He was nominated for a 1959 Best Actor British Academy Film Award for "Look Back in Anger," which also netted him a nomination for a Golden Globe Award.
Awards
Among the numerous awards won by Richard Burton throughout his long career were a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award for New Star of The Year for "My Cousin Rachel," a Grammy Award, a 1956 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Henry V and a 1960 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for "Camelot."
Personal Life
On February 5, 1949, Richard Burton married Sybil Williams, a Welsh actress, theatre director, and nightclub owner whom he met on the set of "The Last Days of Dolwyn." They divorced in 1963. The following year, he married American actress Elizabeth Taylor. They divorced in 1974, remarried in 1975, and divorced again in 1976. Later that year, Burton married British model, dancer, and choreographer Susan Miller. They divorced in 1982.
In 1983, Burton married British author and theatre producer Sally Hay. Burton had three children.
Death
Having spent years smoking approximately 100 cigarettes per day and consuming up to four bottles of hard liquor daily, Burton suffered from a variety of health-related issues. On August 5, 1984, he died of an intracerebral hemorrhage at his home in Switzerland. He is buried in the Old Cemetery of Celigny, Switzerland.
