Editing Richard Burton (section)

== Career ==
=== 1943–1947: Early career and service in the RAF ===
In 1943, Burton played Professor Henry Higgins in a school production of another Shaw play directed by Philip, ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]''. The role won him favourable reviews and caught the attention of the dramatist, [[Emlyn Williams]], who offered Burton a small role of the lead character's elder brother, Glan, in his play ''[[The Druid's Rest]]''.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=35–37}} The play debuted at the [[Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool|Royal Court Theatre]], Liverpool on 22 November 1943, and later premiered in [[St Martin's Theatre]], London in January 1944. Burton thought the role was "a nothing part" and that he "hardly spoke at all". He was paid ten pounds a week for playing the role ({{Inflation|UK|10|1944|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}), which was "three times what the miners got".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=38–39}} Alpert states that the play garnered mixed critical reviews, but James Redfern of the ''[[New Statesman]]'' took notice of Burton's performance and wrote: "In a wretched part, Richard Burton showed exceptional ability." Burton noted that single sentence from Redfern changed his life.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=39|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=44}}

Whilst an undergraduate at Exeter College, [[University of Oxford]], Burton featured as "the complicated sex-driven puritan" [[Angelo (Measure for Measure)|Angelo]] in the [[Oxford University Dramatic Society]]'s 1944 production of [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Measure for Measure]]''.{{efn|Originally, Burton was placed as an understudy for the part of Angelo after impressing Coghill by demonstrating and reciting the "[[To be, or not to be]]" [[soliloquy]] from [[William Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Hamlet]]''. The RAF officer who was to play the role of Angelo, was called back to active service and Burton was selected for the role. Philip sent letters of advice to Burton on how to play Angelo and came to London to oversee the rehearsals.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=40|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=50}}}} The play was directed by Burton's English literature professor, [[Nevill Coghill]], and was performed at the college in the presence of additional contributors to West End theatre including [[John Gielgud]], [[Terence Rattigan]] and [[Binkie Beaumont]]. On Burton's performance, fellow actor and friend, [[Robert Hardy]] recalled, "There were moments when he totally commanded the audience by this stillness. And the voice which would sing like a violin and with a bass that could shake the floor." Gielgud appreciated Burton's performance and Beaumont, who knew about Burton's work in ''The Druid's Rest'', suggested that he "look him up" after completing his service in the RAF if he still wanted to pursue acting as a profession.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=40–41|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2pp=50–51}}

In late 1944, Burton successfully completed his six-month scholarship at Exeter College, Oxford, and went to the RAF classification examinations held in [[Torquay]] to train as a pilot. He was disqualified for pilot training because his eyesight was below par, and was classified as a navigator trainee.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=41|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=51}} He served the RAF for three years,{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=44}} during which time he was assigned as an [[Aircraftman#History|Aircraftman 1st Class]] to perform an administrative role in a [[Wiltshire]]-based RAF Hospital.{{efn|[[RAF Hospital Wroughton]]}}{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=43}} He was posted for a short time to a temporary [[RCAF Station Carberry|RCAF training base]] in [[Carberry, Manitoba]].<ref>Rosemary Malaher, [http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/14/carberrytour.shtml Historical Tour: Carberry, Manitoba]. ''Manitoba History'' 14 (Autumn, 1987). Retrieved 21 April 2021.</ref> Burton's habits of drinking and smoking increased during this period; he was involved in a brief casual affair with actress [[Eleanor Summerfield]].{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=41–43}}{{efn|Burton worked with Summerfield in two versions of Emlyn Williams' play, ''[[The Corn Is Green]]'' for [[BBC]].{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=43}} The first one was a radio adaptation which was broadcast on 27 January 1945, while the other was a television adaptation by [[BBC Television]] that was premiered on 15 September 1946. Burton and Summerfield played the roles of Morgan Evans and Bessie Watty respectively in both the versions.<ref name="Burton BBC">{{cite web | url=http://richardburtonmuseum.weebly.com/burton-at-the-bbc.html | title=Richard Burton BBC Radio and Television Recordings | publisher=The Richard Burton Museum | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417053654/http://richardburtonmuseum.weebly.com/burton-at-the-bbc.html | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctv/1946-09-15 | title=BBC Television Listings – 15 September 1946 | publisher=[[BBC Genome]] | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417052142/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/bbctv/1946-09-15 | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> According to biographer Alpert, Summerfield's parents didn't approve of Burton when he showed them a photo of himself and Summerfield at "a local pub". Philip too, didn't want Burton "encumbered with a wife while making his way in the {{Sic|theater}}".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=44}}}} Burton was cast in an uncredited and unnamed role of a bombing officer by [[BBC Third Programme]] in a 1946 radio adaptation of ''[[In Parenthesis]]'', an [[epic poem]] of the [[First World War]] by [[David Jones (poet)|David Jones]].<ref name="Burton BBC"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/third/1946-12-26 | title=BBC Television Listings – 26 December 1946 | publisher=BBC Genome | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417062011/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/third/1946-12-26 | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|Burton lent his voice for a different role named Private Thomas in the 1948 radio production of ''In Parenthesis'' by [[Douglas Cleverdon]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/third/1948-11-11 | title=BBC Television Listings – 11 November 1948 | publisher=BBC Genome | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417060054/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/third/1948-11-11 | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/third/1948-11-30 | title=BBC Television Listings – 30 November 1948 | publisher=BBC Genome | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417060102/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/schedules/third/1948-11-30 | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>}} Burton was discharged from the RAF on 16 December 1947.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=44}}

=== 1948–1951: Rise through the ranks and film debut ===
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| image1            = Richard Burton - 6 Lyndhurst Road Hampstead NW3.jpg
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| caption1          = Burton's "rather nice two roomed flat in Hampstead"<ref>Richard Burton [[BBC Wales]] interview 1977 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRTsA4K0-hk&t=891s]</ref> was his from 1949 to 1956 at 6 [[Lyndhurst Road]]. An [[English Heritage]] [[Blue plaque]] is visible on the right just below the first floor.
| caption2          = The [[Blue plaque]] at the address
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In 1948, Burton moved to London to make contact with [[H. M. Tennent]] Ltd., where he again met Beaumont, who put him under a contract of £500 per year (£10 a week).{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=45|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=56|3a1=Munn|3y=2014|3p=51}} [[Daphne Rye]], the casting director for H. M. Tennent Ltd., offered Burton rooms on the top floor of her house in [[Pelham Crescent, London|Pelham Crescent]], London as a place for him to stay.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=45}}<ref name="Alpert1986">{{cite book|author=Hollis Alpert|title=Burton|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rtgdAAAAMAAJ|year=1986|publisher=Putnam|isbn=978-0-399-13093-9|page=45}}</ref> Rye cast Burton in a minor role as a young officer, Mr. Hicks, in ''Castle Anna'' (1948), a drama set in Ireland.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=45|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=Appendices: Theatre}}

While touring with the cast and crew members of [[Wynyard Browne]]'s ''Dark Summer'', Burton was called by Emlyn Williams for a screen test for his film, ''[[The Last Days of Dolwyn]]'' (1949).{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=63}} Burton performed the screen test for the role of Gareth, which Williams wrote especially for him, and was subsequently selected when Williams sent him a telegram that quoted a line from ''The Corn Is Green'' — "You have won the scholarship." This led to Burton making his mainstream film debut.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=63}} Filming took place during the summer and early autumn months of 1948. It was on the sets of this film that Burton was introduced by Williams to [[Sybil Christopher|Sybil Williams]], whom he married on 5 February 1949 at a register office in Kensington.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=46–48}} ''The Last Days of Dolwyn'' opened to generally positive critical reviews. Burton was praised for his "acting fire, manly bearing and good looks"{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=49}} and film critic [[Philip French]] of ''[[The Guardian]]'' called it an "impressive movie debut".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/24/last-days-dolwyn-dvd-french | title=The Last Days of Dolwyn | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=24 February 2013 | access-date=17 April 2016 | first=Philip | last=French | author-link=Philip French | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417075528/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/24/last-days-dolwyn-dvd-french | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> After marrying Sybil, Burton moved into a flat at 6 [[Lyndhurst Road]], [[Hampstead]] [[NW postcode area#List of postcode districts|NW3]], where he lived from 1949 to 1956.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-15689077 | title=Michael Sheen unveils plaque at Richard Burton house | publisher=BBC | date=11 November 2011 | access-date=2 May 2016 | first=Neil | last=Prior | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502055613/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-15689077 | archive-date=2 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Pleased with the feedback Burton received for his performance in ''The Last Days of Dolwyn'', the film's co-producer [[Alexander Korda]] offered him a contract at a stipend of £100 a week ({{Inflation|UK|100|1949|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}), which he signed. The contract allowed Korda to lend Burton to films produced by other companies.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=53}} Throughout the late 1940s and early 50s, Burton acted in small parts in various British films such as ''[[Now Barabbas]]'' (1949) with [[Richard Greene]] and [[Kathleen Harrison]], ''[[The Woman with No Name]]'' (1950) opposite [[Phyllis Calvert]], and ''[[Waterfront (1950 film)|Waterfront]]'' (1950) with Harrison. Burton had a bigger part as Robert Hammond, a spy for a newspaper editor in ''[[Green Grow the Rushes (film)|Green Grow the Rushes]]'' (1951) alongside [[Honor Blackman]].{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Films}} His performance in ''Now Barabbas'' received positive feedback from critics. [[C. A. Lejeune]] of ''[[The Observer]]'' believed Burton had "all the qualities of a leading man that the British film industry badly needs at this juncture: youth, good looks, a photogenic face, obviously alert intelligence and a trick of getting the maximum effort with the minimum of fuss."{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=70}} For ''The Woman With No Name'', a critic from ''[[The New York Times]]'' thought Burton "merely adequate" in his role of the Norwegian aviator, Nick Chamerd.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Films}}<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE0D71438E73ABC4051DFBE66838A649EDE | title=The Screen In Review; 'Her Panelled Door,' Starring Phyllis Calvert, Makes Bow at 60th Street Trans-Lux | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=28 August 1951 | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417124755/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DE0D71438E73ABC4051DFBE66838A649EDE | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Biographer Bragg states the reviews for Burton's performance in ''Waterfront'' were "not bad", and that ''Green Grow the Rushes'' was a [[box office bomb]].{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=70}}
{{Quote box|bgcolor=#FAE7B5|quote=He was marvellous at rehearsals. There was the true theatrical instinct. You only had to indicate—scarcely even that. He would get it and never changed it.|source=Gielgud on Burton's acting.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=69}}|align=left|width=35%}}
Rye recommended Richard to director [[Peter Glenville]] for the part of [[Hephaestion]] in Rattigan's play about [[Alexander the Great]], ''[[Adventure Story (play)|Adventure Story]]'', in 1949. The play was directed by Glenville and starred the then up-and-coming actor [[Paul Scofield]] as the titular character. Glenville, however, rejected him as he felt that Burton was too short compared to Scofield.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=49–50|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2pp=66–67}}{{efn|Glenville initially gave Burton the part after he successfully auditioned for the role alone on the stage. While rehearsing a scene with Scofield, Glenville found Burton to be "physically wrong", and claims that he did not reject him on the grounds of his talent.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=49–50|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2pp=66–67}}}} Rye came to the rescue again by sending Burton to audition for a role in ''[[The Lady's Not for Burning]]'', a play by [[Christopher Fry]] and directed by Gielgud. The lead roles were played by Gielgud himself, and [[Pamela Brown (actress)|Pamela Brown]], while Burton played a supporting role as Richard alongside the then-relatively unknown actress [[Claire Bloom]].{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=67}}<ref name="Playbill">{{cite web | url=http://www.playbill.com/production/the-ladys-not-for-burning-royale-theatre-vault-0000010264 | title=The Lady's Not For Burning | work=[[Playbill]] | access-date=17 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417085129/http://www.playbill.com/production/the-ladys-not-for-burning-royale-theatre-vault-0000010264 | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Gielgud was initially uncertain about selecting Burton and asked him to come back the following day to repeat his audition. Burton got the part the second time he auditioned for the role. He was paid £15 a week for the part, which was five more than what Beaumont was paying him.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=50}}{{efn|Bragg writes that Fry himself intervened and persuaded Gielgud to cast Burton in the play. Gielgud stated that he did not properly remember how Burton was selected as he was "in a hurry" to complete the casting process. Gielgud found Burton "very striking to look at" and called him "a dream Prince".{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=68}}}} After getting the part, he pushed for a raise in his salary from £10 to £30 a week with Williams' assistance, in addition to the £100 Korda paid him; Beaumont accepted it after much persuasion.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=50|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2pp=68–69}} Bloom was impressed with Burton's natural way of acting, noting that "he just was" and went further by saying "He was recognisably a star, a fact he didn't question."{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=50–52|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=70}}
[[File:John Gielgud - 1953.jpg|thumb|left|Gielgud (photographed 1953) gave Burton his career breakthrough, directing him in ''The Lady's Not For Burning'', London and New York (1949).]]
The play opened at the [[Gielgud Theatre|Globe Theatre]] in May 1949 and had a successful run in London for a year.<ref>[[John Gielgud|Gielgud, John]] (5 November 1950). "Mr. Gielgud discovers Mr. Fry; Reliance on designer". ''[[The New York Times]]''. p. 98.</ref> Writer and journalist [[Samantha Ellis]] of ''The Guardian'', in her overview of the play, thought critics found Burton to be "most authentic" for his role.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/may/28/theatre.samanthaellis | title=The Lady's Not For Burning, Globe Theatre, May 1949 | work=The Guardian | date=28 May 2003 | access-date=17 April 2016 | first=Samantha | last=Ellis | author-link=Samantha Ellis | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417101604/http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/may/28/theatre.samanthaellis | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Gielgud took the play to [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in the United States, where it opened at the [[Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre|Royale Theatre]] on 8 November 1950. Theatre critic [[Brooks Atkinson]] appreciated the performances and praised the play's "hard glitter of wit and skepticism", while describing Fry as precocious with "a touch of genius".<ref>[[Brooks Atkinson|Atkinson, Brooks]] (9 November 1950). "At the theater". ''The New York Times''. p. 42.</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/theater/christopher-fry-british-playwright-in-verse-dies-at-97.html | title=Christopher Fry, British Playwright in Verse, Dies at 97 | work=The New York Times | date=5 July 2005 | access-date=17 April 2016 | first=Benedict | last=Nightingale | author-link=Benedict Nightingale | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417134700/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/05/theater/christopher-fry-british-playwright-in-verse-dies-at-97.html?_r=0 | archive-date=17 April 2016 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> The play ran on Broadway until 17 March 1951, and received the [[New York Drama Critics' Circle]] award for the [[New York Drama Critics' Circle#Best Foreign Play|Best Foreign Play]] of 1951.<ref>[[John Patrick Shanley|Shanley, J. P]] (4 April 1951). "'Darkness at Noon' wins critics' prize; Drama circle award winners". ''The New York Times''. p. 34.</ref> Burton received the [[Theatre World Award]] for his performance, his first major award.<ref name="Playbill"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatreworldawards.org/past-recipients.html|title=Theatre World Award Recipients|publisher=[[Theatre World Award]]|access-date=17 April 2016|archive-date=4 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004022514/http://www.theatreworldawards.org/past-recipients.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Burton went on to feature in two more plays by Fry – ''The Boy With A Cart'' and ''A Phoenix Too Frequent''. The former opened at the [[Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)|Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith]] in February 1950, while the latter premiered at the Dolphin Theatre, [[Brighton]] the following month.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Theatre}} Gielgud, who also directed ''The Boy With A Cart'', said that Burton's role in the play "was one of the most beautiful performances" he had ever seen.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=52}} During its month-long run, [[Anthony Quayle]], who was looking for a young actor to star as [[Prince Hal]] in his adaptations of ''[[Henry IV, Part I]]'' and ''[[Henry IV, Part 2]]'' as a part of the [[Royal Shakespeare Theatre|Shakespeare Memorial Theatre]] season for the Festival of Britain, came to see the play and as soon as he beheld Burton, he realised he had found his man and got his agreement to play the parts.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=53|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=71}} Both plays opened in 1951 at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] to mixed reviews, but Burton received acclaim for his role as Prince Hal, with many critics dubbing him "the next [[Laurence Olivier]]".{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=54–56|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=72–74}} Theatre critic [[Kenneth Tynan]] said of his performance, "His playing of Prince Hal turned interested speculation to awe almost as soon as he started to speak; in the first intermission local critics stood agape in the lobbies."{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=74}} He was also praised by [[Humphrey Bogart]] and his wife [[Lauren Bacall]] after both saw the play. Bacall later said of him: "He was just marvellous [...] Bogie loved him. We all did."{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=74}} Burton celebrated his success by buying his first car, a [[Standard Flying Fourteen]], and enjoyed a drink with Bogart at a pub called [[The Dirty Duck, Stratford-upon-Avon|The Dirty Duck]].{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=73–74}} Philip too was happy with the progress his ward made, and felt "proud, humble, and awed by god's mysterious ways".{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=72–73}}

Burton went on to perform in ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'' as the titular character, and played [[Ferdinand (The Tempest)|Ferdinand]] in ''[[The Tempest]]'' as a part of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre season as well. Neither role was overwhelmingly received by the critics, with a reviewer saying "he lacked inches" as Henry V. Olivier defended Burton by retaliating that he too received the same kind of review by the same critic for the same role.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=76}} His last play in 1951 was as a musician named Orphée in [[Jean Anouilh]]'s ''[[Eurydice (Anouilh play)|Eurydice]]'' opposite [[Dorothy McGuire]] and fellow Welsh actor [[Hugh Griffith]]. The play, retitled as ''Legend of Lovers'', opened in the [[Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre|Plymouth Theatre]], New York City and ran for only a week, but critics were kind to Burton, with Bob Francis of ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine finding him "excellent as the self-tortured young accordionist".<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fR4EAAAAMBAJ | title=Broadway Openings&nbsp;— Legend of Lovers | publisher=[[Nielsen N.V.]] | location=New York City | page=31 | issn=0006-2510 | first=Bob | last=Francis | magazine=Billboard | date=5 January 1952}}</ref>{{Sfnm|1a1=Cottrell|1a2=Cashin|1y=1971|1p=120|2a1=Alpert|2y=1986|2pp=55–56|3a1=Bragg|3y=1988|3p=79}}

=== 1952–1954: Hollywood and The Old Vic ===
Burton began 1952 by starring alongside [[Noel Willman]] in the title role of [[Emmanuel Roblès]] adventure ''Montserrat'', which opened on 8 April at the Lyric Hammersmith. The play only ran for six weeks but Burton once again won praise from critics. According to Bragg, some of the critics who watched the performance considered it to be Burton's "most convincing role" till then.{{Sfnm|1a1=Cottrell|1a2=Cashin|1y=1971|1p=122|2a1=Alpert|2y=1986|2p=56|3a1=Bragg|3y=1988|3p=79}} Tynan lauded Burton's role of Captain Montserrat, noting that he played it "with a variousness which is amazing when you consider that it is really little more than a protracted exposition of smouldering dismay".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/18th-april-1952/12/montserrat-by-lillian-hellman-lyric-hammersmith-it | title=Montserrat. By Lillian Hellman. (Lyric, Hammersmith.) IT is as well | work=[[The Spectator]] | date=18 April 1952 | access-date=18 April 2016 | first=Kenneth | last=Tynan | author-link=Kenneth Tynan | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418091859/http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/18th-april-1952/12/montserrat-by-lillian-hellman-lyric-hammersmith-it | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:My Cousin Rachel trailer screenshot 3.png|thumb|right|Burton with Olivia de Havilland in ''My Cousin Rachel'' (1952)]]
Burton successfully made the transition to Hollywood on the recommendation of film director [[George Cukor]]{{efn|[[George Cukor]] was initially assigned by the film's producer and screenwriter [[Nunnally Johnson]] to direct ''My Cousin Rachel'', but left due to differences of opinion with Johnson regarding the film's script.<ref name="TCM MCR Notes">{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/84298/my-cousin-rachel#notes | title=My Cousin Rachel&nbsp;— Notes | publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]] | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418100452/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/84298/My-Cousin-Rachel/notes.html | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Henry Koster]] was assigned in his place.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=56, 59}}}} when he was given the lead role in the [[Gothic film|Gothic]] [[romance film]], ''[[My Cousin Rachel (1952 film)|My Cousin Rachel]]'' (1952) opposite [[Olivia de Havilland]]. [[Darryl F. Zanuck]], co-founder of [[20th Century Fox]], negotiated a deal with Korda to loan Burton to the company for three films as well as pay Burton a total of $150,000 ($50,000 per film).{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=57}} De Havilland did not get along well with Burton during filming, calling him "a coarse-grained man with a coarse-grained charm and a talent not completely developed, and a coarse-grained {{sic|behavior|nolink=y}} which makes him not like anyone else". One of Burton's friends opined it may have been because of Burton's making remarks to her that she did not find in good taste.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=59}}{{efn|Biographer Alpert mentions that De Havilland complemented Burton as well, mentioning he possessed a "manliness combined with a little boy quality".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=59}}}}

While shooting ''My Cousin Rachel'', Burton was offered the role of [[Mark Antony]] in ''[[Julius Caesar (1953 film)|Julius Caesar]]'' (1953) by the production company, [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer]] (MGM), but Burton refused it to avoid schedule conflicts.<ref name="HH1952">{{cite news | url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/12/28/page/52/article/youll-like-burton-for-certain/ | title=You'll Like Burton For Certain | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | date=28 December 1952 | access-date=19 April 2016 | pages=9, 15 | first=Hedda | last=Hopper | author-link=Hedda Hopper | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419065938/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1952/12/28/page/52/article/youll-like-burton-for-certain/ | archive-date=19 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The role subsequently went to [[Marlon Brando]] for which he earned a [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor]] and an [[Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]].<ref name="HH1952"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1954/film/foreign-actor | title=Foreign Actor in 1954 | publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]] | access-date=19 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419071340/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1954/film/foreign-actor | archive-date=19 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Oscars54">{{cite web | url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1954 | title=The 26th Academy Awards 1954 | date=4 October 2014 | publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] | access-date=19 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423075018/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1954 | archive-date=23 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Based on the 1951 [[My Cousin Rachel|novel of the same name]] by [[Daphne du Maurier]], ''My Cousin Rachel'' is about a man who suspects his rich cousin was murdered by his wife in order to inherit his wealth, but ends up falling in love with her, despite his suspicions.{{Sfn|Thomas|1983|pp=223–224}} Upon release, the film was successful at the box office,<ref>'The Top Box Office Hits of 1953'. ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. 13 January 1954.</ref> and Burton's performance received mostly excellent reviews.<ref name="TCM MCR Notes"/> [[Bosley Crowther]], writing for ''The New York Times'', appreciated Burton's emotional performance, describing it as "most fetching"; he called him "the perfect hero of Miss du Maurier's tale".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EFDD1E3AE23BBC4E51DFB4678389649EDE | title='My Cousin Rachel' Presented at the Rivoli – 'Ruby Gentry,' 'No Time for Flowers' Bow | work=The New York Times | date=26 December 1952 | access-date=18 April 2016 | first=Bosley | last=Crowther | author-link=Bosley Crowther | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418102234/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9501EFDD1E3AE23BBC4E51DFB4678389649EDE | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'' reviewer stated "young Burton registers with an intense performance that stamps him as an actor of great potential". Conversely, a critic from the ''[[Los Angeles Examiner]]'' labelled Burton as "terribly, terribly tweedy".<ref name="TCM MCR Notes"/> The film earned Burton the [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year&nbsp;– Actor]] and his first Academy Award nomination in the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] category.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1953/all | title=Winners & Nominees 1953 | publisher=[[Golden Globe Award]] | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418104304/http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1953/all | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1953 | title=25th Academy Awards | date=4 October 2014 | publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | access-date=30 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430014504/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1953 | archive-date=30 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:The Robe 1953 Trailer Screenshot 1.png|thumb|left|As the Roman military tribune Marcellus Gallio in ''The Robe'' (1953)]]
The year 1953 marked an important turning point in Burton's career.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=85}} He arrived in Hollywood at a time when the [[studio system]] was struggling. The rise of television was drawing viewers away and the studios looked to new stars and film technologies to tempt viewers back to cinemas.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=86–87}} He first appeared in the [[war film]] ''[[The Desert Rats (film)|The Desert Rats]]'' with [[James Mason]], playing an English captain in the North African campaign during World War II who takes charge of a hopelessly outnumbered Australian unit against the indomitable German [[field marshal]], [[Erwin Rommel]], who was portrayed by Mason. The film received generally good reviews from critics in London, although they complained the British contribution to the campaign had been underplayed ed.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18368077 | title=London Critics Praise 'The Desert Rats'. | work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |date=26 April 1953 | access-date=18 April 2016 | page=3 | agency=[[National Library of Australia]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418121629/http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18368077 | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The critic from ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' magazine thought Burton was "excellent" while ''The New York Times'' reviewer noted his "electric portrayal of the hero" made the film look "more than a plain, cavalier apology".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/the-desert-rats-1200417385/ | title=Review: 'The Desert Rats' | work=Variety | date=31 December 1952 | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418122741/http://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/the-desert-rats-1200417385/ | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A04EEDF163DE23BBC4153DFB3668388649EDE | title='The Desert Rags,' With Richard Burton and Robert Newton, Presented at the Mayfair | work=The New York Times | date=9 May 1953 | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418123253/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A04EEDF163DE23BBC4153DFB3668388649EDE | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton and Sybil became good friends with Mason and his wife [[Pamela Mason]], and stayed at their residence until Burton returned home to the UK in June 1953 in order to play [[Prince Hamlet]] as a part of The Old Vic 1953–54 season.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=59, 67}} This was to be the first time in his career he took up the role.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Theatre}}

Burton's second and final film of the year was in the [[Biblical]] [[epic film|epic]] historical drama, ''[[The Robe (film)|The Robe]]'', notable for being the first-ever motion picture to be made in [[CinemaScope]].{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=64}}{{efn|The decision to make the film in CinemaScope was taken by Fox as a response to [[Cinerama]], another widescreen process that was introduced in 1952 with the film, ''[[This Is Cinerama]]''.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=63}}}} He replaced [[Tyrone Power]], who was originally cast in the role of Marcellus Gallio, a noble but decadent Roman [[military tribune]] in command of the detachment of Roman soldiers that were involved in crucifying [[Jesus Christ]]. Haunted by nightmares of the crucifixion, he is eventually led to his own conversion. Marcellus' Greek slave Demetrius (played by [[Victor Mature]]) guides him as a spiritual teacher, and his wife Diana (played by [[Jean Simmons]]) follows his lead. The film established a trend for Biblical epics such as ''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' (1959).{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=85}} Based on [[Lloyd C. Douglas]]' 1942 historical novel [[The Robe|of the same name]], ''The Robe'' was well received at the time of its release, but contemporary reviews have been less favourable.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=86}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robe/ | title=The Robe (1953) | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | date=16 September 1953 | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150305011300/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/robe | archive-date=5 March 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Variety'' magazine termed the performances of the lead cast "effective" and complemented the fight sequences between Burton and [[Jeff Morrow]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/the-robe-1200417355/ | title=Review: 'The Robe' | work=Variety | date=31 December 1952 | access-date=18 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418133110/http://variety.com/1952/film/reviews/the-robe-1200417355/ | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Crowther believed that Burton was "stalwart, spirited and stern" as Marcellus.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D06E0D71339E23BBC4F52DFBF668388649EDE | title=The Screen: 'The Rose' Shown In Cemascope; Movie Based on Douglas' Novel Stars Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature Much-Heralded Film Process Gives Viewers a Smashing Display of Spectacle | work=The New York Times | date=17 September 1953 | access-date=18 April 2016 | first=Bosley | last=Crowther | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418134240/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D06E0D71339E23BBC4F52DFBF668388649EDE | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] of the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' called ''The Robe'' "pious claptrap".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-robe/Film?oid=1056747 | title=The Robe | work=[[Chicago Reader]] | access-date=18 April 2016 | first=Jonathan | last=Rosenbaum | author-link=Jonathan Rosenbaum | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418133126/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-robe/Film?oid=1056747 | archive-date=18 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The film was a commercial success, grossing $17&nbsp;million against a $5&nbsp;million budget, and Burton received his second Best Actor nomination at the [[26th Academy Awards]].<ref name="Oscars54"/>{{Sfn|Cashmore|2016|p=144}}

{{Quote box|bgcolor=#FAE7B5|quote=[Elizabeth Taylor] was so extraordinarily beautiful that I nearly laughed out loud [...] She was undeniably gorgeous [...] She was lavish. She was a dark unyielding ''largesse''. She was, in short, too bloody much, and not only that, she was totally ignoring me.|source=&nbsp;— Burton's first impression of Elizabeth Taylor.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=90}}|align=right|width=35%}}

Bolstered by ''The Robe''{{'}}s box office collections, Zanuck offered Burton a seven-year, seven-picture $1&nbsp;million contract ({{Inflation|US|1000000|1952|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}), but he politely turned it down as he was planning to head home to portray ''Hamlet'' at The Old Vic. Zanuck threatened to force Burton into cutting the deal, but the duo managed to come to a compromise when Burton agreed to a less binding contract, also for seven years and seven films at $1&nbsp;million, that would begin only after he returned from his stint at The Old Vic's 1953–54 season.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=65–66|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2pp=87–88}}{{efn|Alpert mentions the contract's span as ten-year and ten-pictures, but also states the amount to be $1&nbsp;million.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=65}}}}

News of the incident soon spread and his decision to walk out on a million-dollar contract for a stipend of £150 a week at The Old Vic was met with both appreciation and surprise.{{Sfnm|1a1=Ferris|1y=1981|1p=117|2a1=Alpert|2y=1986|2p=66|3a1=Bragg|3y=1988|3p=88}} Bragg believed Burton defied the studio system with this act when that would have been expected to guarantee unemployment for him.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=89}} Gossip columnist [[Hedda Hopper]] considered Burton's success in his first three films in Hollywood to be "the most exciting success story since [[Gregory Peck]]'s contracts of ten years back".<ref name="HH1952"/>{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=89}}

At a party held at Simmons' residence in [[Bel Air, Los Angeles]] to celebrate the success of ''The Robe'', Burton met [[Elizabeth Taylor]] for the first time. Taylor, who at the time was married to actor [[Michael Wilding (actor)|Michael Wilding]] and was pregnant with their first child, recalled her first impression of Burton being "rather full of himself. I seem to remember that he never stopped talking, and I had given him the cold fish eye."{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=60|2a1=Walker|2y=1990|2pp=139, 148, 152}} Hamlet was a challenge that both terrified and attracted him, as it was a role many of his peers in the British theatre had undertaken, including Gielgud and Olivier.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=93}} He shared his anxiety with de Havilland whilst coming to terms with her. Bogart too, didn't make it easy for him when he retorted: "I never knew a man who played ''Hamlet'' who didn't die broke."{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=65–66}}
[[File:Old Vic0185.JPG|thumb|right|The Old Vic (photographed in 2012) in London, where Burton rose to fame as a Shakespearean actor]]
Notwithstanding, Burton began his thirty-nine-week stint at The Old Vic by rehearsing for ''Hamlet'' in July 1953, with Philip providing expert coaching on how to make Hamlet's character match Burton's dynamic acting style.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=69|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=92}} Burton reunited with Bloom, who played [[Ophelia]].{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=94}} ''Hamlet'' opened at the [[General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland|Assembly Hall]] in Edinburgh, [[Scotland]] in September 1953 as part of The Old Vic season during the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=69|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=Appendices: Theatre}} The play and Burton's Hamlet were, on the whole, well received, with critics describing his interpretation of the character as "moody, virile and baleful" and that he had "dash, attack and verve".{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=95}} Burton's Hamlet was quite popular with the young audience, who came to watch the play in numbers as they were quite taken with the aggressiveness with which he portrayed the role. Burton also received appreciation from [[Winston Churchill]].{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=69}} Gielgud was not too happy with Burton's Hamlet and asked him while both were backstage: "Shall I go ahead and wait until you're better?... ah, I mean ready?" Burton picked up the hint and infused some of Gielgud's traits to his own in later performances as Hamlet.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=70}}{{efn|Gielgud's biographer Jonathan Croall opines Gielgud's dissatisfaction may be due to a remark Burton made that his portrayal of Hamlet was "a sort of unconscious imitation of Gielgud".{{Sfn|Croall|2000|p=441}}}} A greater success followed in the form of the Roman General [[Gaius Marcius Coriolanus]] in ''[[Coriolanus]]''. At first, Burton refused to play Coriolanus as he didn't like the character's initial disdain for the poor and the downtrodden. [[Michael Benthall]], who was renowned for his association with [[Tyrone Guthrie]] in a 1944 production of ''Hamlet'', sought Philip's help to entice Burton into accepting it. Philip convinced Burton by making him realise that it was Coriolanus' "lack of ambivalence" which made him an admirable character.{{Sfnm|1a1=Babula|1y=1981|1p=58|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=96–97|3a1=Tynan|3y=2012|3p=109}} Burton received even better reviews for Coriolanus than Hamlet. Hardy thought Burton's Hamlet was "too strong" but that "His Coriolanus is quite easily the best I've ever seen." Olivier too agreed it was the greatest Coriolanus he had ever seen till then.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=96–97}}

Burton's other roles for the season were [[Sir Toby Belch]] in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'', [[Caliban]] in ''The Tempest'' and [[Philip of Cognac]] in ''[[King John (play)|King John]]''.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=97}} All five of Burton's plays were directed by Benthall; three of those plays featured Bloom.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Theatre}} While Belch was considered "disappointing", owing to Burton's not putting on the proper make-up for the part, his reviews for Caliban and Philip of Cognac were positive.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=97–98}} Alpert believed Burton's presence made the 1953–54 season of The Old Vic a commercial success.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=69}} Burton was an ardent admirer of poet [[Dylan Thomas]] since his boyhood days. On the poet's death on 9 November 1953, he wrote an essay about him and took the time to make a 1954 BBC Radio adaptation of one of his final works, ''[[Under Milk Wood]]'', in which Burton performed the role of First Voice in an all-Welsh cast.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=98–99}}<ref name="BBC UMW 1954">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/under_milk_wood.shtml | title=Under Milk Wood | publisher=BBC | date=24 December 2003 | access-date=21 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421023649/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/under_milk_wood.shtml | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The entire cast of the radio adaptation, including Burton, played their roles free of charge.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=98–99}} Burton reprised his role in the play's [[Under Milk Wood (1972 film)|1972 film adaptation]] with Taylor.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Films}}<ref name="BBC UMW 1954"/> Burton was also involved in narrating [[Lindsay Anderson]]'s [[short film|short]] documentary film about The Royal School for the Deaf in [[Margate]], ''[[Thursday's Children]]'' (1954).<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DE0DB1431F934A35753C1A961948260 | title=Film: Three From Lindsay Anderson | work=The New York Times | date=7 October 1987 | access-date=21 April 2016 | first=Walter | last=Goodman | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421024643/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DE0DB1431F934A35753C1A961948260 | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 1955–1959: Setback in films and on-stage fame ===
[[File:Richard Burton Maggie McNamara Prince of Players.jpg|thumb|right|With Maggie McNamara in ''Prince of Players'' (1955)]]
After The Old Vic season ended, Burton's contract with Fox required him to do three more films. The first was ''[[Prince of Players]]'' (1955), where he was cast as the 19th-century Shakespearean actor [[Edwin Booth]], who was [[John Wilkes Booth]]'s brother. [[Maggie McNamara]] played Edwin's wife, Mary Devlin Booth.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=100}} Philip thought the script was "a disgrace" to Burton's name.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=101}} The film's director [[Philip Dunne (writer)|Philip Dunne]] observed, "He hadn't mastered yet the tricks of the great movie stars, such as [[Gary Cooper]], who knew them all. The personal magnetism Richard had on the sound stage didn't come through the camera."{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=71}} This was one aspect that troubled Richard throughout his career on celluloid. The film flopped at the box office and has since been described as "the first flop in CinemaScope".{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=71|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=101}} Crowther, however, lauded Burton's scenes where he performed Shakespeare plays such as ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E03E4D9123AE53BBC4A52DFB766838E649EDE | title=The Screen in Review; 'Prince of Players' Bows at the Rivoli | work=The New York Times | date=12 January 1955 | access-date=21 April 2016 | first=Bosley | last=Crowther | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421054453/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E03E4D9123AE53BBC4A52DFB766838E649EDE | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Shortly after the release of ''Prince of Players'', Burton met director [[Robert Rossen]], who was well known at the time for his Academy Award-winning film, ''[[All the King's Men (1949 film)|All the King's Men]]'' (1949). Rossen planned to cast Burton in ''[[Alexander the Great (1956 film)|Alexander the Great]]'' (1956) as the eponymous character. Burton accepted Rossen's offer after the director reassured him he had been studying the [[Ancient Macedonians|Macedonian]] king for two years to make sure the film was historically accurate. Burton was loaned by Fox to the film's production company [[United Artists]], which paid him a fee of $100,000 ({{Inflation|US|100000|1956|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}). ''Alexander the Great'' was made mostly in Spain during February 1955 and July 1955 on a budget of $6&nbsp;million. The film reunited Burton with Bloom and it was also the first film he made with her. Bloom played the role of [[Barsine]], the daughter of [[Artabazos II of Phrygia]], and one of Alexander's three wives. [[Fredric March]], [[Danielle Darrieux]], [[Stanley Baker]], [[Michael Hordern]] and [[William Squire]] were respectively cast as [[Philip II of Macedon]], [[Olympias]], [[Attalus (general)|Attalus]], [[Demosthenes]] and [[Aeschines]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=72–73|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=101–102}}
[[File:Photo of Claire Bloom Richard Burton.jpg|thumb|left|With Claire Bloom in ''Alexander the Great'' (1956)|alt=]]
After the completion of ''Alexander the Great'', Burton had high hopes for a favourable reception of the "intelligent epic", and went back to complete his next assignment for Fox, [[Jean Negulesco]]'s ''[[The Rains of Ranchipur]]'' (1955). In this remake of Fox's own 1939 film ''[[The Rains Came]]'', Burton played a [[Hindu]] doctor, Rama Safti, who falls in love with Lady Edwina Esketh ([[Lana Turner]]), an invitee of the Maharani of the fictional town of Ranchipur.<ref name="sterritt1955">{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/87641/the-rains-of-ranchipur#articles-reviews | title=The Rains of Ranchipur (1955) – TCM Article | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=21 April 2016 | first=David | last=Sterritt | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421071238/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/87641/The-Rains-of-Ranchipur/articles.html | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton faced the same troubles with playing character roles as before with Belch.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=103}} ''The Rains of Ranchipur'' released on 16 December 1955, three months before ''Alexander the Great'' rolled out on 28 March 1956.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17416/alexander-the-great | title=Alexander the Great&nbsp;— Overview | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=21 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421090030/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/17416/Alexander-the-Great/ | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/87641/the-rains-of-ranchipur | title=The Rains of Ranchipur&nbsp;— Overview | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=21 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421090036/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/87641/The-Rains-of-Ranchipur/ | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Contrary to Burton's expectations, both the films were critical and commercial failures, and he rued his decision to act in them.<ref name="sterritt1955"/>{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=73–75|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=102–104}} ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine critic derided ''The Rains of Ranchipur'' and even went as far as to say Richard was hardly noticeable in the film.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=75}} [[A. H. Weiler]] of ''The New York Times'', however, called Burton's rendering of Alexander "serious and impassioned".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0DEFD71430E23BBC4151DFB566838D649EDE | title=Screen: A Saga of Ancient Titans; 'Alexander the Great' Is Sweeping Pageant | work=The New York Times | date=29 March 1956 | access-date=21 April 2016 | first=A. H. | last=Weiler | author-link=A. H. Weiler | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421085451/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0DEFD71430E23BBC4151DFB566838D649EDE | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Burton returned to The Old Vic to perform ''Henry V'' for a second time. The Benthall-directed production opened in December 1955 to glowing reviews and was a much-needed triumph for Burton.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=104–105}} Tynan made it official by famously saying Burton was now "the next successor to Olivier".{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=74|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=105}} The reviewer from ''[[The Times]]'' began by pointing out the deficiencies in Burton's previous rendition of the character in 1951 before stating "Mr. Burton's progress as an actor is such that already he is able to make good all the lacks of a few short years ago ... what was greatly metallic has been transformed into a steely strength which becomes the martial ring and hard brilliance of the patriotic verse. There now appears a romantic sense of a high kingly mission and the clear cognisance of the capacity to fulfil it ... the whole performance&nbsp;— a mostly satisfying one&nbsp;— is firmly under the control of the imagination".{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=105}}

In January 1956, the ''[[London Evening Standard]]'' honoured Burton by presenting to him its [[Evening Standard Theatre Awards#Best Actor|Theatre Award for Best Actor]] for his portrayal of Henry V.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=75|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=104}} His success in and as Henry V led him to be called the "Welsh Wizard".{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=104}} ''Henry V'' was followed by Benthall's adaptation of ''[[Othello]]'' in February 1956, where he alternated on successive openings between the roles of [[Othello (character)|Othello]] and [[Iago]] with [[John Neville (actor)|John Neville]]. As Othello, Burton received both praise for his dynamism and criticism with being less poetical with his dialogues, while he was acclaimed as Iago.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=104, 106}}

Burton's stay at The Old Vic was cut short when he was approached by the [[Italian neorealism|Italian neorealist]] director [[Roberto Rossellini]] for Fox's ''[[Sea Wife]]'' (1957), a drama set in [[World War II]] about a nun and three men marooned on an island after the ship they travel on is torpedoed by a [[U-boat]]. [[Joan Collins]], who played the nun, was his co-star. Burton's role was that of an RAF officer who develops romantic feelings for the nun.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=75}} Rossellini was informed by Zanuck not to have any kissing scenes between Burton and Collins, which Rossellini found unnatural; this led to him walking out of the film and being replaced by Bob McNaught, one of the executive producers.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=76}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/89334/sea-wife#trivia | title=Sea Wife&nbsp;— Trivia | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=21 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421124332/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/89334/Sea-Wife/trivia.html | archive-date=21 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> According to Collins, Burton had a "take-the-money-and-run attitude" toward the film.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=75–77}} ''Sea Wife'' was not a successful venture, with biographer Munn observing that his salary was the only positive feature that came from the film.{{Sfnm|1a1=Monaco|1y=1991|1p=89|2a1=Munn|2y=2014|2p=110}} Philip saw it and said he was "ashamed" that it added another insult to injury in Burton's career.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=111}}
[[File:Richard Burton Yvonne Furneaux Wuthering Heights 1958.jpg|thumb|right|With Yvonne Furneaux in ''Wuthering Heights'' (1958)]]
After ''Sea Wife'', Burton next appeared as the British Army Captain Jim Leith in [[Nicholas Ray]]'s ''[[Bitter Victory]]'' (1957).{{Sfn|Munn|2014|p=113}} Burton admired Ray's ''[[Rebel Without A Cause]]'' (1955) and was excited about working with him,{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=78}} but unfortunately despite positive feedback, ''Bitter Victory'' tanked as well.{{Sfnm|1a1=Bragg|1y=1988|1p=119|2a1=Munn|2y=2014|2p=113}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bitter_victory/ | title=Bitter Victory (1957) | website=Rotten Tomatoes | date=17 January 1958 | access-date=21 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211224128/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bitter_victory | archive-date=11 February 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> By mid-1957, Burton had no further offers in his kitty. He could not return to the UK because of his self-imposed exile from taxation, and his fortunes in film were dwindling.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=78}} It was then that film producer and screenwriter [[Milton Sperling]] offered Burton to star alongside [[Helen Hayes]] and [[Susan Strasberg]] in [[Patricia Moyes]]' adaptation of Jean Anouilh's play, ''Time Remembered'' (''[[Léocadia]]'' in the original French version).{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=78|2a1=Hischak|2y=2009|2p=469}} Sensing an opportunity for a career resurgence, Burton readily agreed to do the role of Prince Albert, who falls in love with a [[Hatmaking|milliner]] named Amanda (Strasberg).{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=78}} It was on 10 September 1957, a day before he left for New York, that Sybil gave birth to their first child, [[Kate Burton (actress)|Kate Burton]].{{Sfn|Munn|2014|p=113}} ''Time Remembered'' was well received on its opening nights at Broadway's [[Morosco Theatre]] and also at the [[National Theatre (Washington, D.C.)|National Theatre]] in Washington, D.C.{{Sfn|Ferris|1981|p=130}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ebay.com/itm/Richard-Burton-Susan-Strasberg-Time-Remembered-Playbill-1957-Washington-HZ-/291724349422?hash=item43ec204fee | title=Richard Burton Susan Strasberg "Time Remembered" Playbill 1957 Washington HZ | publisher=[[eBay]] | date=8 October 1957 | access-date=22 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422124653/http://www.ebay.com/itm/Richard-Burton-Susan-Strasberg-Time-Remembered-Playbill-1957-Washington-HZ-/291724349422?hash=item43ec204fee | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The play went on to have a good run of 248 performances for six months. Burton received his first [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] nomination while Hayes won her second [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play]] for her role as Burton's mother, The Duchess of Pont-Au-Bronc.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.playbill.com/production/time-remembered-morosco-theatre-vault-0000002433 | title=Time Remembered | work=Playbill | access-date=22 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422124635/http://www.playbill.com/production/time-remembered-morosco-theatre-vault-0000002433 | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1958, Burton appeared with [[Yvonne Furneaux]] in [[DuPont Show of the Month]]'s 90-minute television adaptation of [[Emily Brontë]]'s classic novel ''[[Wuthering Heights]]'' as [[Heathcliff (Wuthering Heights)|Heathcliff]].{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Television}} The film, directed by [[Daniel Petrie]],{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=83}} aired on 9 May 1958 on [[CBS]] with Burton garnering plaudits from both the critics and Philip, who thought he was "magnificent" in it.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=123}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.paleycenter.org/p-70-tv-countdown-50 | title=The Paley Center's Countdown to the 70th Anniversary of Television: TV Facts You Will Want to Know! | publisher=[[Paley Center for Media]] | access-date=13 March 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313093703/https://www.paleycenter.org/p-70-tv-countdown-50 | archive-date=13 March 2018 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Burton next featured as Jimmy Porter, "an angry young man" role, in the film version of [[John Osborne]]'s play ''[[Look Back in Anger (1959 film)|Look Back in Anger]]'' (1959), a gritty drama about middle-class life in the British Midlands, directed by [[Tony Richardson]], again with Claire Bloom as co-star. Biographer Bragg observed that ''Look Back in Anger'' "had defined a generation, provided a watershed in Britain's view of itself and brought [Osborne] into the public prints as a controversial, dangerous figure".{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=124}} Burton was able to identify himself with Porter, finding it "fascinating to find a man who came presumably from my sort of class, who actually could talk the way I would like to talk".{{Sfn|Ferris|1981|p=134}} The film, and Burton's performance, received mixed reviews upon release.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81782/look-back-in-anger#articles-reviews | title=Look Back in Anger (1959)&nbsp;— Article | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=22 April 2016 | first=David | last=Sterritt | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422143522/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81782/Look-Back-in-Anger/articles.html | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Biographer Alpert noted that though reviews in the UK were favourable, those in the United States were more negative.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=86}} Crowther wrote of Burton: "His tirades are eloquent but tiring, his breast beatings are dramatic but dull and his occasional lapses into sadness are pathetic but endurable."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0DE2DE1431EE3BBC4E52DFBF668382649EDE | title=Screen: Briton's Protest; ' Look Back in Anger' Opens at 2 Theatres | work=The New York Times | date=16 September 1959 | access-date=22 April 2016 | first=Bosley | last=Crowther | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422143902/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E0DE2DE1431EE3BBC4E52DFBF668382649EDE | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Geoff Andrew]] of ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' magazine felt Burton was too old for the part,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.timeout.com/us/film/look-back-in-anger | title=Look Back in Anger | work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] | access-date=22 April 2016 | first=Geoff | last=Andrew | author-link=Geoff Andrew | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422143617/http://www.timeout.com/us/film/look-back-in-anger | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> and the ''Variety'' reviewer thought "the role gives him little opportunity for variety".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/look-back-in-anger-2-1200419369/ | title=Review: 'Look Back in Anger' | work=Variety | date=31 December 1958 | access-date=22 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422143908/http://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/look-back-in-anger-2-1200419369/ | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Contemporary reviews of the film have been better and it has a rating of 89% on the review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1012672-look_back_in_anger/ | title=Look Back in Anger (1959) | website=Rotten Tomatoes | date=January 1958 | access-date=22 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422150718/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1012672-look_back_in_anger/ | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Look Back in Anger'' is now considered one of the defining films of the [[British New Wave]] cinema, a movement from the late 1950s to the late 1960s in which working-class characters became the focus of the film and conflict of social classes a central theme.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/445176/ | title=British New Wave | publisher=[[Screenonline]] | access-date=22 April 2016 | first=Phil | last=Wickham | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422150314/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/445176/ | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Jimmy Porter is also considered one of Burton's best on-screen roles;{{Sfn|Monaco|1991|p=89}} he was nominated in the Best Actor categories at the [[13th British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA]] and [[17th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe]] Awards but lost to [[Peter Sellers]] for ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'' (1959) and [[Anthony Franciosa]] for ''[[Career (1959 film)|Career]]'' (1959) respectively.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1960/film/british-actor | title=Film&nbsp;— British Actor in 1960 | publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts | access-date=30 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430013300/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1960/film/british-actor | archive-date=30 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1960 | title=Winners & Nominees 1960 | publisher=Golden Globe Award | access-date=30 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430012325/http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1960 | archive-date=30 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Though it didn't do well commercially, Burton was proud of the effort and wrote to Philip, "I promise you that there isn't a shred of self-pity in my performance. I am for the first time ever looking forward to seeing a film in which I play."{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=125}} While filming ''Look Back in Anger'', Burton did another play for BBC Radio, participating in two versions, one in Welsh and another in English, of Welsh poet [[Saunders Lewis]]' ''Brad'', which was about the [[20 July plot]]. Burton voiced one of the conspirators, [[Caesar von Hofacker]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/cymruaryrawyr/database/brad.shtml | title=Richard Burton a Brad | publisher=BBC | access-date=23 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423013449/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cymru/cymruaryrawyr/database/brad.shtml | archive-date=23 April 2016 | url-status=live | language=cy}}</ref>

=== 1960–1969: Broadway, ''Hamlet'' and films with Elizabeth Taylor ===
[[File:Richard Burton and Julie Andrews Camelot.JPG|thumb|right|Burton and Julie Andrews in the original Broadway production of ''Camelot'']]
In 1960, Burton appeared in two films for [[Warner Bros.]], neither of which were successful: ''[[The Bramble Bush]]'' which reunited him with his ''Wuthering Heights'' director Petrie, and [[Vincent Sherman]]'s adaptation of [[Edna Ferber]]'s ''[[Ice Palace (film)|Ice Palace]]''.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=128–129}} Burton called the latter a "piece of shit".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=86}} He received a fee of $125,000 for both films.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=128–129}} Burton's next appearance was as the stammering [[Secularism|secularist]], [[George Holyoake]] in BBC's documentary-style television adaptation of John Osborne's ''A Subject of Scandal and Concern''.<ref name="Television">{{cite web | url=http://www.richardburton.com/works/television/ | title=Richard Burton's Works&nbsp;— Television | publisher=The Official Richard Burton Website | access-date=23 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423023858/http://www.richardburton.com/works/television/ | archive-date=23 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/dec/26/philip-french-stammer-kings-speech | title=Philip French: my life as a stammerer | work=The Guardian | date=26 December 2010 | access-date=23 April 2016 | first=Philip | last=French | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423023725/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/dec/26/philip-french-stammer-kings-speech | archive-date=23 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> According to Osborne's biographer Luc Gilleman, the film garnered little attention.{{Sfn|Gilleman|2014|p=85}} Burton returned to the United States for the filming of [[John Frankenheimer]]'s television adaptation of [[Ernest Hemingway]]'s ''[[The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories|The Fifth Column]]''. He also provided narration for 26 episodes of ''[[The Valiant Years]]'', an [[American Broadcasting Company]] (ABC) series based on Winston Churchill's memoirs.<ref name="Life">{{cite web | url=http://www.richardburton.com/burton_biog.pdf | title=Richard Burton's Life | publisher=The Official Richard Burton Website | access-date=23 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423081034/http://www.richardburton.com/burton_biog.pdf | archive-date=23 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Burton made a triumphant return to the stage with [[Moss Hart]]'s 1960 Broadway production of ''[[Camelot (musical)|Camelot]]'' as [[King Arthur]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Bragg|1y=1988|1p=136|2a1=Monaco|2y=1991|2p=89}} The play, written by [[Alan Jay Lerner]] and [[Frederick Loewe]], had [[Julie Andrews]] fresh from her triumph in ''[[My Fair Lady]]'' playing [[Guinevere]], and [[Robert Goulet]] as [[Lancelot]] completing the love triangle.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=90}} [[Roddy McDowall]] played the villainous [[Mordred]].{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=90–91}} Hart first came up with the proposal to Burton after learning from Lerner about his ability to sing. Burton consulted Olivier on whether he should take the role, which came with a stipend of $4,000 a week. Olivier pointed out this salary was good and that he should accept the offer.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=86}} The production was troubled, with both Loewe and Hart falling ill and the pressure was building, owing to great expectations and huge advance sales. The show's running time was nearly five hours. Burton's intense preparation and competitive desire to succeed served him well.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=90–93}} He immediately drafted Philip, who revised the musical's script and cut its running time to three hours while also incorporating three new songs.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=133|2a1=Munn|2y=2014|2p=123}} Burton was generous and supportive to everyone throughout the production and coached the understudies himself. According to Lerner, "he kept the boat from rocking, and ''Camelot'' might never have reached New York if it hadn't been for him".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=90–93}} Burton's reviews were excellent, with the critic from ''Time'' magazine observing that Richard "gives Arthur the skillful and vastly appealing performance that might be expected from one of England's finest young actors".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=94}} Broadway theatre reviewer [[Walter Kerr]] noted Richard's syllables, "sing, the account of his wrestling the stone from the sword becomes a bravura passage of house-hushing brilliance" and complemented his duets with Andrews, finding Burton's rendition to possess "a sly and fretful and mocking accent to take care of the {{sic|humor|nolink=y}} without destroying the man".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=94}}
[[File:The Longest Day Richard Burton 1962.jpg|thumb|left|In ''The Longest Day'' (1962)]]
However, on the whole, the play initially received mixed reviews on its opening at the [[Majestic Theatre (Broadway)|Majestic Theatre]] on Broadway and was slow to earn money.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=94}} Advance sales managed to keep ''Camelot'' running for three months until a twenty-minute extract was broadcast on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''{{efn|Sullivan wanted an interview with Lerner and Loewe, promising to devote the time entirely to ''Camelot'' to which they agreed.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=94}}}} which helped ''Camelot'' achieve great success, and an unprecedented three-year run overall from 1960 to 1963.<ref name="Camelot">{{cite web | url=http://www.playbill.com/production/camelot-majestic-theatre-vault-0000007848 | title=Camelot | work=Playbill | access-date=23 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423094924/http://www.playbill.com/production/camelot-majestic-theatre-vault-0000007848 | archive-date=23 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Its success led to Burton being called "The King of Broadway", and he went on to receive the [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical]].<ref name="Camelot"/>{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=94|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=134}} The original soundtrack of the musical topped the ''Billboard'' charts throughout 1961 after its release at the end of 1960.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1047371/chart-beat | title=Fred discusses Robert Goulet, the Eagles, "High School Musical 2" and more! | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date=8 November 2007 | access-date=23 April 2016 | first=Fred | last=Bronson | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423130758/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1047371/chart-beat | archive-date=23 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[John F. Kennedy]], who was then the President of the United States, reportedly enjoyed the play and invited Burton to the [[White House]] for a visit.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=135}} In 1962, Burton appeared as [[Flying officer|Flying Officer]] David Campbell, an RAF fighter pilot in ''[[The Longest Day (film)|The Longest Day]]'', which included a large ensemble cast featuring: McDowall, [[George Segal]], [[Henry Fonda]], [[John Wayne]], [[Mel Ferrer]], [[Robert Mitchum]], [[Rod Steiger]] and [[Sean Connery]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81774/the-longest-day#articles-reviews | title=The Longest Day (1962)&nbsp;— Article | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=22 September 2015 | first=Paul | last=Tatara | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928055133/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/81774/The-Longest-Day/articles.html | archive-date=28 September 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref>{{Sfn|MacKenzie|2016|p=147}} The same year he provided narration for the [[Jack Howells]] documentary ''[[Dylan Thomas (film)|Dylan Thomas]]''. The short won the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)|Best Documentary Short Subject]] at the [[35th Academy Awards]] ceremony.{{Sfn|Burton|Chibnall|2013|p=423}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1963 | title=35th Academy Awards | date=5 October 2014 | publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | access-date=26 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426053216/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1963 | archive-date=26 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Taylor and Burton Cleopatra.jpg|thumb|right|As Mark Antony in ''Cleopatra'' (1963), with Elizabeth Taylor as the titular character]]
After performing ''Camelot'' for six months, in July 1961, Burton met producer [[Walter Wanger]] who asked him to replace [[Stephen Boyd]] as Mark Antony in director [[Joseph L. Mankiewicz]]'s [[Masterpiece|magnum opus]] ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]]''.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=97}} Burton was paid $250,000 for four months work in the film ({{Inflation|US|250000|1963|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}). The gigantic scale of the film's troubled production, Taylor's bouts of illness and fluctuating weight, Burton's off-screen relationship with the actress, (which he gave the sardonic nickname "Le Scandale") all generated enormous publicity;{{Sfnm|1a1=Bragg|1y=1988|1pp=138, 140|2a1=Walker|2y=1990|2pp=243–253|3a1=Kashner|3a2=Schoenberger|3y=2010|3pp=11–12, 39, 45–46, 56}}{{efn|The film was initially slated to be helmed by [[Armenian Americans|Armenian American]] film director [[Rouben Mamoulian]]. [[Principal photography]] began in London in 1960 but had to be halted several times due to prevalent weather conditions.{{Sfn|Kashner|Schoenberger|2010|pp=12–13}} [[Elizabeth Taylor]]'s inability to adapt to the English climate resulted in her falling continuously ill, further delaying production.{{Sfn|Kashner|Schoenberger|2010|pp=12–13}} In March 1961, she contracted a near-fatal case of [[pneumonia]], which required a [[tracheotomy]] to be performed. After she recovered, Fox shifted the production to Rome.{{Sfn|Kashner|Schoenberger|2010|pp=12–18}} Mamoulian was fired and [[Joseph L. Mankiewicz]] was hired at Taylor's insistence.{{Sfn|Walker|1990|p=226}}<ref name="TCM Cleopatra">{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/102758 | title=Cleopatra (1963)&nbsp;— Article | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=28 April 2016 | first=E. Lacey | last=Rice | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428075659/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/102757%7C102758/Cleopatra.html | archive-date=28 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Stephen Boyd]] and [[Peter Finch]], who played [[Mark Antony]] and Julius Caesar respectively, withdrew to concentrate on other pending projects. The duo were replaced by Burton and [[Rex Harrison]].{{Sfn|Kashner|Schoenberger|2010|pp=12–18}} Filming was finally completed in July 1962.{{Sfn|Kashner|Schoenberger|2010|p=39}}}} ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine proclaimed it the "Most Talked About Movie Ever Made".<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEkEAAAAMBAJ | title=LIFE | journal=[[Time Inc.]] | volume=54 | issue=16 | date=19 April 1963 | issn=0024-3019 | location=New York City}}</ref> Fox's future appeared to hinge on what became the most expensive movie ever made until then, with costs reaching almost $40&nbsp;million.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=97}} During filming, Burton met and fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor, who was then married to [[Eddie Fisher]]. According to Alpert, at their first meeting on the set while posing for their publicity photographs, Burton said, "Has anyone ever told you that you're a very pretty girl?" Taylor later recalled, "I said to myself, ''Oy gevalt'', here's the great lover, the great wit, the great intellectual of Wales, and he comes out with a line like that."{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=102–103}} Bragg contradicts Alpert by pointing out that Burton could not stand Taylor at first, calling her "Miss Tits" and opined to Mankiewicz, "I expect she shaves"; he saw her simply as another celebrity with no acting talent. All that changed when, in their first scene together, Burton was shaky and forgot his lines, and she soothed and helped him; it was at this instance, according to Taylor, that she fell for him.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=145–146}} Soon the affair began in earnest; both Fisher and Sybil were unable to bear it. While Fisher fled the sets for [[Gstaad]], Sybil went first to Céligny and then headed off to London.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=103–104, 107, 109}} Olivier, shocked by Burton's affair with Taylor, [[Telegraphy|cabled]] him: "Make up your mind, dear heart. Do you want to be a great actor or a household word?". Burton replied "Both".{{Sfn|Radner|Luckett|1999|p=245}}<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=2042581 | title=Playing Burton at the Herald Theatre | work=[[The New Zealand Herald]] | date=22 May 2002 | access-date=28 April 2016 | first=Peter | last=Calder | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610094532/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=2042581 | archive-date=10 June 2016 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

''Cleopatra'' was finally released on 11 June 1963 with a run time of 243 minutes, to polarising reviews.<ref name="TCM Cleopatra"/>{{Sfn|Walker|1990|p=265}}{{efn|The film was initially six hours long and Mankiewicz thought of releasing the film in two parts, both three hours long. Zanuck rejected the idea and edited the film himself by cutting it down to four hours. Alpert observed that the more Zanuck edited the film, the less Burton's screen presence became. Burton and Taylor supported Mankiewicz, with the former saying the director "might have made the first really good epic film". Mankiewicz said of the editing of Burton's scenes, "He gave a brilliant performance, much of which will never be seen."{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=124}}}} The ''Time'' magazine critic found the film "riddled with flaws, [lacking] style both in image and in action", and wrote Burton "staggers around looking ghastly and spouting irrelevance".<ref name="TCM Cleopatra"/>{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=125}} In a contradictory review, Crowther termed the film "generally brilliant, moving, and satisfying" and thought Burton was "exciting as the arrogant Antony".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F02E0DA1430EF3BBC4B52DFB0668388679EDE | title=The Screen: 'Cleopatra' Has Premiere at Rivoli:4-Hour Epic Is Tribute to Its Artists' Skills | work=The New York Times | date=13 June 1963 | access-date=28 April 2016 | first=Bosley | last=Crowther | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428090313/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F02E0DA1430EF3BBC4B52DFB0668388679EDE | archive-date=28 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Richard Brody]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' commented positively on the chemistry between Burton and Taylor, describing it as "entrancing in the movie's drama as it was in life".<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/cleopatra | title=Cleopatra | magazine=[[The New Yorker]] | access-date=28 April 2016 | first=Richard | last=Brody | author-link=Richard Brody | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428091011/http://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/cleopatra | archive-date=28 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Cleopatra'' grossed over $26 million ({{Inflation|US|26000000|1963|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}), becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 1963.<ref name="TCM Cleopatra"/> It was not enough to prevent Fox from entering bankruptcy. The studio sued Burton and Taylor for allegedly damaging the film's prospects at the box office with their behaviour, but it proved unsuccessful.{{Sfn|Kashner|Schoenberger|2010|p=46}} ''Cleopatra'' was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning for [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]], [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]] and [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects|Best Visual Effects]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1964 | title=36th Academy Awards | date=5 October 2014 | publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | access-date=29 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429053203/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1964 | archive-date=29 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

The film marked the beginning of a series of collaborations with Taylor, in addition to making Burton one of the Top 10 box office draws until 1967.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.reelclassics.com/Articles/General/quigleytop10-article.htm | title=Quigley's Annual List of Box-Office Champions, 1932–1970 | publisher=Reel Classics | date=23 October 2003 | access-date=28 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428100859/http://www.reelclassics.com/Articles/General/quigleytop10-article.htm | archive-date=28 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton played her tycoon husband Paul Andros in [[Anthony Asquith]]'s ''[[The V.I.P.s (film)|The V.I.P.s]]'' (1963), an [[ensemble cast]] film described by Alpert as a "kind of ''[[Grand Hotel (1932 film)|Grand Hotel]]'' story" that was set in the VIP lounge of [[London Heathrow Airport]];{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=119}} it proved to be a box-office hit despite mixed reviews.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=119–120|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=169|3a1=Ryall|3y=2013|3p=27}} It was after ''The V.I.P.s'' that Burton became considerably more selective about his roles; he credited Taylor for this as he simply acted in films "to get rich" and she "made me see what kind of rubbish I was doing".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=120}} Burton divorced Sybil in April 1963 after completing ''The V.I.P.s'' while Taylor was granted divorce from Fisher on 6 March 1964.<ref name="NYTDowd">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1110.html | title=Richard Burton, 58, is Dead; Rakish Stage and Screen Star | work=The New York Times | date=6 August 1984 | access-date=30 April 2016 | first=Dowd | last=Maureen | author-link=Maureen Dowd | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430045324/http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1110.html | archive-date=30 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Daytona">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1870&dat=19640306&id=k_knAAAAIBAJ&pg=4677,993740&hl=en|title=Liz Finally Gets Divorce|work=[[The Daytona Beach News-Journal]]|date=6 March 1964|access-date=8 January 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170108110623/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1870&dat=19640306&id=k_knAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QcoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4677,993740&hl=en|archive-date=8 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Taylor then took a two-year hiatus from films until her next venture with Burton, ''[[The Sandpiper]]'' (1965).<ref name="NYTDowd"/>{{Sfn|Kashner|Schoenberger|2010|p=112}} The [[supercouple]], dubbed "Liz and Dick" by the press, continued starring together in films in the mid-1960s, earning a combined $88&nbsp;million over the next decade and spending $65&nbsp;million.{{Sfnm|1a1=Kashner|1a2=Schoenberger|1y=2010|1p=193|2a1=Holder|2y=2014|2p=124}} Regarding their earnings, in a 1976 interview with Lester David and Jhan Robbins of ''[[The Ledger]]'', Burton stated that "they say we generate more business activity than one of the smaller African nations" and that the couple "often outspent" the Greek business tycoon [[Aristotle Onassis]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19760615&id=foksAAAAIBAJ&pg=6932,4210848&hl=en | title=Elizabeth Still Amuses, Amazes, Confounds Richard | work=[[The Ledger]] | date=15 July 1976 | access-date=30 April 2016 | first1=Lester David and Jhan Robbins | last1=David | first2=Jhan | last2=Robbins | page=17}}</ref>

In 1964, Burton portrayed [[Thomas Becket]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] who was martyred by [[Henry II of England]], in the [[Becket (1964 film)|film adaptation]] of Jean Anouilh's historical play ''[[Becket]]''. Both Alpert and historian [[Alex von Tunzelmann]] noted Burton gave an effective, restrained performance, contrasting with co-actor and friend [[Peter O'Toole]]'s manic portrayal of Henry.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=130}}<ref name="Becket Guardian">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/01/reel-history-becket | title=Becket: forking Normans and a not so turbulent priest | work=The Guardian | date=1 February 2009 | access-date=30 April 2016 | first=Alex | last=von Tunzelmann | author-link=Alex von Tunzelmann | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430003234/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/01/reel-history-becket | archive-date=30 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton asked the film's director, Peter Glenville, not to oust him from the project like he had done for ''Adventure Story'' before accepting the role of Becket.<ref name="Becket Guardian"/>{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=119|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=172}} Writing for ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'', Peter Rainer labelled Burton as "extraordinary".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0209/p14s01-almo.html | title=Movie Guide | work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] | date=9 February 2007 | access-date=29 April 2016 | first=Peter | last=Rainer | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429153556/http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0209/p14s01-almo.html | archive-date=29 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Kenneth Turan]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' appreciated Burton's on-screen chemistry with O'Toole and thought his portrayal of Becket served as "a reminder of how fine an actor Burton was".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-feb-02-et-becket2-story.html | title=Two great actors display their craft | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=2 February 2007 | access-date=30 April 2016 | first=Kenneth | last=Turan | author-link=Kenneth Turan | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430002851/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/feb/02/entertainment/et-becket2 | archive-date=30 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The film received twelve Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for both Burton and O'Toole; they lost to Harrison for ''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'' (1964).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1965 | title=37th Academy Awards | date=5 October 2014 | publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | access-date=30 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422061750/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1965 | archive-date=22 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton and O'Toole also received nominations for Best Actor&nbsp;– Motion Picture Drama at the [[22nd Golden Globe Awards]], with O'Toole emerging victorious.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1965 | title=Winners & Nominees 1965 | newspaper=Golden Globes | publisher=Golden Globe Award | access-date=30 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430011721/http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1965 | archive-date=30 April 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton's triumph at the box office continued with his next appearance as the defrocked clergyman Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon in [[Tennessee Williams]]' ''[[The Night of the Iguana (film)|The Night of the Iguana]]'' (1964) directed by [[John Huston]]; the film was also critically well received.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=136|2a1=Erskine|2a2=Welsh|2a3=Tibbetts|2y=2000|2p=238}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_of_the_iguana/ | title=The Night of the Iguana (1964) | website=Rotten Tomatoes | date=6 August 1964 | access-date=30 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905233907/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_of_the_iguana/ | archive-date=5 September 2015 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> Alpert believed Burton's success was due to how well he varied his acting with the three female characters, each of whom he tries to seduce differently: [[Ava Gardner]] (the randy hotel owner), [[Sue Lyon]] (the nubile American tourist), and [[Deborah Kerr]] (the poor, repressed artist).{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=135}} The success of ''Becket'' and ''The Night of the Iguana'' led ''Time'' magazine to term him "the new Mr. Box Office".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=136}}
[[File:Becket 1964 still 2.jpg|thumb|right|Burton (right) with [[Peter O'Toole]] in ''Becket'' (1964)]]

During the production of ''Becket'', Burton went to watch Gielgud perform in the 1963 stage adaptation of [[Thornton Wilder]]'s 1948 novel, ''[[The Ides of March (novel)|The Ides of March]]''. There he was confronted by Gielgud who asked what Burton planned to do as a part of the celebration of Shakespeare's quatercentenary. Burton told him he was approached by theatrical producer [[Alexander H. Cohen]] to do ''Hamlet'' in New York City. Burton had accepted Cohen's offer under the condition that Gielgud would direct it, which he conveyed to Gielgud. Gielgud agreed and soon production began in January 1964 after Burton had completed his work in ''Becket'' and ''The Night of the Iguana''.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=131–132|2a1=Croall|2y=2000|2p=442|3a1=Morley|3y=2010|3p=494}}{{efn|O'Toole's version of how Burton came to work in ''Hamlet'' under Gielgud was a little different, but not conflicting according to Alpert. His version has him and Burton deciding they would both play Hamlet under the direction of Gielgud and Olivier in either London or New York City, with two coin tosses made for choice of director and location. Burton won the first toss and chose Gielgud and New York City while O'Toole won the second toss, selecting Olivier and London.{{Sfn|Croall|2000|pp=441–442}}}} Taking into account Burton's dislike for wearing period clothing, as well as fellow actor [[Harley Granville-Barker]]'s notion that the play was best approached as a "permanent rehearsal", Gielgud decided for ''Hamlet'' to be performed in a 'rehearsal' version with an incomplete set with the actors performing wearing their own clothes. Unaccustomed to this freedom, the cast found it hard to select the appropriate clothes and wore different attire day by day. After the first performance in Toronto, Gielgud decreed that the actors must wear capes as he felt it "lacked colour". In addition to being the play's director, Gielgud appeared as the [[Ghost (Hamlet)|Ghost of Hamlet's father]].{{Sfnm|1a1=Croall|1y=2000|1p=444|2a1=Schoch|2a2=Williams|2y=2011|2p=59}} According to Gielgud's biographer Jonathan Croall, Burton's basic reading of Hamlet was "a much more vigorous, extrovert" version of Gielgud's own performance in 1936.{{Sfn|Croall|2000|p=443}} Burton varied his interpretations of the character in later performances; he even tried a homosexual Hamlet.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=146|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=198}}

When the play debuted at the [[Lunt-Fontanne Theatre]] in New York City, Burton garnered good reviews for his portrayal of a "bold and virile" Hamlet.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=144|2a1=Croall|2y=2000|2p=445}} [[Howard Taubman]] of ''The New York Times'' called it "a performance of electrical power and sweeping virility", noting that he had never known or seen "a Hamlet of such tempestuous manliness".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/10/theater-richard-burton-as-hamlet.html | title=Theater: Richard Burton as Hamlet | work=The New York Times | date=10 April 1964 | access-date=1 May 2016 | first=Howard | last=Taubman | author-link=Howard Taubman | archive-url=https://archive.today/20240527201857/https://www.webcitation.org/6hAYP4LLM?url=http://www.nytimes.com/1964/04/10/theater-richard-burton-as-hamlet.html%3F_r=0 | archive-date=27 May 2024 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> A critic from ''Time'' magazine said that Burton "put his passion into Hamlet's language rather than the character. His acting is a technician's marvel. His voice has gem-cutting precision."{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=144}} Walter Kerr felt that though Burton carried "a certain lack of feeling" in his performance, he appreciated Burton's "reverberating" vocal projections.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=144}} The opening night party was a lavish affair, attended by six hundred celebrities.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=143}} The play ran for 137 performances, beating the previous record set by Gielgud himself in 1936.{{efn|While ''Playbill'' magazine gives the number of performances as 137,<ref name="Hamlet 1964 Playbill">{{cite web | url=http://www.playbill.com/production/hamlet-lunt-fontanne-theatre-vault-0000013102 | title=Hamlet | work=Playbill | access-date=1 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501044751/http://www.playbill.com/production/hamlet-lunt-fontanne-theatre-vault-0000013102 | archive-date=1 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Croall says it went on for 138 performances.{{Sfn|Croall|2000|p=445}} Alpert and Bragg mention it to be 136 and 134 respectively.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=148|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=197}}}} The most successful aspect of the production, apart from Burton's performance, was generally considered to be [[Hume Cronyn]]'s performance as [[Polonius]], winning him the only [[Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play|Tony Award]] he would ever receive in a competitive category. Burton himself was nominated for his second Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play but lost to [[Alec Guinness]] for his portrayal of the poet Dylan Thomas.<ref name="Hamlet 1964 Playbill"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.playbill.com/production/dylan-plymouth-theatre-vault-0000009602 | title=Dylan | work=Playbill | access-date=1 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501044753/http://www.playbill.com/production/dylan-plymouth-theatre-vault-0000009602 | archive-date=1 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The performance was immortalised in a [[Richard Burton's Hamlet|film]] that was created by recording three live performances on camera from 30 June 1964 to 1 July 1964 using a process called [[Electronovision]];{{Sfnm|1a1=Sterne|1y=1967|1p=127|2a1=Hirschhorn|2y=1979|2p=363}} it played in US theatres for a week in 1964.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.richardburton.com/works/theatre/ | title=Richard Burton's Works&nbsp;— Theatre | publisher=The Official Richard Burton Website | access-date=1 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501053353/http://www.richardburton.com/works/theatre/ | archive-date=1 May 2016 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> The play was also the subject of books written by cast members [[William Redfield (actor)|William Redfield]] and Richard L. Sterne.{{Sfn|Croall|2000|pp=442, 445}}
{{Quote box|bgcolor=#FAE7B5|quote=He had a theory that Hamlet could be played a hundred ways, and he tested every one of them. Within one scene, you might get Heathcliff, Sir Toby Belch, and [[Peck's Bad Boy]].|source=[[Alfred Drake]], who played [[King Claudius]], on how Burton made variations to the character of Hamlet.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=146}}|align=left|width=35%}}
Burton helped Taylor make her stage debut in ''A Poetry Reading'', a recitation of poems by the couple as well as anecdotes and quotes from the plays Burton had participated in thus far. The idea was conceived by Burton as a benefit performance for his mentor Philip, whose conservatory, the [[American Musical and Dramatic Academy]], had fallen short of funds.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=195–196}} ''A Poetry Reading'' opened at the Lunt-Fontanne on 21 June 1964 to a packed house;{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|pp=147–148}} the couple received a standing ovation at the end of their performance.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=148}} Burton remarked on Taylor's performance, "I didn't know she was going to be this good."{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=195–196}}{{efn|Some of the poems they recited were the [[metaphysical poets|metaphysical poet]] [[Andrew Marvell]]'s "[[To His Coy Mistress]]", [[T. S. Eliot]]'s "[[Portrait of a Lady (poem)|Portrait of a Lady]]", "Snake" by [[D. H. Lawrence]] and the [[Thomas Hardy]] satire "[[The Ruined Maid]]".{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=147–148|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=196}} Burton also gave a solo performance of the [[St Crispin's Day Speech]] portion from ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]''. The couple ended their recitation with [[Psalm 23]], with Taylor reciting in English and Burton in Welsh.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=196}}}}

After ''Hamlet'' came to a close in August 1964, Burton and Taylor continued making films together. The first film after their marriage, ''The Sandpiper'', was poorly received but still became a commercially successful venture.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=198–199}} According to Bragg, the films they made during the mid-1960s contained a lot of innuendos that referred directly to their private lives.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=198}} Burton went on to star opposite Claire Bloom and [[Oskar Werner]] in ''[[The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (film)|The Spy Who Came In from the Cold]]'' (1965), a [[Cold War espionage]] story about a British Intelligence agent, Alec Leamas (Burton), who is sent to East Germany on a mission to find and expose a mole working within his organisation for an East German Intelligence officer, Hans-Dieter Mundt ([[Peter van Eyck]]). [[Martin Ritt]], the film's director and producer, wanted Burton's character to exhibit more anonymity, which meant no display of eloquent speeches or intense emotional moments.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=200–201}}<ref name="Spy">{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/114179 | title=The Spy Who Came in from the Cold&nbsp;— Article | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Jeff | last=Stafford | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504151900/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/114179%7C0/The-Spy-Who-Came-In-From-the-Cold.html | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Bragg believed this decision worried Burton, as he had generated his reputation as an actor with those exact traits, and wondered how the film's would turn out.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=159|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2pp=200–201}} Ritt, a non-drinker, was displeased with Burton's drinking habits as he felt it "lacked a certain discipline" and expected the same level of commitment from him as everyone else during filming.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=159}} In spite of their differences, Alpert notes that the film transpired well.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=160}} Based on the 1963 novel [[The Spy Who Came in from the Cold|of the same name]] by [[John le Carré]], ''The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' garnered positive reviews,<ref name="Spy"/> with Fernando F. Croce of ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' describing Burton's performance as more of "tragic patsy than swashbuckler" and believed his scenes with Werner "have sharp doses of suspicion, cynicism and sadness".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold | title=The Spy Who Came in from the Cold | work=[[Slant Magazine]] | date=25 November 2008 | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Fernando | last=F. Croce | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504153439/http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> [[Dave Kehr]] of the ''Chicago Reader'' called the film "Grim, monotonous, and rather facile", he found Burton's role had "some honest poignancy".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold/Film?oid=1057486 | title=The Spy Who Came in from the Cold | work=[[Chicago Reader]] | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Dave | last=Kehr | date=26 October 1985 | author-link=Dave Kehr | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104000843/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold/Film?oid=1057486 | archive-date=4 January 2017 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> ''Variety'' thought Burton fitted "neatly into the role of the apparently burned out British agent".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1965/film/reviews/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold-1200420966/ | title=Review: 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' | work=Variety | date=31 December 1965 | access-date=4 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504153427/http://variety.com/1965/film/reviews/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold-1200420966/ | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton also made a brief appearance the same year in [[Clive Donner]]'s comedy ''[[What's New Pussycat?]]'' as a man who meets the womaniser Michael James (O'Toole) in a bar.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/21392 | title=What's New Pussycat?&nbsp;— Article | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Frank | last=Miller | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504142709/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/21392%7C0/What-s-New-Pussycat-.html | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1966, Burton and Taylor enjoyed their greatest on-screen success in [[Mike Nichols]]'s [[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|film version]] of [[Edward Albee]]'s [[black comedy]] play ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'',<ref name="Life"/>{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=230}} in which a bitter erudite couple trade vicious barbs in front of their guests, Nick (George Segal) and Honey ([[Sandy Dennis]]).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=22930 | title=Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | publisher=[[American Film Institute]] | access-date=3 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503111706/http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=22930 | archive-date=3 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton wanted Taylor for the character of Martha "to stop everyone else from playing it".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=150}} He didn't want anyone else to do it as he thought it could be for Elizabeth what ''Hamlet'' was for him.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=204}} Burton was not the first choice for the role of George. [[Jack Lemmon]] was offered the role initially, but when he turned it down, Warner Bros. president [[Jack L. Warner]] agreed on Burton and paid him $750,000.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=155}} Nichols was hired to helm the project at Taylor's request, despite having never directed a film.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=157}} Albee preferred [[Bette Davis]] and James Mason for Martha and George respectively, fearing that the Burtons' strong screen presence would dominate the film. Instead, it proved to be what Alpert described as "the summit of both Richard's and Elizabeth's careers".{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=163}}

The film's script, adapted from Albee's play by [[Ernest Lehman]], broke new ground for its raw language and harsh depiction of marriage.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/276863 | title=Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?&nbsp;— Article | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=3 May 2016 | first=Margarita | last=Landazuri | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503083200/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?id=362076%7C276863 | archive-date=3 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> So immersed had the Burtons become in the roles of George and Martha over the months of shooting that, after it was wrapped up, he and Taylor found it difficult not to be George and Martha, "I feel rather lost."{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=175}} Later the couple would state that the film took its toll on their relationship, and that Taylor was "tired of playing Martha" in real life.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=173|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2pp=205–206}} ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' garnered critical acclaim, with film critic [[Stanley Kauffmann]] of ''The New York Times'' calling it "one of the most scathingly honest American films ever made". Kaufman observed Burton to be "utterly convincing as a man with a great lake of nausea in him, on which he sails with regret and compulsive amusement", and Taylor "does the best work of her career, sustained and urgent".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E04E3DA1731E43BBC4C51DFB066838D679EDE | title=Screen: Funless Games at George and Martha's:Albee's 'Virginia Woolf' Becomes a Film | work=The New York Times | date=24 June 1966 | access-date=3 May 2016 | first=Stanley | last=Kauffmann | author-link=Stanley Kauffmann | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503090744/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9E04E3DA1731E43BBC4C51DFB066838D679EDE | archive-date=3 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> In her review for ''[[The New York Daily News]]'', Kate Cameron thought Taylor "nothing less than brilliant as the shrewish, slovenly. blasphemous, frustrated, slightly wacky, alcoholic wife" while noting that the film gave Burton "a chance to display his disciplined art in the role of the victim of a wife's vituperative tongue".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/review-mike-nicholas-afraid-virginia-woolf-article-1.2019400 | title=Mike Nichols dead at 83: Daily News' original 1966 review of 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' | work=[[The New York Daily News]] | date=21 November 2014 | access-date=3 May 2016 | first=Kate | last=Cameron | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503091824/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/review-mike-nicholas-afraid-virginia-woolf-article-1.2019400 | archive-date=3 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> However, [[Andrew Sarris]] of ''[[The Village Voice]]'' criticised Taylor, believing her performance "lack[ed] genuine warmth" but his review of Burton was more favourable, noting that he gave "a performance of electrifying charm".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/whos-afraid-of-andrew-sarris-maybe-mike-nichols-should-be-6716227 | title=Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | work=[[The Village Voice]] | date=28 July 1966 | access-date=3 May 2016 | first=Andrew | last=Sarris | author-link=Andrew Sarris | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503092737/http://www.villagevoice.com/news/whos-afraid-of-andrew-sarris-maybe-mike-nichols-should-be-6716227 | archive-date=3 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Although all four actors received Academy Award nominations for their roles in the film, which received a total of thirteen nominations, only Taylor and Dennis went on to win.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1967 | title=39th Academy Awards | date=4 October 2014 | publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | access-date=3 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503083438/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1967 | archive-date=3 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Both Burton and Taylor won their first [[BAFTA]] Awards for Best British Actor and Best British Actress respectively; the former also for his role in ''The Spy Who Came in from the Cold''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1967/film/british-actor | title=Film&nbsp;— British Actor in 1967 | publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts | access-date=4 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504155335/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1967/film/british-actor | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Burton and Taylor next performed a 1966 [[Oxford Playhouse]] adaptation of [[Christopher Marlowe]]'s ''[[Doctor Faustus (play)|Doctor Faustus]]''; the couple did the play to benefit the Oxford University Dramatic Society and as a token of Burton's gratitude to Nevill Coghill.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=206}} Burton starred as the titular character, Doctor Faustus while Taylor played her first stage role as [[Helen of Troy]], a non-speaking part.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=207}} The play received negative reviews but Burton's and Taylor's performances were reviewed constructively. [[Irving Wardle]] of ''The Times'' called it "University drama at its worst" while the American newspaper columnist [[John Crosby (media critic)|John Crosby]], in his review for ''The Observer'', lauded Burton's speech where he asks God to be merciful, stating that: "It takes a great actor to deliver that speech without wringing a strangled sob of laughter out of one. But Burton did it."{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|pp=207–208}} The play nevertheless made $22,000, which Coghill was happy with.{{Sfn|Cottrell|Cashin|1971|p=300}} ''Doctor Faustus'' was [[Doctor Faustus (1967 film)|adapted for the screen]] the following year by both Burton and Coghill, with Burton making his directorial debut. He also co-produced the film with Taylor and Coghill; it was critically panned and was a box office failure.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1pp=179–180, 187|2a1=Kashner|2a2=Schoenberger|2y=2010|2pp=186–189, 230–232}} The couple's next collaboration was Franco Zeffirelli's lively version of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s ''[[The Taming of the Shrew (1967 film)|The Taming of the Shrew]]'' (1967).{{Sfn|Cottrell|Cashin|1971|pp=300–302}}<ref name="Taylor Guardian">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/23/elizabeth-taylor-obituary | title=Elizabeth Taylor obituary | work=The Guardian | date=23 March 2011 | access-date=6 May 2016 | first=Ronald | last=Bergan | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506123826/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/23/elizabeth-taylor-obituary | archive-date=6 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The film was a challenge for Burton, who had to chase Taylor on rooftops, noting that he was "permitted to do extreme physical things that wouldn't have been allowed with any other actress". Zeffirelli recalled that Taylor, who had no prior experience performing in a Shakespeare play, "gave the more interesting performance because she invented the part from scratch". Of Burton, the director felt he was, to an extent, "affected by his knowledge of the classics".{{Sfn|Cottrell|Cashin|1971|pp=300–302}} ''The Taming of the Shrew'' also became a notable critical and commercial success.{{Sfnm|1a1=Cottrell|1a2=Cashin|1y=1971|1p=311|2a1=Kashner|2a2=Schoenberger|2y=2010|2p=181}} He had another quick collaboration with Zeffirelli narrating the documentary, ''[[Florence: Days of Destruction]]'', which was about the [[1966 flood of the Arno]] that devastated the city of [[Florence]], Italy; the film raised $20&nbsp;million for the flood relief efforts.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://blogs.library.duke.edu/preservation/2012/02/15/florence-days-of-destruction-a-film-by-franco-zeffirelli/ | title=Florence: Days of Destruction (A Film by Franco Zeffirelli) | publisher=[[Duke University Libraries]] | date=15 February 2012 | access-date=5 May 2016 | first=Beth | last=Doyle | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505062953/https://blogs.library.duke.edu/preservation/2012/02/15/florence-days-of-destruction-a-film-by-franco-zeffirelli/ | archive-date=5 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> By the end of 1967, the combined box office gross of films Burton and Taylor had acted in had reached $200&nbsp;million.<ref name="kashner201007">{{cite news | url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/07/elizabeth-taylor-201007?currentPage=all | title=A Love Too Big To Last | access-date=24 March 2011 | first1=Sam | last1=Kashner | first2=Nancy | last2=Schoenberger | date=July 2010 | work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818194540/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2010/07/elizabeth-taylor-201007?currentPage=all | archive-date=18 August 2010|ref=none}}</ref> According to biographers John Cottrell and [[Fergus Cashin]], when Burton and Taylor contemplated taking a three-month break from acting, Hollywood "almost had a nervous breakdown" as nearly half the U.S. cinema industry's income for films in theatrical distribution came from pictures starring one or both of them.{{Sfn|Cottrell|Cashin|1971|p=314}} Later collaborations from the Burtons like ''[[The Comedians (1967 film)|The Comedians]]'' (1967), which was based on [[Graham Greene]]'s [[The Comedians (novel)|1966 novel of the same name]], and the Tennessee Williams adaptation ''[[Boom! (1968 film)|Boom!]]'' (1968) were critical and commercial failures.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=187|2a1=Kashner|2a2=Schoenberger|2y=2010|2pp=228–232, 238–240}}

In 1968, Burton enjoyed a commercial blockbuster with [[Clint Eastwood]] in the World War II action film ''[[Where Eagles Dare]]'';<ref name="kashner201007"/> he received a $1&nbsp;million fee plus a share of the film's box office gross.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=253}} According to his daughter Kate Burton, "He did that one for us kids, because we kept asking him, 'Can you do a fun movie that we can go see?{{'}}"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2013/film/people-news/richard-burton-receives-his-star-on-walk-of-fame-819384/#!1/look-back-in-anger-1959/ | title=Richard Burton Receives His Star on Walk of Fame | work=Variety | date=1 March 2013 | access-date=5 May 2016 | first=Robert | last=Hofler | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505073455/http://variety.com/2013/film/people-news/richard-burton-receives-his-star-on-walk-of-fame-819384/ | archive-date=5 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Eastwood thought the script "terrible" and was "all exposition and complications".{{Sfn|McGilligan|2002|p=172}} He asked the film's producer [[Elliott Kastner]] and its screenwriter [[Alistair MacLean]] to be given less dialogue, later remarking "I just stood around firing my machine gun while Burton handled the dialogue."{{Sfn|McGilligan|2002|p=172}}<ref name="Eagles">{{cite news | url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/richard-burton-classic-eagles-dare-2023177 | title=Richard Burton classic Where Eagles Dare funds new literary prize | work=[[WalesOnline]] | date=3 October 2012 | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Robin | last=Turner | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504113843/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/richard-burton-classic-eagles-dare-2023177 | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Burton enjoyed working with Eastwood and said of the picture that he "did all the talking and [Eastwood] did all the killing".<ref name="Eagles"/> Burton's last film of the decade, ''[[Anne of the Thousand Days]]'' (1969) for which he was paid $1.25&nbsp;million, ({{Inflation|US|1250000|1969|r=0|fmt=eq|cursign=$}})<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/21410 | title=Anne of the Thousand Days&nbsp;— Article | publisher=Turner Classic Movies | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Genevieve | last=McGillicuddy | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504133952/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/21410%7C0/Anne-of-the-Thousand-Days.html | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> was commercially successful but garnered mixed opinions from reviewers.{{Sfn|Harper|Smith|2011|p=211}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anne_of_the_thousand_days/ | title=Anne of the Thousand Days | website=Rotten Tomatoes | date=18 December 1969 | access-date=4 May 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325004019/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anne_of_the_thousand_days | archive-date=25 March 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> Noted British film critic [[Tom Milne]] of ''Time Out'' magazine believed that Burton "plays throughout on a monotonous note of bluff ferocity".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.timeout.com/us/film/anne-of-the-thousand-days | title=Anne of the Thousand Days | work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Tom | last=Milne | author-link=Tom Milne | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504132124/http://www.timeout.com/us/film/anne-of-the-thousand-days | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Conversely, [[Vincent Canby]] of ''The New York Times'' appreciated Burton's portrayal of the English monarch, noting that he "is in excellent form and voice—funny, loutish and sometimes wise".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9907EFDA1F39EF34BC4951DFB766838B669EDE | title=Screen: A Royal Battle of the Sexes:'Anne of 1,000 Days' Bows at Plaza Burton Cast as Henry Miss Bujold Stars | work=The New York Times | date=21 January 1970 | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Vincent | last=Canby | author-link=Vincent Canby | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504132138/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9907EFDA1F39EF34BC4951DFB766838B669EDE | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' received ten nominations at the [[42nd Academy Awards]], including one for Burton's performance as [[Henry VIII of England]], which many thought to be largely the result of an expensive advertising campaign by [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]].{{Sfn|Wiley|Bona|1986|p=434}}<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/2003/film/awards/oscar-s-dubious-campaigning-1117896175/ | title=Oscar's dubious campaigning | work=Variety | date=23 November 2003 | access-date=4 May 2016 | first=Keith | last=Collins | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504052222/http://variety.com/2003/film/awards/oscar-s-dubious-campaigning-1117896175/ | archive-date=4 May 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> The same year, ''[[Staircase (film)|Staircase]]'' in which he and his ''Cleopatra'' co-star Rex Harrison appeared as a bickering homosexual couple, received negative reviews and was unsuccessful.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=280}}<ref>{{cite web|first=Frank|last=Miller|title=Staircase&nbsp;— Article|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/159647|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=29 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503150417/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/159647%7C0/Staircase.html |archive-date=3 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== 1970–1984: Later career and final years ===
[[File:Burton Taylor Divorce His Hers 1973.jpg|thumb|right|In ''[[Divorce His, Divorce Hers]]'' (1973), his final film with Taylor]]
In 1970, on his 45th birthday, Burton was ceremonially honoured with a [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] at Buckingham Palace; Taylor and Cis were present during the ceremony. He attributed not having a knighthood to changing his residence from London to Céligny to escape taxes.{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=199}} From the 1970s, after his completion of ''Anne of the Thousand Days'', Burton began to work in mediocre films, which hurt his career.<ref name="Life"/> This was partly due to the Burtons' extravagant spending, his increasing addiction to alcohol, and his claim that he could not "find any worthy material that is pertinent to our times".<ref name="Life"/>{{Sfn|Alpert|1986|p=199}} He recognised his financial need to work, and understood in the [[New Hollywood]] era of cinema, neither he nor Taylor would be paid as well as at the height of their stardom.{{Sfnm|1a1=Alpert|1y=1986|1p=197|2a1=Bragg|2y=1988|2p=252}} Some of the films he made during this period include: ''[[Bluebeard (1972 film)|Bluebeard]]'' (1972), ''[[Hammersmith Is Out]]'' (1972), ''[[Battle of Sutjeska (film)|Battle of Sutjeska]]'' (1973), ''[[The Klansman]]'' (1974), and ''[[Exorcist II: The Heretic]]'' (1977).{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Films}} His last film with Taylor was the two-part melodrama ''[[Divorce His, Divorce Hers]]'' (1973).{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=Appendices: Television}} He did enjoy one major critical success in the 1970s with [[Equus (film)|the film version]] of his stage hit ''[[Equus (play)|Equus]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equus/ | title=Equus (1977) | website=Rotten Tomatoes | date=4 March 2003 | access-date=3 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903020555/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/equus/ | archive-date=3 September 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> winning the [[Golden Globe Award]] as well as garnering an Academy Award nomination.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1978 | title=Winners & Nominees 1978 | publisher=Hollywood Foreign Press Association | access-date=3 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903020226/http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/1978 | archive-date=3 September 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1978 | title=The 50th Academy Awards 1978 | publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | date=3 April 1978 | access-date=3 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903020219/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1978 | archive-date=3 September 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> Public sentiment towards his perennial frustration at not winning an Oscar made many pundits consider him the favourite to finally win the award, but he lost to [[Richard Dreyfuss]] in ''[[The Goodbye Girl]]''.{{Sfn|Bragg|1988|p=440}}

In 1976, Burton received a [[18th Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]] in the category of [[Grammy Award for Best Album for Children|Best Recording for Children]] for his narration of ''[[The Little Prince]]'' by [[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.grammy.com/videos/18th-annual-grammmy-awards-best-recording-for-children | title=Richard Burton Wins Best Recording For Children | publisher=[[The Recording Academy]] | date=5 January 2010 | access-date=3 September 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903021602/http://www.grammy.com/videos/18th-annual-grammmy-awards-best-recording-for-children | archive-date=3 September 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> His narration of ''[[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds]]'' became such a necessary part of the concept album that a hologram of Burton was used to narrate the live stage show (touring in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010) of the musical.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/war-worlds-everything-you-need-8224988 | title=The War of the Worlds: Everything you need to know about Jeff Wayne's Musical Version | publisher=WalesOnline | date=4 December 2014 | access-date=3 September 2016 | first=Kate | last=Rees | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903022615/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/war-worlds-everything-you-need-8224988 | archive-date=3 September 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011, however, [[Liam Neeson]] was cast in the part for a "New Generation" re-recording, and replaced Burton as the hologram character in the stage show.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-15793250 | title=Liam Neeson joins War of the Worlds musical as hologram | publisher=BBC | date=18 November 2011 | access-date=3 September 2016 | first=Tim | last=Masters | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903022127/http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-15793250 | archive-date=3 September 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref>

Burton had an international box-office hit with ''[[The Wild Geese]]'' (1978), an adventure tale about mercenaries in Africa. The film was a success in Europe but had only limited distribution in the United States owing to the [[Monogram Pictures#Demise|collapse]] of the studio that distributed it.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1418957/index.html | title=Liam Neeson joins War of the Worlds musical as hologram | publisher=Screenonline | access-date=3 January 2017 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20170103101508/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1418957/index.html | archive-date=3 January 2017 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> He returned to films with ''[[The Medusa Touch (film)|The Medusa Touch]]'' (1978), ''[[Circle of Two]]'' (1980), and the title role in ''[[Wagner (film)|Wagner]]'' (1983).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/24/arts/richard-burton-stars-in-wagner-on-13.html|title=Richard Burton Stars In 'Wagner' On 13|date=24 October 1986|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=John|last=J. O'Connor|access-date=3 January 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140107210703/http://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/24/arts/richard-burton-stars-in-wagner-on-13.html|archive-date=7 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> His last film performance as [[O'Brien (Nineteen Eighty-Four)|O'Brien]] in ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984 film)|Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' (1984) was critically acclaimed though he was not the first choice for the role. According to the film's director, [[Michael Radford]], Paul Scofield was originally contracted to play the part, but had to withdraw due to a broken leg; Sean Connery, Marlon Brando and Rod Steiger were all approached before Burton was cast. He had "heard stories" about Burton's heavy drinking, which had concerned the producers.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/13281/the-den-of-geek-interview-michael-radford | title=The Den of Geek interview: Michael Radford | publisher=[[Dennis Publishing|Den of Geek]] | first=Simon | last=Brew | date=8 April 2008 | access-date=3 January 2017 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20140811201101/http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/13281/the-den-of-geek-interview-michael-radford | archive-date=11 August 2014 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Burton's last acting appearance was in the miniseries ''[[Ellis Island (miniseries)|Ellis Island]]'', which aired posthumously on CBS in November 1984. At the time of his death, he was preparing to film ''[[Wild Geese II]]'', the sequel to ''The Wild Geese'', which was eventually released in 1985. Burton was to reprise the role of Colonel Faulkner, while Laurence Olivier was cast as [[Rudolf Hess]]. After his death, Burton was replaced by [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]], and the character changed to Faulkner's younger brother.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/wild-geese-ii | title=Wild Geese II | work=Time Out | first=Anne | last=Billson | date=10 September 2012 | access-date=3 January 2017 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20170103161614/http://www.timeout.com/london/film/wild-geese-ii | archive-date=3 January 2017 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref>{{Sfn|Munn|2014|p=258}}