MovieChat Forums > Richard Burton Discussion > Was he a great actor? Was he even a good...

Was he a great actor? Was he even a good actor?

posted 7 years ago by Otter (24464)
17 replies | jump to latest

He did have that "great actor" reputation through the sixties, or at least part of the sixties, then his career took a swan dive and he became known as a scenery-chewing ham who'd do anything for a paycheck.

He did give some very good performances, in films such as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and "Becket", and some very bad ones in crap like, well, everything he did with Liz Taylor. Are a few terrific performances enough to rescue his reputation?

[–] slimone (7996) 6 years ago

I liked him a lot in Night of the Iguana, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Equus and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf . Yes, I thought he was a good actor, not all the time, but most of the time.

[–] rudeboymurray (3270) 5 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rudeboymurray (3270) 5 years ago

Variable. At his best he could be brilliant -- his George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has to be among my favourite screen performances ever, and I like him a lot in Becket, The Night of the Iguana and 1984.

He could be quite wooden too -- wasn't impressed by him in Equus, for one, with those tedious, rambling monologues. Even The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, one of his best regarded performances, but I was more impressed by both Claire Bloom and Oskar Werner in the film.

He had a magnificent, one-of-a-kind voice and I'm sure he was a joy to watch on stage.

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

He turned in some great performances.

I will judge him by his best work, like Night of the Iguana and Virginia Wolf.

Even when he was bad, he tended to be entertaining!

[–] [deleted] 5 years ago

He did give some very good performances, in films such as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and "Becket", and some very bad ones in crap like, well, everything he did with Liz Taylor.

You do realize Liz was in Virginia Woolf right?

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6349) 4 years ago

Was going to write the same thing.

[–] Mrmojo4700 (21454) 5 years ago

The Wild Geese (1978) is one of my favorite films.

[–] Poozer91 (605) 5 years ago

I think that he is one of the greatest actors of the twentieth century, not the best but definitely in the top 15. That being said he did star in some very sub-standard films. This was mostly due to him being married to Elizabeth Taylor and having to support her lavish lifestyle along with her insisting on supporting many of her friend and family members.

[–] huwdj (4566) 4 years ago

Twitter@BurtonDiaries 13 June 70 Larry told me he was determined to be the first actor-peer. It was a reply to my asking him what worlds did he have left to conquer in our profession. He was doing Spartacus & I Ice Palace & neither of our careers were sparkling which is why we were doing bad films"
Which I guess explains something. Personally I think Burton was a sometimes great, always watchable actor.

[–] Adam60z (3766) 4 years ago

He was one of my faves. OP said everything with Elizabeth Taylor was bad. Actually that was his peak: the 1960s. My favorites were Virginia Woolf, Boom! Equus, Cleopatra, The Comedians (how the heck they made this one believable--set in Haiti is beyond me!), The VIPs, The Longest Day, Night of the Iguana, 1984, Wild Geese. His worst were Exorcist 2 and the Klansman (with OJ). But this reminds me to see the few of his I haven't seen yet!

[–] huwdj (4566) 4 years ago

Yep, like Ice Palace? I'd never heard of it until I saw the tweet. Good cast - probably a doughy melodrama but it has a reasonable rating.

[–] Adam60z (3766) 4 years ago

I never heard of it either; will have to check it out. I'm rewatching Wild Geese (1978) now. Found this interesting trivia: "Richard Burton was suffering from severe back pain during filming. In April 1981, he was hospitalized with liver and kidney problems, and his entire spinal column was found to be coated in crystallized alcohol."
Too bad he never quit smoking and drinking and died at 57.

[–] Wuchak (8732) 4 years ago

He was captivating & commanding in "Where Eagles Dare" (1968) and even stole Clint Eastwood's thunder.