Richard Burton, Born November 10, 1925, Was Nominated for Seven Oscars and Never Won

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Richard Burton was born Richard Jenkins in Pontrhydyfen, Wales, on November 10, 1925, one of a large mining family. A teacher who recognised his talent became his guardian and he went on to Oxford and the stage. He took the surname Burton in his teacher's honour.

Photo: unknown photographer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

His voice was his great gift. Deep, musical, perfectly controlled, it made him a natural for Shakespeare, and he played Hamlet on stage and screen. His film career took him from The Robe and Becket to The Spy Who Came In from the Cold and Equus.

Photo: MGM publicity still, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He was nominated for the Academy Award seven times and never won, which is one of the great oddities of Oscar history. His nominations included My Cousin Rachel, The Robe, Becket, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Anne of the Thousand Days and Equus.

Film still: 20th Century Fox trailer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He is also remembered for his relationship with Elizabeth Taylor, which began during the making of Cleopatra in the early 1960s. They married twice. The press followed them everywhere, and that sometimes drowned out the work. He died on August 5, 1984.

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Which of his performances do you think deserved the Oscar? I would argue for his work in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? above all the others.