Author Description

RICHARD BURTON: A Richard Burton Biography Richard Burton was a coal miner's son who went to Oxford and became one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of his time. He had his demons - a penchant for drink and women, the occasional cruel tongue, a kind of wildness - but he had a love of books and a gift for words, mixing Shakespeare and intelligent conversation with wit and self-deprecating humor. He was charming and generous. He was a compelling actor to watch and listen to. He had intelligence, intensity and rakish appeal. He wasn't just handsome, he was magnetic. He was so much more than the parasitic scandal that has become to be attached to him, sucking on the life blood of what should be a more vital, more fitting memory. A man, after all, should not be remembered solely for his biggest - even if it they are also his most beautiful - mistakes.