Richard Burton

[batman]

I don't think he held our attention when the roles let him down. Unlike some actors who always gave their best effort even when in a substandard films, Burton just went through the motions in many of his late pictures and came across very dour. Unlike Flynn and Barrymore, he didn't seem to enjoy self-destructing.

I find Burton, like Brando, extremely watchable in even the most dire of films. He had 'star quality' and even when not at his best, he is still an actor to watch.

[Windthrop]

I find that Burton only really comes alive as an actor after the late 50s - Bitter Victory and Look Back In Anger. After that he is invariably a magnetic screen presence even in the most dire of films. The one exception is Hammersith Is Out (directed by Peter Ustinov ) where he sinks to the level of the film IMHO.

[didi-5]

I recently watched Lovespell, an adaptation of Tristan and Isolde which was one of Burton's last films. Although it was pretty awful he was good in it.



But then he made some turkeys even at his peak - was it Staircase where he played gay alongside Rex Harrison (equally terrible)?

[darrenburnfan]

This was in Burton's "alcoholic" period. He told an interviewer at the time that he'd made some absolute junk films, just so that he'd have an excuse to get up in the mornings and have somewhere to go (the film studios).

[Windyridge]

name='darrenburnfan']This was in Burton's "alcoholic" period. He told an interviewer at the time that he'd made some absolute junk films, just so that he'd have an excuse to get up in the mornings and have somewhere to go (the film studios).

His alcoholic period lasted over twenty years! Till he died from it in fact. Shame because his talent was huge.You can already see the ravages of heavy drinking in The VIPs. He'd never make it now as a movie star, where they are buffed to perfection and there's so much discipline involved in looking after yourself.

[batman]

He'd never make it now as a movie star.

Neither would 90% of the movie stars active before the 1980s!

[Windyridge]

Neither would 90% of the movie stars active before the 1980s!

But they worked a lot harder than we think to keep it together, I'm sure. Apart from the terrible threesome, O'Toole, Harris and Hopkins. although Tony H and Harris did stop drinking. Too late for Harris. How O'Toole keeps on going is beyond me - but on he goes! Thankfully.

[batman]

But they worked a lot harder than we think to keep it together, I'm sure. Apart from the terrible threesome, O'Toole, Harris and Hopkins. although Tony H and Harris did stop drinking. Too late for Harris. How O'Toole keeps on going is beyond me - but on he goes! Thankfully.

The list of Britfilm's finest drinkers is huge .... add the Americans (Tracy, Marvin et al) and you populate a small country!

[flynn]

if only we all had Otoole"s Liver.

[batman]

name='flynn']if only we all had Otoole"s Liver.

As I am tee-totaller, you are welcome to it!

[christoph404]

His alcoholic period lasted over twenty years! Till he died from it in fact. Shame because his talent was huge.You can already see the ravages of heavy drinking in The VIPs. He'd never make it now as a movie star, where they are buffed to perfection and there's so much discipline involved in looking after yourself.

Robert Downey hasn't let his drug/alcohol/prison get in the way of being a film star though. I think there are a few contemporary big names who have struggled with alcohol/drugs....its just kept under wraps a bit more.

[flynn]

As I am tee-totaller, you are welcome to it!

send it Special Delivery.

[batman]

Robert Downey hasn't let his drug/alcohol/prison get in the way of being a film star though.

I think he would have been long gone from the A-list if he hadn't been such a brilliant actor. His 'comeback' has been truly spectacular, testimony to the man's great talent.

[Windthrop]

His alcoholic period lasted over twenty years! Till he died from it in fact. Shame because his talent was huge.You can already see the ravages of heavy drinking in The VIPs. He'd never make it now as a movie star, where they are buffed to perfection and there's so much discipline involved in looking after yourself.

Burton despised such narcissism according to his diaries. He also chain-smoked, suffered terribly from epilepsy and lived on a diet of battered fish, Walls sausages and chips with everything. How he lived as long as he did is a miracle. He did state that he wasn't in the league of Trevor Howard or Bernard Lee.

[will.15]

I don't know if Downey has licked his problems or not, but he's just past forty. The boozer actors seem to be okay until they get around fifty. Is O'Toole still a heavy drinker? It never seems to affect his acting unlike some of the others.



Rip Torn clearly hasn't licked it. It's amazing he's still alive and still drinking like that.

[Windyridge]

I don't know if Downey has licked his problems or not, but he's just past forty. The boozer actors seem to be okay until they get around fifty. Is O'Toole still a heavy drinker? It never seems to affect his acting unlike some of the others.



Rip Torn clearly hasn't licked it. It's amazing he's still alive and still drinking like that.

Robert Downey Jr? He says he is clean and sober and certainly seems so. But he will always have the hardened features of a drug addict. Like Burton then and people like Robbie Williams now, he's lost his looks quite young. O'Toole looks like hell.



From the sounds of it, Rip Torn is probably suffering from dementia as well as maybe having a drink problem.

[Toscana]

I think O'Tooles look has more to do with his sugeons talent than his drinking. His face is starting to resemble a half used candle.

[will.15]

He is an old man. He doesn't look any older or worse than most people that age. I wonder if O'Toole really is an alcoholic. I don't doubt he is still fond of the stuff.

[lovegod]

Parky met most of the top stars on the scene and he says that

Burton had an aura... a charisma .....that very few had, another guy

who had it was Orson Wells.

[Azanti]

Has been and always will be my favourite actor of all time.



How I cried and cried and cried, when he died.....