Richard Burton

Drinking with Richard Burton 

"During the making of 'Circle of Two', I had the privilege of being Richard Burton's drinking companion. While I wasn't part of the actual filming, my company UDO Productions had owned the movie and sold it to Bill and Hank and I had been finishing some details. Every day, I would be sitting in the 22, and at the end of the day, Bob Harris, Richard's valet, would come in and hand me a crisp twenty-dollar bill. It was my winnings from our ongoing bet on the World Series. Richard had chosen the Phillies, while I went for Kansas City. As part of my ritual, I would always buy the loser a drink. And as soon as I pocketed the twenty, Richard would slip into the booth to collect his drink. But when he won, he would show up alone, collect his twenty, and buy me a drink in return. (The series went for seven games, with Kansas City ultimately emerging victorious.) Our friendly competition wasn't about the money, it was just an excuse for Richard to indulge in his love for drinking. Despite being technically 'on the wagon', he would only stick to beer and wine, avoiding hard liquor. But what surprised me was that he was also a big fan of baseball, and knew all the players' statistics and averages. In fact, he even shared with me his dream of making a movie about Hank Greenberg, the legendary baseball player who almost tied Babe Ruth's home run record. But due to anti-Semitism, Greenberg never got a fair chance to beat Ruth, as pitchers would intentionally give him bad pitches. 

Richard and I would spend many nights talking and drinking after dinner. In the course of our conversations, he opened up to me about his life story, including his financial struggles. Despite his undying love for Elizabeth Taylor, he admitted that they were not good for each other (he was married to Susan Hunt at the time). Up close, I noticed Richard's pockmarked skin, with one deep mark on his nose that was quite striking. And then, there was his voice - the legendary voice that always left me in awe. Sometimes, I had to pinch myself to believe that I was sitting there, listening to his fantastic stories, which were like one-man performances meant only for me. I considered myself incredibly lucky. 

Despite his immense talent, I think deep down, Richard was just like any other guy at the pub - the prodigal son who had gone out into the world, made his fortune, and now wanted to come home and share his story. But, as much as he was admired and revered, Richard was not invincible. He was a bit frail, often complaining about a pinched nerve in his neck that he planned to get checked after the movie was done. 

One night, he seemed quieter and more somber than usual. Out of nowhere, he turned to me and said, "I won't live to see 60, you know." I laughed it off, thinking he was just being dramatic. After all, he was only 53 at the time. But he continued, "No, it's the drinking. I've had too much of it. Peter [O'Toole] and I would finish two or three bottles in a day." It made for an early night, and I didn't dwell on it too much. 

But when I won the final bet, Richard came to collect his drink with his makeup artist and my good friend, Ron Berkeley. He launched into a wild story about how he had made a bet with another actor for ten thousand dollars on the previous game, and the guy had stopped by his room to pay him. With that, he finished his drink and left. I was left stunned and disappointed - it was a silly story. "Fucking pills," Ron muttered, and went after him. In that moment, I realized that even the greatest of legends have their flaws. Richard passed away at the young age of 58."