Richard Walter Jenkins, who later took the name Richard Burton after being mentored by his teacher and theater coach Philip H. Burton, was a world-renowned Welsh theater and film actor. He was born and raised in Wales in a poor family; his father was a coal miner. From a young age, he was interested in acting and theater, which made him popular in school. He dropped out of school at 16, and joined the Air Training Corps. After his stint in military service, he pursued theater and acting seriously, landing roles in English films and West End productions. His growing popularity took him to Hollywood, where he had numerous opportunities to showcase his acting talent in films, theater, Broadway musicals, and television. His most famous Broadway performance was Hamlet, which remains one of the longest-running theater productions in history. He received multiple Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe Awards, two Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy nomination for the variety of roles he played throughout his career. He was married five times, including twice to actress Elizabeth Taylor, whose relationship with him remained controversial and heavily covered by the media.