As Henry VIII, the king whose desire for a male heir leads to Anne Boleyn’s downfall, Burton brought majesty and melancholy to a historical tragedy.
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), opposite Genevieve Bujold as Anne, follows Henry’s marriage, its collapse and Anne’s execution. Burton plays Henry as a man who confuses love with power, and his final scenes carry a genuine sense of loss.
He was nominated for Best Actor, and the film remains a powerful example of Burton’s later historical roles.
Image credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.