Leading actor of the Lord Chamberlain's Men / King's Men — Shakespeare's company — who created the original roles of Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Richard III, making him the most important actor of the Elizabethan era and the first interpreter of Shakespeare's greatest characters.
Created the physical and vocal interpretation of Shakespeare's major tragic roles — whatever Shakespeare imagined for Hamlet and Lear was shaped by his knowledge of what Burbage's body and voice could do — making the Shakespeare-Burbage collaboration the most productive playwright-actor partnership in theatrical history.
Discussing
Ask anything about Richard Burbage — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.
Sign in to start a conversation.