The Unconventional Breakfast Richard Burton Swore By

Within minutes, stars can often have anything they desire served on a silver platter. With all that fame and power, celebrities are often known for their quirks and very specific preferences, like steak with exactly 12 peas for Howard Hughes. For Richard Burton, it was a bowl of chili and an ice cold beer for breakfast. "It's a breakfast that he has had so often that even Elizabeth got in the habit of going that route," wrote James Bacon in his 1976 memoir, "Hollywood is a Four Letter Town." While not always paired with a beer, his sweetheart equally adored chili, supposedly having Chasen's ship quarts of their famous recipe to her hotel room in Rome.

Dozens of chili recipes incorporate a nice IPA right into the pot, so it's no surprise that they taste just as good side by side. The taste definitely had something to do with Burton's morning ritual, but the buzz was likely the main appeal. When Burton wasn't making headlines with Elizabeth Taylor or starring in the next American classic, he was known to imbibe. He was always open about his struggles with alcoholism, eloquently sharing his experience of finding the balance between being a hearty and fun drinker and being a wretched creature while comparing the disease to a boxing match.

If not chili and beer, Burton would order a salty dog cocktail. Fellow actor Ian McShane got nice and cozy with Burton when filming "Villain" in 1971, and he'll never forget his a.m. antics. Burton would call McShane up to his dressing room for breakfast, only it didn't actually involve any food. Salty Dogs and a scenic view were the only things on the menu. The two would sip on their juicy gin cocktails and look out at kippers, just "imagining what they would taste like," according to McShane (via The Oklahoman). Only a true artist like Richard Burton could simply imagine having breakfast rather than eating it.

Richard Burton captivated audiences from the moment he first stepped on stage in 1943. He was known as Richie Jenkins at the time, but he'd go on to become one of Hollywood's leading men. Kicking off his acting career in London's West End, Burton went on to star in a variety of plays and British films before landing in Tinseltown. After being cast as Mark Antony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's "Cleopatra" in 1963 alongside Elizabeth Taylor, his career would be forever changed.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).