Richard Burton: New bench unveiled in tribute to the acting legend

““To me the Welsh lens has always been the clearest and most humane,” she said.

“Wales’ past and present community leaders and cinema fans are without a doubt the most central pillar in upholding his impact.”

Ms Owen, whose mother Hilda was Burton’s sister, said of the bench: “The simplicity of it is beautiful.”

She added: “He was always ‘Uncle Rich’ to me, not the famous mega-star.

“I remember as a little girl him sending presents to me from America.”

The bench was the idea of community organisation Burton Bont Festival Group, which is organising a series of events, including a gala concert, to mark next year’s centenary of the actor’s birth.

There is also mural to Burton on the side of the Miners Arms pub in Pontrhydyfen, which is where the late actor’s father used to drink and where his parents met and married.