A star in honour of Richard Burton has been unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, alongside one dedicated to the wife he divorced twice, Elizabeth Taylor.

The couple's adopted daughters Maria and Kate, and fellow Welsh actor Michael Sheen attended the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard on 1 March - St David's Day, celebrating the Welsh patron saint.

The unveiling was also timed to coincide with 50th anniversary of the couple's film Cleopatra.

Burton, a miner's son who was educated at Oxford, met Taylor on the set of the historical epic.

The couple married in 1964 and starred in 11 films together, including Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Burton died on 5 August 1984, aged 58.

Their first 10-year marriage ended in divorce in 1974. They married again the following year in Botswana, but it lasted only until the following summer. Burton was married five times in all. Taylor married eight times. She died on 23 March 2011.

Lord Rowe Beddoe and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce President Leron Gubler were among the guests.

The star - the 2,491st plaque installed on the Walk of Fame - comes after the Western Mail newspaper started a campaign to recognise the actor.

Speaking at the unveiling, Sheen recalled the awe he felt when Burton and Taylor visited the village where he grew up. Like Sheen, Burton grew up in the industrial Welsh town of Port Talbot.

"The same beach that I built my boyhood sand castles and learned flailingly to swim was that same beach, that one legendary day, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor descended from the heavens, like gods from Olympus, in a helicopter ... and landed on those sands," Sheen said.

"They stepped out swathed in luxurious fur coats - it was the '70s - and walked among us for too short a time."

"We are thrilled that the late, great actor Richard Burton will be honoured with his Star on the Walk of Fame. We are also happy to announce that his Star will be next to the Star of Elizabeth Taylor," Leron Gubler, the president and chief executive of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said. "What makes this day even more special is that St. David, the patron saint of Wales, is also celebrated on the very date of Mr Burton's Star ceremony."

Check out photographs of Richard Burton's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

A flower is seen placed on actor Richard Burtons star at a ceremony posthumously honoring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013.
A flower is seen placed on actor Richard Burton's star at a ceremony posthumously honoring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013. Reuters
Late actor Richard Burtons star is pictured next to actress Elizabeth Taylors star after the Hollywood Walk of Fame posthumously honored the actor in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013.
Late actor Richard Burton's star is pictured next to actress Elizabeth Taylor's star after the Hollywood Walk of Fame posthumously honored the actor in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013. Reuters
Richard Burtons Grave
The grave of the late actor Richard Burton is pictured in the old cemetery in Celigny, 20 km (12 miles) east of Geneva. Actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was married twice to Burton, had said when Burton was buried in August 1984 that she wanted to be buried next to him, according to local media. Reuters
Maria Burton, daughter of Richard Burton
Maria Burton, daughter of Richard Burton, poses at a ceremony posthumously honouring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013. Reuters
Maria Burton L, daughter of Richard Burton, is greeted by British Consul-General Dame Barbara Hay at a ceremony posthumously honoring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013.
Maria Burton (L), daughter of Richard Burton, is greeted by British Consul-General Dame Barbara Hay at a ceremony posthumously honoring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013. Reuters
Richard Burtons Grave
The grave of the late actor Richard Burton is pictured in the old cemetery in Celigny, 20 km (12 miles) east of Geneva. Actress Elizabeth Taylory, who was married twice to Burton, had said when Burton was buried in August 1984 that she wanted to be buried next to him, according to local media. Reuters
Family members and friends pose together during a ceremony posthumously honoring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013.
Family members and friends pose together during a ceremony posthumously honoring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013. Reuters
Lord David Rowe-Beddoe, Director of Center Theatre Group and President of Royal Welsh College speaks at a ceremony posthumously honoring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013.
Lord David Rowe-Beddoe, Director of Center Theatre Group and President of Royal Welsh College speaks at a ceremony posthumously honoring actor Richard Burton with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood, California, March 1, 2013. Reuters
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