Sybil Christopher | |
---|---|
Christopher in 1955 | |
Born | Sybil Williams 27 March 1929
Tylorstown,
Mid Glamorgan, Wales |
Died | 7 March 2013
Manhattan, New York, U.S. | (aged 83)
Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
Occupation(s) | Actress, theatre director, nightclub owner |
Years active | 1946–2013 |
Spouses | |
Children | 3, including Kate Burton |
Sybil Christopher ( née Williams; 27 March 1929 – 7 March 2013), formerly known as Sybil Burton, was a Welsh actress, theatre director, and founder of popular celebrity New York nightclub "Arthur". [1] She came into the public eye as the first wife of Richard Burton. [2]
Sybil Williams was born on 27 March 1929, in Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan. [3] She attended the London Academy of Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), meeting Richard Burton during the filming of The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949). [1] After their marriage, she retired from acting, performing only a few times, and generally on stage rather than on film. [1] The marriage ended famously in 1963, when Burton began a liaison with Elizabeth Taylor. She divorced Burton in 1963 on grounds of "abandonment and cruel and inhumane treatment", [4] receiving a $1 million settlement and custody of their children. [5]
In 1965, Burton founded a nightclub in Manhattan at 154 East 54th Street, the site of El Morocco; numerous celebrities and well-known artists contributed, including Julie Andrews, Leonard Bernstein, Roddy McDowall, and Stephen Sondheim. [1] " Arthur", as the club was known, (the precursor to Studio 54) became a popular nightclub for celebrities during its short tenure (1965–69). [1] Frequent habitués included Truman Capote, Wilt Chamberlain, Roger Daltrey, Princess Margaret, Rudolf Nureyev, Lee Remick, Andy Warhol, Angela Lansbury and Tennessee Williams. [1] [5] D.J. Terry Noel claimed to have invented "mixing" in the club, layering music from two separate turntables. [4]
Christopher then returned to theatre, founding the New Theatre on 54th Street in New York, and Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor in 1991. [1]
Christopher had two daughters with Richard Burton, Katherine "Kate" Burton (born 10 September 1957) and Jessica Burton (born 1959). [6] In 1965 in Manhattan, New York City she married Jordan Christopher, a singer and actor, and the couple raised his daughter and had another child, Amy Christopher (born May 1967). [1] [4] [7]
Sybil Christopher | |
---|---|
Christopher in 1955 | |
Born | Sybil Williams 27 March 1929
Tylorstown,
Mid Glamorgan, Wales |
Died | 7 March 2013
Manhattan, New York, U.S. | (aged 83)
Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
Occupation(s) | Actress, theatre director, nightclub owner |
Years active | 1946–2013 |
Spouses | |
Children | 3, including Kate Burton |
Sybil Christopher ( née Williams; 27 March 1929 – 7 March 2013), formerly known as Sybil Burton, was a Welsh actress, theatre director, and founder of popular celebrity New York nightclub "Arthur". [1] She came into the public eye as the first wife of Richard Burton. [2]
Sybil Williams was born on 27 March 1929, in Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan. [3] She attended the London Academy of Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), meeting Richard Burton during the filming of The Last Days of Dolwyn (1949). [1] After their marriage, she retired from acting, performing only a few times, and generally on stage rather than on film. [1] The marriage ended famously in 1963, when Burton began a liaison with Elizabeth Taylor. She divorced Burton in 1963 on grounds of "abandonment and cruel and inhumane treatment", [4] receiving a $1 million settlement and custody of their children. [5]
In 1965, Burton founded a nightclub in Manhattan at 154 East 54th Street, the site of El Morocco; numerous celebrities and well-known artists contributed, including Julie Andrews, Leonard Bernstein, Roddy McDowall, and Stephen Sondheim. [1] " Arthur", as the club was known, (the precursor to Studio 54) became a popular nightclub for celebrities during its short tenure (1965–69). [1] Frequent habitués included Truman Capote, Wilt Chamberlain, Roger Daltrey, Princess Margaret, Rudolf Nureyev, Lee Remick, Andy Warhol, Angela Lansbury and Tennessee Williams. [1] [5] D.J. Terry Noel claimed to have invented "mixing" in the club, layering music from two separate turntables. [4]
Christopher then returned to theatre, founding the New Theatre on 54th Street in New York, and Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor in 1991. [1]
Christopher had two daughters with Richard Burton, Katherine "Kate" Burton (born 10 September 1957) and Jessica Burton (born 1959). [6] In 1965 in Manhattan, New York City she married Jordan Christopher, a singer and actor, and the couple raised his daughter and had another child, Amy Christopher (born May 1967). [1] [4] [7]