Sybil Christopher
Welsh actress, theatre director and nightclub proprietor (1929–2013)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
27 March 1929
- Actress
- theatre director
- nightclub owner
Sybil Christopher | |
|---|---|
Christopher in 1955 | |
| Born | Sybil Williams 27 March 1929 Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan, Wales |
| Died | 7 March 2013 (aged 83) Manhattan, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1946–2013 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3, including Kate Burton |
| Relatives | Michael Ritchie (son-in-law) |
Biography
Sybil Williams was born on 27 March 1929, in Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan, Wales in family David Williams and Mabel Airlys.[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 an affair 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, she 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]
She then returned to theatre, founding the New Theatre on 54th Street in New York, and Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor in 1991.[1]
Family
She had two daughters with Richard Burton, Katherine "Kate" Burton (born 10 September 1957) and Jessica Burton (born 1959).[6]
On June 13, 1965, in New York City, she married 24-year-old Jordan Christopher, a singer and actor, whom she met when his band the Wild Ones auditioned to play at Arthur.[7][8] The couple raised his daughter from a previous marriage and they had a child together, Amy Christopher (born May 1967).[1][4]
Notes
- ^ According to The New York Times, Sybil Christopher died on Thursday previous to the article's publication, meaning 7 March. However, The Hollywood Reporter and The London Guardian reports she died on 9 March.
