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Sybil Christopher

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Sybil Christopher
Christopher in 1955
Born
Sybil Williams

(1929-03-27)27 March 1929
Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Died7 March 2013(2013-03-07) (aged 83)
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Alma materLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Occupation(s)Actress, theatre director, nightclub owner
Years active1946–2013
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1949; div. 1963)​
​
​
(m. 1965; died 1996)​
Children3, 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]

Biography

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Sybil Williams was born on 27 March 1929, in Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan, Wales.[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, 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]

Family

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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]

Notes

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  1. ^ 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.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Paul Vitello, "Sybil Christopher, Actress and Nightclub Founder, Dies at 83", New York Times, 12 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Sybil Christopher, First Wife of Richard Burton, Dies at 83". The Hollywood Reporter, 11 March 2013. Accessed 21 April 2013
  3. ^ Baxter, Keith (2018). "Christopher [née Williams; first married name Burton], Sybil (1929–2013), actress". www.oxforddnb.com. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.106220. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Michael Coveney, "Sybil Christopher Obituary", London Guardian, 11 March 2013.
  5. ^ a b Mike Barnes, "Sybil Christopher, First Wife of Richard Burton, Dies at 83", The Hollywood Reporter, 11 March 2013.
  6. ^ Burton, Richard (2012). Chris Williams. ed. The Richard Burton Diaries. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300192315. Page 70.
  7. ^ "Sybil Williams", IMDB (last visited 11 March 2013).

Further reading

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  • Nora Ephron (1966), The New York Post
  • Time magazine, 14 May 1965. Brewster, B., Broughton, F..Last Night a Disc Jockey Saved My Life, Grove Press, 2000, pp. 62 – 64. ISBN 0802136885
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