Sybil Christopher ( 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".
[Paul Vitello]
''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', 12 March 2013. She came into the public eye as the first wife of
Richard Burton.
Biography
Sybil Williams was born on 27 March 1929, in
Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan, Wales. She attended the
London Academy of Dramatic Arts (LAMDA), meeting
Richard Burton during the filming of ''
The Last Days of Dolwyn'' (1949).
After their marriage, she retired from acting, performing only a few times, and generally on stage rather than on film.
The marriage ended famously in 1963, when Burton began an affair with
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...
. She divorced Burton in 1963 on grounds of "abandonment and cruel and inhumane treatment",
[Michael Coveney]
"Sybil Christopher Obituary"
''London Guardian'', 11 March 2013. receiving a $1 million settlement and custody of their children.
[Mike Barnes]
"Sybil Christopher, First Wife of Richard Burton, Dies at 83"
''The Hollywood Reporter'', 11 March 2013.
In 1965, Burton founded a
nightclub
A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...
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
Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March22, 1930November26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. Regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater, he is credited with reinventing the American musical. He received Lis ...
.
"
Arthur
Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur.
A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...
", as the club was known, (the precursor to
Studio 54) became a popular nightclub for celebrities during its short tenure (1965–69).
Frequent habitués included
Truman Capote
Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics ...
,
Wilt Chamberlain,
Roger Daltrey,
Princess Margaret,
Rudolf Nureyev,
Lee Remick,
Andy Warhol,
Angela Lansbury and
Tennessee Williams.
claimed to have invented "mixing" in the club, layering music from two separate turntables.
Christopher then returned to theatre, founding the
New Theatre on
54th Street in New York, and Bay Street Theater in
Sag Harbor in 1991.
Family
Christopher had two daughters with Richard Burton,
Katherine "Kate" Burton (b. 10 September 1957) and Jessica Burton (b. 1959). 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 (b. May 1967).
IMDB (last visited 11 March 2013).
Notes
# According to ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Sybil Christopher died on Thursday previous to the article's publication, meaning 7 March. However, ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' and '' The London Guardian'' reports she died on 9 March.
References
Further reading
* 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.
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, Sybil
1929 births
2013 deaths
Welsh expatriate actresses in the United States
American theatre managers and producers
Nightclub owners
Welsh film actresses
Welsh stage actresses
People from Tylorstown
Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Place of death missing
20th-century Welsh actresses
Actresses from Rhondda Cynon Taf