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 Christopher
Christopher in 1955
Born	Sybil Williams (1929-03-27)27 March 1929 Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan, Wales, UK
Died	9 March 2013(2013-03-09) (aged 83) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Nationality	Welsh
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Occupation	Actress, theatre director, nightclub owner
Years active	1946–2012
Spouse(s)	Richard Burton ​ ​ (m. 1949; div. 1963)​ Jordan Christopher ​ ​ (m. 1965; died 1996)​
Children	3, including Kate Burton

Biography

Sybil Williams was born on 27 March 1929, in Tylorstown, Mid Glamorgan.[3] She attended the London Academy of Dramatic Arts (now 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, Rudolph 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

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

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. ISBN 0802136885

External links

• Sybil Christopher at the Internet Broadway Database
• Sybil Christopher at IMDb

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