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, 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]
Christopher had two daughters with Richard Burton, Katherine "Kate" Burton (b. 10 September 1957) and Jessica Burton (b. 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 (b. May 1967).[1][4][7]
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