Richard Burton's teenage bride dead at 83
March 11, 2013, 5:59 PM EST
Actor Richard Burton's first wife Sybil Christopher has died, aged 83. The
actress and socialite's marriage to the hellraising Welsh actor ended with his
infamous affair with Elizabeth Taylor on the set of the 1963 film Cleopatra.
Christopher, who acted under the stage name Sybil Williams, died on 9 March
(13), according to The Hollywood Reporter. She met and fell for Burton on the
set on the movie The Last Days of Dolwyn, when she was only 19. The couple wed
in 1949, and she retired from acting so she could travel the world with her
husband. They divorced in 1963 and Christopher received custody of the couple's
two daughters and a settlement of $1 million (£625,000). After the split,
Christopher settled in New York City and opened the Manhattan nightclub Arthur.
She also co-founded the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York. Christopher
was also married to musician Jordan Christopher, who died in 1996. Ironically,
her death comes just 10 days after her first husband's plaque was unveiled on
the Hollywood Walk of Fame - next to Taylor's.
