Sally Burton
Encyclopedia
Sally Burton also known as Sally Hay Burton (Braintree, Essex
, 21 January 1948), was the fourth and last wife of actor Richard Burton
.
on the set of the TV mini-series Wagner
when Richard Burton met her. During a seven-month tour of the United States with Noël Coward
's play Private Lives
, in which Elizabeth Taylor
was Richard Burton's co-star, Burton and Hay married on 3 July 1983 in Las Vegas; it was Burton's fifth marriage and her first. After the tour, they went to rest in Hawaii for several months before returning to their home in Céligny
where Burton died on 5 August 1984; Sally Burton was then 36.
in 2005, and she received an honorary fellow
ship from that university in 2006.
In 2005, Burton moved to Perth, Western Australia
, where her brother and his family had lived for years. In 2009, she launched the Richard Burton Award for New Plays, offering a prize pool of A$
30,000 for writers of unproduced scripts; this is Australia's richest prize for playwrights. The 2010 first prize of A$20,000 was awarded to Caleb Lewis
; Hellie Turner was awarded the runner-up prize of A$10,000. Burton is patron of the Black Swan State Theatre Company, which will give the winner a public reading.
Burton is also a patron
of the West Australian Ballet
and a supporter of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
; she is a board member of Agelink, a theatre company for older actors. Each year, Burton presents the Sally Burton Awards, a prize pool of A$4,000, to the two most talented performers of Shakespeare texts at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
. She launched the independent production house Onward Production to create more acting jobs.
Braintree, Essex
Braintree is a town of about 42,000 people and the principal settlement of the Braintree district of Essex in the East of England. It is northeast of Chelmsford and west of Colchester on the River Blackwater, A120 road and a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line.Braintree has grown contiguous...
, 21 January 1948), was the fourth and last wife of actor Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
.
Marriage
The daughter of a journalist, Jack Hay, Sally Hay worked as a freelance production assistantProduction assistant
A production assistant, also known as a PA, is a job title used in filmmaking and television for a person responsible for various aspects of a production...
on the set of the TV mini-series Wagner
Wagner (mini-series)
Wagner is a 1983 film on the life of Richard Wagner. The title role was played by Richard Burton, who said it was the role he was born to play...
when Richard Burton met her. During a seven-month tour of the United States with Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
's play Private Lives
Private Lives
Private Lives is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It focuses on a divorced couple who discover that they are honeymooning with their new spouses in neighbouring rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetually stormy relationship, they realise that they still have feelings for...
, in which Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
was Richard Burton's co-star, Burton and Hay married on 3 July 1983 in Las Vegas; it was Burton's fifth marriage and her first. After the tour, they went to rest in Hawaii for several months before returning to their home in Céligny
Céligny
Céligny is a municipality in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It consists of two small exclaves of the Canton of Geneva into the Canton of Vaud, near Crans-près-Céligny.-Geography:...
where Burton died on 5 August 1984; Sally Burton was then 36.
Philanthropy
Sally Burton donated the Richard Burton Collection to Swansea UniversitySwansea University
Swansea University is a university located in Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. Swansea University was chartered as University College of Swansea in 1920, as the fourth college of the University of Wales. In 1996, it changed its name to the University of Wales Swansea following structural changes...
in 2005, and she received an honorary fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship from that university in 2006.
In 2005, Burton moved to Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, where her brother and his family had lived for years. In 2009, she launched the Richard Burton Award for New Plays, offering a prize pool of A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
30,000 for writers of unproduced scripts; this is Australia's richest prize for playwrights. The 2010 first prize of A$20,000 was awarded to Caleb Lewis
Caleb Lewis
Caleb Lewis is an Australian playwright raised in Melbourne and Adelaide and currently residing in Sydney.-Works:Lewis studied drama and playwriting at the Flinders University Drama Centre under playwright Verity Laughton. In 2002 he began a year-long mentorship with Nick Enright and began work on...
; Hellie Turner was awarded the runner-up prize of A$10,000. Burton is patron of the Black Swan State Theatre Company, which will give the winner a public reading.
Burton is also a patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
of the West Australian Ballet
West Australian Ballet
The West Australian Ballet is the premier ballet dance company of Western Australia and is based in Perth at His Majesty's Theatre, Western Australia. The company was founded in 1952 by Madame Kira Bousloff and is one of the oldest ballet companies in Australia. Artistic directors have included...
and a supporter of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra
West Australian Symphony Orchestra
The West Australian Symphony Orchestra , often known as the "Orchestra of the West", is the premier professional orchestra of the state of Western Australia.-History:...
; she is a board member of Agelink, a theatre company for older actors. Each year, Burton presents the Sally Burton Awards, a prize pool of A$4,000, to the two most talented performers of Shakespeare texts at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts
The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , Edith Cowan University was established in 1980 to provide performing arts tuition comparable to the highest calibre of national and international training benchmarks to be able to meet industry needs around the globe.The school is located in the...
. She launched the independent production house Onward Production to create more acting jobs.
Works
- Sally Burton: The Barren Patch, Penguin, 1989, ISBN 978-0140103960
- Richard Burton: A Christmas Story, introduction by Sally Burton, Hodder & StoughtonHodder & StoughtonHodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.-History:The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
, 1989, ISBN 978-0340512463