Iris Burton
Iris Burton (born Iris Burstein, September 4, 1930 – April 5, 2008) was an American dancer and talent agent, who discovered and represented many famous child actors during her career.
Iris Burton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Iris Burstein September 4, 1930 Manhattan, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 5, 2008 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Dancer Talent agent |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Barry Miller |
Personal life and early career
Burton was born as Iris Burstein in 1930 in Manhattan, New York City, and made a career as a child dancer, later dancing as Iris Burton in the Broadway shows Music in My Heart (1947) and Pardon Our French (1950).[1] She also danced on television, earning $125 per week in 1951 for performing on Milton Berle's program.[2] In the early 1950s, she moved to Hollywood, appearing as a dancer in several films such as Top Banana (1954) and The Ten Commandments (1956).[3]
Tony Award-winning actor Barry Miller (Saturday Night Fever, Fame) is Burton's son from her brief marriage to actor/director Sidney Miller.[3]
Later career
Burton began her agency in 1977, becoming one of the few women at high levels in talent agencies.[2] She was well known for discovering the Phoenix brothers (River Phoenix and Joaquin Phoenix, and their sisters Rain, Liberty and Summer) when their mother Arlyn (Heart) Phoenix came to her and demanded she meet her children as she pleaded they had special talent. Iris was intrigued by an article written about a competition that the children had won and arranged an appointment. She worked with River throughout his short career.[3][4]
Burton and her relationship with Greg Sestero is described in a chapter of Sestero's 2013 memoir The Disaster Artist. Sestero portrays Burton as a warm, quick-witted agent who took on representing him despite his lack of experience and ultimately led him to his first big roles.[5] This chapter was dramatized briefly in the 2017 film adaptation of the book, with Burton portrayed by Sharon Stone.
Death
Iris Burton died on April 5, 2008, aged 77, from pneumonia and complications of Alzheimer's disease in Woodland Hills, California[3] at the Motion Picture and Television Country House.[2]
References
- "Iris Burton". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- Hevesi, Dennis (April 25, 2008). "Iris Burton, 77, an Agent for Child Actors". The New York Times. p. B 7. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
- Obituary: Iris Burton, Hollywood agent, The Age, April 17, 2008.
- Garrett, Dianne (April 8, 2008). "Children's agent Iris Burton dies at 77". Variety. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
- Sestero, Greg; Bissell, Tom (2014-10-07). The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781476730400.
