Wendell Burton
Encyclopedia
Wendell Burton is an American television executive and former motion picture actor and television actor, best known for his co-starring role with Liza Minnelli
in the 1969 movie The Sterile Cuckoo
.
Burton was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of an Air Force sergeant who died when he was five. He became involved in college theatricals while a student at Sonoma State College (later known as Sonoma State University
). His acting career began when he won the title role in the San Francisco production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
.
Burton was plucked from obscurity to star opposite Minnelli as Jerry Payne, the young college student with whom she falls in love in The Sterile Cuckoo.
He later played an inmate who was raped in Fortune and Men's Eyes
, and appeared in TV specials during the 1970s. He portrayed Osgood, a mild-mannered man who fights Burt Reynolds
in a 1986 film, Heat
.
In the 1990s he became a sales executive for The Family Channel
, and later helped launch an independent TV station in Houston.
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
in the 1969 movie The Sterile Cuckoo
The Sterile Cuckoo
The Sterile Cuckoo , released in the UK as Pookie, is a theatrical release feature film released by Paramount Pictures. It tells the story of an eccentric young couple whose relationship deepens despite their differences and inadequacies, and stars Liza Minnelli, Wendell Burton, and Tim...
.
Burton was born in San Antonio, Texas, the son of an Air Force sergeant who died when he was five. He became involved in college theatricals while a student at Sonoma State College (later known as Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University is a public, coeducational business and liberal arts college affiliated with the California State University system. The main campus is located in Rohnert Park, California, United States and lies approximately south of Santa Rosa and north of San Francisco...
). His acting career began when he won the title role in the San Francisco production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts...
.
Burton was plucked from obscurity to star opposite Minnelli as Jerry Payne, the young college student with whom she falls in love in The Sterile Cuckoo.
He later played an inmate who was raped in Fortune and Men's Eyes
Fortune and Men's Eyes
Fortune and Men's Eyes is a 1967 play and 1971 film by John Herbert about a young man's experience in prison, exploring themes of homosexuality and sexual slavery. The title comes from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 29 which begins with the line "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes". It has...
, and appeared in TV specials during the 1970s. He portrayed Osgood, a mild-mannered man who fights Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
in a 1986 film, Heat
Heat
In physics and thermodynamics, heat is energy transferred from one body, region, or thermodynamic system to another due to thermal contact or thermal radiation when the systems are at different temperatures. It is often described as one of the fundamental processes of energy transfer between...
.
In the 1990s he became a sales executive for The Family Channel
Family Channel
Family is a Canadian English language Category A premium television service marketed to children and teenagers aged 2-15. It is owned by Astral Media...
, and later helped launch an independent TV station in Houston.