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Kate Burton. Photo Mingle Media TV.

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Kate Burton

Kate Burton is the type of actress that most people would consider a legend. With almost 40 years of experience and nearly 100 on-screen credits to her name, Burton has accomplished much more than many actors could even imagine. Throughout her career, she has made an impact on both the big and small screens and she has been a part of some very successful projects. Many viewers may know her for playing the role of Ellis Grey in the popular TV series, Grey’s Anatomy. She also played the role of Vice President Sally Langston in another Shonda Rhimes series, Scandal. Kate’s ability to play any kind of character will help ensure that there will be many more great roles in her future. Keep reading for 10 things you didn’t know about Kate Burton.

1 .Both of Her Parents were Famous

Many people may be under the impression that Kate is from the United States, but she was actually born in Switzerland. She is the daughter of actress and nightclub owner, Sybil Christopher and legendary actor, Richard Burton. Having such well-known parents made it difficult for Kate to carve out her own path early in her career, but she managed to do exactly that.

2. She is a Professor at USC(University of Southern California)

USC School of Cinematic Arts. Photo By Joe Mabel.

Kate loves acting and she is also passionate about helping other people discover and sharpen their talents. Now there is a whole generation of up-and-coming actors who have the chance to benefit from Kate’s experience and expertise. In 2017, she joined the faculty at the University of Southern California where she currently teaches Theatre Practice in Acting.

3.She Has an Ivy League Education

Kate has always loved acting, but pursuing it as a career wasn’t always something she saw for herself. After high school she enrolled in Brown University where she majored in Russian studies and European history. She planned to become a diplomat after graduation but ultimately decided to give acting a try. She went on to get a master’s degree in theatre from Yale.

4.She Has Narrated Audio Books

Kate is comfortable in front of a microphone as she shines in the Camera. She has narrated several audiobooks all of which are available on Audible. Some of the books she has narrated include ;A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and Wish You Well by David Baldacci.

5.Elizabeth Taylor was Her Step Mother

Kate had several stepmother as her father Richard Burton was as notorious for his romantic relationships as he was for his acting. After he and Kate’s mother separated, he went on to have several high-profile relationships including two marriages to Elizabeth Taylor. He also married two other times and had  also been married to makeup artist, Sally Hay, at the time of his death.

6.She Has Been on Broadway

Kate’s on-screen resume is nothing short of outstanding, but what makes it even more impressive is the fact that she didn’t really get involved in on screen work until she was later in her career. She was actually primarily focused on theatre during the early days and has appeared in several Broadway productions.

She first appeared in a 1982 production of the Noël Coward play Present Laughter directed by George C. Scott.

The following year, she appeared in the Broadway musical Doonesbury, playing J.J. Burton, and also appeared as Alice in Eva Le Gallienne’s Alice in Wonderland produced by The Mirror Theater Ltd’s Sabra Jones.

Several key roles followed, including roles in Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter and Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

7. Her Husband Also Works in The Entertainment Industry

Some people may not realize that Kate is married because she chose not to change her last name. However, she has been married to theatre director, Michael Ritchie, since 1985. They met in 1982, while Ritchie was stage manager of a revival of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter at the Circle in the Square Theatre in New York City in which Burton was playing the character Daphne. The couple has two children together: Morgan and Charlotte. Some sources have reported that actress Charlotte Ritchie is Kate’s daughter, but that doesn’t appear to be true.

8.She is Not on Social Media

Social media has become a very popular way for celebrities to interact with their fans. However, as someone in her 60s, Kate hasn’t put any emphasis on building a social media platform and her career has been doing just fine without it. As of now, she doesn’t have any accounts on any of the popular social media platforms although there are some fan pages in her honor.

9.She Won an Emmy

Everybody likes to have their hard work recognized. For people in the entertainment industry that hard work typically comes in the form of awards. Kate has won a Daytime Emmy award and has also been nominated for three Primetime Emmys and three Tony Awards for her theatre work.

10. She Has Played Several Different Characters

A photoshoot in Law & Order. Photo by Justin Hoch.

Kate is such a versatile actor that she’s been able to return to the same show and play a completely different character.

She has appeared on both Law & Order, Law& Order Criminal Intent and Law & Order SVU. During her time on Law & Order she played Sister Bettina and Erica Gardner.

Burton’s most visible and well-known role to date is the mysterious and difficult mother of Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), the titular character on ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy. Burton plays Dr. Ellis Grey, the former trailblazing surgeon, and a two-time winner of the fictionalized, prestigious Harper Avery Award. Her character’s battle and death of Alzheimer’s is central to Meredith’s story in all seasons of the series, as Meredith fears both getting the disease and resembling her mother as she ages. The character is also revealed to be the birth mother of Meredith’s half-sister, Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) through her love affair with Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.).