Wendell Burton, an American actor, was born on July 21, 1947, in Texas. His father, an Air Force technical sergeant, was killed in a plane crash when Wendell was just five years old. This led to his family moving back to Texas to be near relatives. He later moved to the San Francisco area for high school and majored in political science at Sonoma State College. Burton's interest in acting led him to take public-speaking classes and join campus stage productions.
He was discovered by director Alan J. Pakula during a production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and was chosen to play the role of Jerry Payne opposite Liza Minnelli in the 1969 film "The Sterile Cuckoo." The film became an unqualified hit, and Burton's performance opposite Minnelli is still remembered and identified with the movie's Oscar-nominated song "Come Saturday Morning."
To avoid typecasting, Burton took on the role of "Smitty" in the 1971 film "Fortune and Men's Eyes," which dealt with controversial themes. He balanced this with a Hallmark TV adaptation of his "Charlie Brown" musical and appeared in several mini-movies, including "Murder Once Removed," "Go Ask Alice," and "The Red Badge of Courage."
Burton's career began to slow down in the 1980s due to a lack of quality acting opportunities, the importance of turning down roles he deemed morally objectionable, and growing family responsibilities. He eventually taught acting for a time in Hollywood and found work in ad sales. In 1997, he and his family moved back to his home state of Texas to help launch a local independent TV station in Houston.
Burton served as Director of Creative Ministries for a Houston megachurch organization, overseeing drama, dance, and videography services for various ministries. He also pastored adults singles. Diagnosed with brain cancer, Wendell Burton died on May 30, 2017, at the age of 69.
