Steve Barton (June 26, 1954 – July 21, 2001) was an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, stage director and teacher.
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Steven Neal Barton was born on June 26, 1954, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States, the youngest of three children of Tom and Mary Barton. He grew up in Nederland, Texas.
He won a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in theater, dance and singing, appearing in over 30 productions with the University of Texas and with the Ballet of Austin. Barton graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he now has an endowed Presidential Scholarship named after him, and went to Europe, getting his first job at St. Gallen, Switzerland, and then playing in major Swiss, German and Austrian theater companies.
He played leading roles in West Side Story, Godspell, Romeo and Juliet, The Fantasticks, The Threepenny Opera, Oklahoma!, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Guys and Dolls, and Camelot, before playing the role of Munkustrap in the original Vienna cast of Cats, at the Theater an der Wien. At the Theater des Westens in Berlin, he played roles in Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar (as Jesus), La Cage aux Folles (as both Jean Michel and Albin/Zaza) and was playing Robert in Company when he had an audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera in London, where he originated the role of Raoul.
Barton was married to, but later separated from, swing dancer and choreographer Denny Berry, (Dance Supervisor for the North American productions of The Phantom of the Opera), whom he met at college. A son, Edward, was born in Vienna in 1984. Barton had a Presidential Scholarship at the University of Texas named for him. He has also been named an Honorary Chairperson of the Steadman/Hawkins Sports Medicine Foundation and was an honorary member of the Board of Education at the University of Texas in Austin.
In 1996, Barton returned to Vienna, where he took over the part of the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. He originated Graf von Krolock in Roman Polanski's Tanz der Vampire, (Music: Jim Steinman, Lyrics: Michael Kunze), a role which brought him in 1998 an IMAGE (International Music Award Germany). He played Graf von Krolock until January 17, 1999, in Vienna. In 1997, Barton celebrated his 30-year onstage anniversary during his run as von Krolock. Tanz der Vampire was also the last musical in which e Barton appeared on a stage.
He died on July 21, 2001, at the age of 47 years in Bremen, Germany, due to heart failure. Some sources claim it was a suicide since he was wrongly known to suffer from Bipolar Disorder, as stated by his ex-wife, Denny Berry, his his ex-agent Michael Staringer. According to the original statement, Barton's body was found in bed with empty bottles of blood-pressure medication on his bedside table. Sources have claimed there was no autopsy report, in fact, his ex-wife claimed there was no autopsy period which caused great frustration for the family. There was, in fact, an autopsy report. When looking at the alleged autopsy report, there were no empty bottles of heart medication nearby. There were heart and painkiller medication bottles, none of them empty, and none of them having anything to do with his death, as stated in the alleged autopsy forensic blood tests, which confirm there were no drugs or alcohol in Barton's blood when he died. All that was discovered was a minimal maintenance dose of anti-depressant and the daily normal dose of high blood pressure and painkiller medication he took the day he died. There is, proof indeed that an autopsy report exists or that an autopsy was performed. His ashes were buried in his native country in Texas, USA, in August 2001. He is survived by his ex-wife Denny Berry and her son Edward, and his brother and sister, Tom Barton and Betty Barton-Gambrell, both of Texas.
Playbill reported "(t)he July 21 death of actor Steve Barton is being attributed to heart failure, according to obituary information released by the press office for the New York production of The Phantom of the Opera".
   | In Memory of Steve Barton (in German and English) - Steve Barton Gedenkseite |
| | Steve Barton on findagrave.com - Steve Barton (1954 - 2001) - Find A Grave Memorial |
| | Steve Barton on tvtome - Steve Barton - TV.com |
| | Ladyghost's site - Welcome to Ladyghost's web |
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