Burton's first major role was as surfer Chris Fuller on
Out of This World in 1987, later appearing as Harris Michaels on
Days of Our Lives in 1988. In the 1990s, he studied acting at Theater Theater in Hollywood, California and was coached by
Jon Cedar and Chris Aable. Burton began playing Jason Quartermaine, later renamed Jason Morgan, on the daytime soap opera
General Hospital in 1991, and won a
Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 1998. In 2007, Burton also appeared as Jason in the first season of
General Hospital: Night Shift. In 2001, Burton appeared in the movie
The Last Castle as Captain Peretz alongside
Robert Redford and
James Gandolfini; in 2002, he appeared in the science fiction
miniseries Taken as Russell Keys. He was also the voice of
Cloud Strife in the
Kingdom Hearts and
Final Fantasy series, as well as the film
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. On August 28, 2012, Burton confirmed that he would exit
General Hospital in October. On January 29, 2013, he joined the cast of
The Young and the Restless as Dylan McAvoy. On October 6, 2016, Burton announced on social media that he would not renew his deal with the series and would exit the role of Dylan. He was subsequently awarded another Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor for the role in 2017. In June 2017,
ABC Daytime announced that Burton would be returning to
General Hospital. In November 2021, Burton was fired from
General Hospital due to his refusal to comply with the production's
COVID-19 vaccine mandate. In April 2022, it was announced Burton had joined the cast of
Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem in his former role as Harris Michaels. In January 2024, he announced that he had completed filming for the role the month prior. That same month, it was announced that he would reprise the role of Jason Morgan on
General Hospital. ==Personal life==