From Nicky to Larry: The Men in Liz Taylor's Life

By PopEater Staff Posted Mar 23rd 2011 07:34PM

Between the ages of 18 and 64, Elizabeth Taylor did more than a life's worth of loving, marrying and divorcing. At many points in her career, the legendary actress, who died Wednesday of heart failure, garnered more attention from the public for her intoxicating love life than for the 50-odd films that padded her unparalleled filmography.

It's been written about endlessly -- her eight marriages to seven men have ended friendships, filled memoirs, kick-started political careers, graced Vanity Fair cover spreads and led countless tabloid newscasts. She reportedly nearly married an Iranian ambassador.

Taylor was a young starlet best known for her star-turning role in 'National Velvet,' when she married hotel heir Nicky Hilton in 1950. She soon grew weary of his party-boy status, and they divorced a whopping eight months later. It was her shortest union.

A year later, Taylor tied the knot with English actor Michael Wilding, who was twice her age. The pair were married between 1952 and 1957 and had two sons, Michael and Christopher. During this time, she starred in 'Giant' and 'The Last Time I Saw Paris.'

In no mood for being a single mom, Taylor very, very quickly moved on with film producer Michael Todd. Her divorce to Wilding was made official on a Saturday in late January of 1957, and one week later she was hitched again. Their daughter, Liz, was born in August. Sadly, Todd was killed in a plane crash right after their first anniversary.

She found comfort in the arms of pop sensation and actor Eddie Fisher on the set of their film, 'Butterfield 8.' He, of course, was married at the time to Taylor's friend, Debbie Reynolds, and the scandal was a tabloid sensation.

When the dust settled and they said "I do" in May 1959, she was a thrice-married Hollywood starlet, and he was still one of the hottest singers in the nation. As their marriage was crumbling, the duo began adoption proceedings for a daughter.

As was her custom, Taylor struck up a relationship with another man while her marriage to Fisher was still technically on. This time it was with actor Richard Burton, whom she had been romancing since they co-starred in 'Cleopatra.' A week after her divorce to Fisher was finalized she became Mrs. Burton.

They lasted 10 years and starred in several films together, including 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' (1966) and 'The Taming of the Shrew' (1967). They divorced in June 1974 but a year later were compelled to give it another go after doctors found spots on her lungs that she feared could be cancerous. But after Burton allegedly began drinking again, the remarriage turned sour yet again.

During the tail end of this turbulent relationship with Burton, Taylor is said to have been very close to marrying Ardeshir Zahedi, who was the Iranian ambassador to Washington at the time. With the Islamic Revolution on the horizon, there is no telling how that would have turned out.

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Having acquired a taste for politics, Taylor then became close to dashing ex-Secretary of the Navy John Warner, and they married in late 1976. During their marriage, she used her fame to help Warner win a seat in the United States Senate. They divorced in 1982 after she reportedly grew bored of being a politician's wife.

She then took a nine-year break before surprising the world by marrying a construction worker named Larry Fortensky. He was 39, and she was 59. They held their wedding at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch but divorced in 1996.

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Liz Taylor Snapshots

British born actor Elizabeth Taylor and her fourth husband American singer and actor Eddie Fisher arrive at a formal event, c. 1962. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Hulton Archive

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

British born actor Elizabeth Taylor and her fourth husband American singer and actor Eddie Fisher arrive at a formal event, c. 1962. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

(FILE PHOTO) US film star Elizabeth Taylor and her first husband Nick Hilton, of the hotelier family, on their wedding day. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

FILES)Elizabeth Taylor arrives on the red carpet for her performance of A.R. Gurney's play "Love Letters" starring Taylor and James Earl Jones, 01 December 2007 at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California. Taylor, famed for her striking blue eyes and eight marriages as well a glittering film career, has died at the age of 79, a statement by her publicist said March 23, 2011. AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECK (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

16th January 1958: Film star Elizabeth Taylor and husband, film producer Mike Todd, arriving at Heathrow. (Photo by Miller/Keystone/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

FILE - In this March 2, 1959 file photo, actress Elizabeth Taylor, accompanied by her physician, Dr. Rexford Kennamer, walks through Waldheim Cemetery in Chicago where she attended ceremony dedicating the grave marker of her late husband, showman Mike Todd who died a year earlier. On Wednesday, March 23, 2011, Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen life was often upstaged by her stormy personal life, died of congestive heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she had been hospitalized for about six weeks. She was 79. (AP Photo/Ed Maloney, File)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

HENDERSON, NV - FEBRUARY 27: (FILE PHOTO) Dame Elizabeth Taylor arrives with her children, (L-R) Michael Wilding Jr., Christopher Wilding, Maria Burton and Liza Todd Burton, for Taylor's 75th birthday party at the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Las Vegas on February 27, 2007 in Henderson, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

16th January 1958: Film star Elizabeth Taylor and husband, film producer Mike Todd, arriving at Heathrow. (Photo by Miller/Keystone/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

(FILE PHOTO) US film star Elizabeth Taylor and her first husband Nick Hilton, of the hotelier family, on their wedding day. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

British born actor Elizabeth Taylor and her fourth husband American singer and actor Eddie Fisher arrive at a formal event, c. 1962. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

(FILES) Movie star Elizabeth Taylor smiles as she appears before the Labor, Health and Human services Senate Subcommittee 08 May 1986 in Washington,DC.Taylor, famed for her striking blue eyes and eight marriages as well a glittering film career, has died at the age of 79, a statement by her publicist said March 23, 2011. AFP PHOTO/Jerome DELAY / FILES (Photo credit should read JEROME DELAY/AFP/Getty Images)

Elizabeth Taylor Snapshots

Tags: Elizabeth Taylor

Comments

(104)

Wednesday 23 March

By RC Vickerman

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Yah, She screwed all of the big names and these are just the one(s) that we have heard tell about!

By Sue

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

You are obviously a gracious person.(sarcasm)

By Robert Dagel

Gee! Sounds like someone is a little jealous. Or, is it just because it's a women doing the divorcing and not a man?????

Thursday 24 March

By wufs

Vote down Vote up Report this

you are clearly a bitter person with no friends or loved ones. I'd feel sorry for you if you weren;t such a bitter jerk

By Carol

Why don't you tell us exactly HOW MANY you had sex with and NEVER told anyone. don't act so rightous.

By What?!

Man, she was a great role model for every ordinary citizen. She taught people how to divorce. Lovely lady she was. Marriage, to her, was just a piece of paper. Yeah, she was cool. Wonderful.

By Harold

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Hopefully, we will never have to hear about that one you had.

By Jillian

@RC Vickerman - oh no, not you again. I have seen your idiotic posts before. Always inflammatory, always ill informed, usually sexual in nature. Please kill yourself.

By Dennis

Yeah, your heart is bitter because no one would probably want to even touch you much less lay next to your side. You reak.

By astgdf

She then took a nine-year break before surprising the world by marrying a construction worker named Larry Fortensky. He was 39, and she was 59. They held their wedding at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch but divorced in 1996.I love this , So does My boyfriend .he is almost 11year older than me .i met him via agegapsin gles.c'om a nice place for seeking age le ss love.which gives you a chance to make your life better and open opportunities for you to meet the attractive young girls and treat you like a king. Maybe you wanna check it out or tell your friends.. Just love it

By Clive

Go advertise somewhere have you no shame for this beautiful talented actress you are proberbly to young to even remember her fantastic movies get a life get off these sites

By daver

When I try to expose this spammer on this private site (whose members pay for the service) for what he really is, AOL refuses to print my reply. What are they afraid of?

By josef

you are peddling a dating site, and I DOUBT ANYBODY HERE CARES!

By Ozana

get off this site, you creep - no one gives a crap about your phone start and then start with your idiotic site - i've seen you here before and I can't believe they haven't kicked you off...you're a jerk and ruin good posts by regular people..IDIOT

By SquirdlockeanMenendozavich

I liked Richard Burton a lot . Good actor and had a sense of humor . Any man that took her on was likely making a bad decision . She was a hand full I would imagine

By ezzie

And I suppose R B wasn't a handful with his wild drinking .... whatever ...

By SUE

Burton wwas a drunk, so what is your point.

By Marcia

You stated that Elizabeth's daughter with Mike Todd was named Liz. She is actually named Liza. Elizabeth never liked being called "Liz" herself, so it is unlikely that she would have given her daughter that name.

By johnny

wow theres only 4 left from the golden age oliva havilland joan fontaine lauren bacall and mickey rooney- I miss all the legends from the past - oops i missed one debbie reynolds -

By ann in reno

In your list of Golden Oldies don't for get the adorable Ms.Betty White

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