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The Seven Husbands Of Elizabeth Taylor: Why The Hollywood Icon Married Eight Times

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Elizabeth Taylor’s love life was as legendary and dramatic as her film career, a saga of passion, scandal, and diamond rings that captivated the world for decades. Even today, on this , the sheer spectacle of her eight marriages to seven different men remains the ultimate Hollywood romance epic, a testament to her insatiable appetite for love and commitment. From a hotel heir she married at 18 to a construction worker she met in rehab, Taylor’s journey through matrimony was anything but ordinary, constantly blurring the line between her on-screen roles and her tumultuous personal life.

Her quest for a soulmate was a public affair, a series of high-profile weddings and divorces that fueled tabloids and defined an era of celebrity culture. While many remember the explosive, double-marriage to Richard Burton, the stories behind her other husbands—including a Broadway showman, a famous crooner, and a U.S. Senator—are equally fascinating and crucial to understanding the complex woman behind the violet eyes. This is a definitive look at the men who won the heart of the world's most beautiful woman, and the unique circumstances of each union.

Complete Biography of Elizabeth Taylor's Seven Husbands

Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times to seven men, a record-breaking carousel of love that spanned from 1950 to 1996. Each man represented a different phase of her life and career, from her transition from a child star to a mature woman, to her later years focused on activism and personal recovery.

  • Husband #1: Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr.
    • Profession: Hotel Heir, Businessman
    • Born: July 6, 1926 | Died: February 5, 1969
    • Marriage Dates: May 6, 1950 – January 29, 1951 (Divorced)
    • Key Fact: The marriage lasted only nine months. Taylor was 18, and the extravagant, fairy-tale wedding was orchestrated by MGM. The union quickly soured due to Hilton's alleged drinking and abusive behavior.
  • Husband #2: Michael Wilding
    • Profession: British Actor
    • Born: July 23, 1912 | Died: July 8, 1979
    • Marriage Dates: February 21, 1952 – January 26, 1957 (Divorced)
    • Key Fact: Wilding was 20 years her senior. This was Taylor's first attempt at a stable, domestic life, and they had two sons, Michael Howard Wilding and Christopher Edward Wilding.
  • Husband #3: Mike Todd
    • Profession: Film and Theater Producer/Showman
    • Born: June 22, 1909 | Died: March 22, 1958
    • Marriage Dates: February 2, 1957 – March 22, 1958 (Widowed)
    • Key Fact: Todd was the only husband Taylor did not divorce. He was a flamboyant, larger-than-life figure who gave her the sense of security she craved. They had one daughter, Liza Todd. He tragically died in a private plane crash, which devastated Taylor.
  • Husband #4: Eddie Fisher
    • Profession: Singer/Actor/Entertainer
    • Born: August 10, 1928 | Died: September 22, 2010
    • Marriage Dates: May 12, 1959 – March 6, 1964 (Divorced)
    • Key Fact: Their marriage began with the "scandal of the century" when Fisher left his wife, actress Debbie Reynolds (Taylor's friend), for Taylor after Todd’s death. Fisher converted to Judaism for Taylor.
  • Husbands #5 & #6: Richard Burton
    • Profession: Welsh Actor
    • Born: November 10, 1925 | Died: August 5, 1984
    • Marriage Dates: First: March 15, 1964 – June 26, 1974. Second: October 10, 1975 – July 29, 1976 (Both Divorced)
    • Key Fact: The most famous and tumultuous of her relationships, often referred to as "Liz and Dick." They adopted a daughter, Maria Burton. Their combined marriages lasted over 11 years, during which they starred in 11 films together.
  • Husband #7: John Warner
    • Profession: Politician, U.S. Senator (Virginia), Secretary of the Navy
    • Born: February 18, 1927 | Died: May 25, 2021
    • Marriage Dates: December 4, 1976 – November 7, 1982 (Divorced)
    • Key Fact: Taylor embraced the life of a political wife, campaigning for Warner's successful bid for the Senate in 1978. The isolation and pressure of Washington D.C. life eventually strained the marriage.
  • Husband #8: Larry Fortensky
    • Profession: Construction Worker
    • Born: January 17, 1952 | Died: July 7, 2016
    • Marriage Dates: October 6, 1991 – October 31, 1996 (Divorced)
    • Key Fact: Fortensky was 20 years her junior and a non-celebrity. They met while both were seeking treatment at the Betty Ford Center for substance abuse.

The Scandalous Apex: The Tumultuous Love Affair of 'Liz and Dick'

The relationship between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton remains the gold standard for Hollywood spectacle and passion, earning them the moniker "Liz and Dick." Their initial meeting and subsequent affair on the set of the 1963 epic film Cleopatra was not just a romance; it was an international incident.

When filming began in Rome in 1962, both were married to other people: Taylor to Eddie Fisher, and Burton to Sybil Williams. Their on-screen chemistry as Cleopatra and Mark Antony quickly spilled into real life, creating a sensation that the Vatican publicly condemned as "erotic vagrancy."

The affair was so notorious it was dubbed the "scandal of the century." The paparazzi swarmed the set, and the controversy nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the film.

Their first marriage, which began in 1964, was a decade-long whirlwind of luxury, lavish gifts, and public fights. Burton famously showered Taylor with some of the world's most spectacular jewels, including the 69.42-carat pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond and the 33.19-carat Krupp Diamond.

Despite their undeniable connection, the intensity of their relationship, fueled by alcohol and mutual career pressures, led to their divorce in 1974. However, their inability to live without each other led to a dramatic, brief reconciliation and a second marriage in Botswana in 1975, which ultimately ended in divorce just nine months later in 1976.

From Hollywood Royalty to the Betty Ford Center: The Final Chapter

After the emotional and financial extravagance of the Burton years, Taylor's subsequent marriages marked a shift in her personal focus. Her union with Senator John Warner was a foray into the world of Washington D.C. politics, where she traded movie sets for campaign trails.

However, it was her final marriage, to construction worker Larry Fortensky, that truly underscored Taylor's willingness to follow her heart regardless of public opinion or social status. Fortensky was a Teamsters union member, 20 years her junior, and a complete non-celebrity.

Meeting at the Betty Ford Center

The couple met in 1988 while both were undergoing treatment for substance abuse at the renowned Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California. This shared experience provided a unique foundation for their relationship, one built on recovery and honesty rather than the glamour of Hollywood.

Their wedding in 1991 was anything but low-key, however. Taylor married Fortensky at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in a lavish, million-dollar ceremony that drew a massive media circus. The wedding was a bizarre blend of high-profile celebrity and blue-collar simplicity, with guests like Michael Jackson, Nancy Reagan, and Liza Minnelli in attendance.

The marriage lasted five years, a relatively long time in Taylor's history, before ending in divorce in 1996. Despite the split, Fortensky maintained a deep affection for his ex-wife, stating, "I'll always love her," after her death. Their story remains a poignant reminder that for Elizabeth Taylor, love was a constant, necessary pursuit, often found in the most unexpected places and with the most unlikely partners, cementing her legacy as a true romantic icon.

elizabeth taylor husbands
elizabeth taylor husbands

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