The Men In Elizabeth Taylor's Life
LatestElizabeth Taylor was the first tabloid star, with fans and haters alike all interested in her love life perhaps more than her films. With eight marriages to seven different men, her relationships provided a lot of fodder for gossips. She supposedly married so many times due to her personal motto on romance being, “Nothing comes off until the ring goes on.”
Conrad “Nicky” Hilton Jr., May 1950 – February 1951
The son of Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, was as troubled as he was attractive. Addicted to booze, gambling, and heroin, he also had a well-known violent streak. And he apparently had a gigantic penis, according to one ex-girlfriend who said in the biography Liz, “He had had absolutely the largest penis—wider than a beer can and much longer—I have ever seen. To make love to him was akin to fornicating with a horse.” At the time she married him, Elizabeth was 18-years-old and had been working for most of her life. She was sick of being controlled by the studio and her stage mother. Saying of her first marriage, “I had to escape and I had only two options—go to college or get married. I chose the latter.”
Michael Wilding, February 1952 – January 1957
Though their marriage produced two sons, Elizabeth filed for legal separation before even telling British actor Michael Wilding—who was nearly twice her age—that she was leaving him. What had happened between them? She met Mike Todd (husband #3). Of his relationship with the actress, Wilding later said, “The real tragedy concerning Liz is that there is not a man in the world she cannot have at the snap of her fingers.”
Mike Todd, February 1957 – March 1958
Mike Todd was an Academy Award-winning producer who had a tempestuous relationship with Elizabeth. He knew the way to her heart, though: He gave her a 29.4 carat diamond engagement ring. They married in February 1957 and their daughter Liza was born the following August. Less than a year later Todd died in a plane crash after his private jet Lucky Liz—named after his wife—suffered engine failure. Elizabeth was reportedly distraught over losing “the love of her life,” and sought solace in the arms of his best friend Eddie Fisher.
Eddie Fisher, May 1959 – March 1964
When Eddie Fisher left his wife Debbie Reynolds for Elizabeth it caused a scandal akin to the love triangle of Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Aniston, with Elizabeth initially vilified in the press for ruining Debbie’s life. It was such a big deal that the unfavorable publicity caused NBC to cancel Fisher’s TV show. And while their marriage may have been predicated on a mutual grieving of Mike Todd, they also reportedly had a very sexual connection. Eddie was supposedly a dynamo in the sack with a huge dick. Elizabeth would brag to her voice coach Angela Sweeney about his “impressive organ” and his ability to have sex as often as a dozen times a night, saying, “It was unreal. He would reach climax and immediately he would have another erection.” Some have attributed his sexual prowess to his amphetamine addiction. Eddie followed her to Europe for the filming of Cleopatra, during which she began a romantic relationship with costar Richard Burton, a fact that was obvious to everyone, including Eddie, who finally left her.
Richard Burton, March 1964 – June 1974; October 1975 – August 1976
Richard Burton was as into booze and women as much as Elizabeth was into booze and men, which initially made their pairing seem perfect, but ultimately their marriage(s) were a mirror reflection of the roles the two played in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf? Richard infamously showered Elizabeth with the biggest, most expensive jewels—most famously the Krupp diamond, a 33.19-carat emerald-cut diamond, which was considered one of the world’s most flawless diamonds. She wore it almost daily until her death.
John Warner, December 1976 – November 1982
And then Elizabeth became a senator’s wife. She later confessed that she was deeply unhappy and depressed during this marriage, as these were the final years leading up to her stint at Betty Ford. In a 1977 Barbara Walters interview with the couple, Warner addressed Elizabeth’s obvious weight-gain callously when asked what his wife’s greatest fault was, saying, “She burns up a lot of food now and then. I wish she’d take better care of herself.” He then admitted that his nicknames for her were “Chicken Fat” and “My Little Heifer.”
Larry Fortensky, October 1991 – October 1996
After being single for nearly a decade—the longest she’d ever allowed herself to be unmarried since her first marriage nearly half-a-century earlier, Elizabeth shocked the world when she decided to marry a mullet-sporting construction worker 20 years her junior at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. Photos of the wedded couple were sold and proceeds went AIDS charities.