That Time Elizabeth Taylor Was Caught with Mickey Rooney in Shocking 1946 Scandal: ‘All Hell Broke Loose’
The ‘National Velvet’ costars shared more than the screen—discover their scandalous secret romance
Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney defined Hollywood stardom in their era—multiple marriages, major awards, and careers that played out in the public eye. But there’s one chapter most fans don’t know: the two were briefly romantically linked when Taylor was still young and Rooney was already a star, 12 years her senior. Curious how that happened? Read on.
The beginning of Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney
In 1944, Taylor and Rooney starred in the film National Velvet. It followed a man in the 1920s named Mi Taylor (Rooney) who helps a young girl named Velvet Brown (Taylor) prepare a wild but gifted horse for England’s Grand National Sweepstakes. The film won two Oscars, and Rooney, at 24, reportedly helped mentor Taylor, age 12, even when the cameras weren’t rolling.
When Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney’s relationship turned romantic
Two years after National Velvet debuted in theaters Taylor and Rooney were randomly caught in a scandalous position by his second wife, Betty Jane Rase. Rooney was 26 at the time while Taylor was 14. This affair was revealed in the 2015 book The Life and Times of Mickey Rooney, written by Richard A. Lertzman and William J. Birnes.
In the biography, they quoted Pam McClenathan, Jane Rase’s longtime friend and caregiver, saying, “Betty Jane told me she went to visit Mickey at [an LA film studio] around June 1946. She had [the couple’s first son] Mickey Jr. in tow and was pregnant with [second son] Timmy. When she opened the door to the dressing room, Elizabeth Taylor was on her knees giving Mickey a bl-wj-b.”
“After that, all hell broke loose,” McClenathan continued. “[Jane Rase] got a top attorney and a big settlement, but [she] really was not happy after that. She wanted a faithful husband.”
Following that, it’s unclear if Taylor and Rooney were ever romantically involved again, but that didn’t stop the actor from commenting on their relationship.
“I’ve been married eight times throughout my life, but then so has Elizabeth Taylor,” Rooney said in 2007, per The Guardian. “We still get Christmas cards from her. But it’s just part of life— you find out what you are about, and there are a lot of broken hearts along the way. You need to find someone that can stand you!”
In 1947, Rooney and Elizabeth reunited at the Lux Radio Theatre to perform the radio adaptation of National Velvet in front of a live studio audience. It was the last time the public saw them together for almost 40 years.
Mickey Rooney and Elizabeth Taylor in the later years of their lives
Thirty-nine years after the live National Velvet performance, Rooney and Taylor reunited for the 1986 film There Must Be a Pony. Taylor was the lead role and Rooney’s character was uncredited, but the film is listed as one of 344 films on IMDb.
The pair got together again three years later when Rooney attended a major gala honoring Taylor’s career in 1989. At the time he was married to Jan Rooney and she was single. This was the last time the two were publicly in the same room together.
Taylor died in 2011 at age 79, with Rooney passing three years later at age 93. As of publication, neither of their representatives has commented on the rumored romance.
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