Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson Invented the Chocolate Martini—About Their 30-Year Friendship
The Hollywood duo became fast friends after filming this epic movie in 1955
Key Takeaways
- Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson first met while filming 'Giant' in 1955.
- Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson are credited with inventing the chocolate martini.
- Their friendship spanned thirty years and Taylor continued to honor Hudson after his death.
A friendship that lasts 30 years is rare under any circumstances—but in Hollywood, it’s almost unheard of. And yet, that’s exactly what existed between Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson.
The two first connected while filming 1955’s Giant, the sweeping drama that would go on to win an Academy Award. What began as a professional relationship quickly deepened into something far more meaningful. Over the years, they became confidants, protectors and, at times, emotional lifelines for one another—sharing a bond that, even in an industry built on illusion, proved remarkably real.
From co-starring in just one film to inventing a new drink together, learn more about the decades of friendship between Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson.
Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson meet
While Elizabeth Taylor was already a massive star in 1955, it was only the beginning of Rock Hudson’s rise to major fame, but that didn’t affect the lifelong friendship that formed between the two. The actors instantly bonded when they first met, though Giant ended up being their only film together.
After meeting and spending so much time together on set, Taylor began confiding in Hudson. She opened up about her postpartum depression after the birth of her son, Christopher, and her heartbreak over her estrangement from husband Michael Wilding, while Hudson opened up to her about his sexuality.
Hudson was closeted for a majority of his life, with Taylor being one of the only people to truly know about his life and the struggles he faced. They became platonic soulmates and their love for one another would endure till the end of Hudson’s life.
Taylor and Hudson invented the chocolate martini
Taylor and Hudson’s friendship wasn’t the only thing that began while filming James Dean‘s Giant—it was also when the chocolate martini was invented! In fact, the Hollywood icons mixed it up themselves while hanging out on set in Marfa, Texas, and it soon became a staple cocktail.
“Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor are credited with inventing the cocktail in 1955. Apparently, they came up with the idea together on the set of Giant,” says Tina Karras, owner and founder of Tina’s Vodka. “Both were fans of chocolate beverages and martinis.”
The original drink was concocted by the stars and made with vodka, chocolate syrup and chocolate liqueur. It wasn’t long before it became their signature drink, one they would enjoy after late night shoots.
“Just before he died, one of the last things I think that I remember making him laugh was recalling a night in Marfa, Texas, when it was hailing…making chocolate martinis. So you can imagine the state we were in.”
Taylor snuck in to see Hudson in the hospital
Throughout their friendship, both Taylor and Hudson would do anything for one another. When Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, he spent time traveling to different countries in search of a treatment or something to slow the progression of the disease. However, when he returned home to the states, Taylor was immediately by his side.
The actress worked with his doctor, Dr. Michael Gottlieb, to secretly visit him in UCLA Medical Center.
“She was a little nervous about seeing him for the first time because she knew how sick he was,” Gottlieb shared in an interview. “She asked me if it was okay to hug and kiss him. She was worried about his immune system. Not hers. Rock was very glad to have seen her.”
Unfortunately, Hudson’s health continued to decline and he died on October 2, 1985, though that didn’t mark the end of their friendship. Taylor planned a memorial at Hudson’s home in Beverly Hills, where she had mariachis and margaritas, something significant from their time in Marfa, Texas.
Following his death, Taylor became dedicated to HIV/AIDS activism, co-founding the Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), and later founding The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991.
“Rock made me laugh,” Taylor recalled for All That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson. “We spent most of the time laughing, chatting and being silly.”
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