The Torrid Love Affair Between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton and Their Intense Relationship
The affair and eventual marriage between Taylor and Burton was one for the ages
Key Takeaways
AI-generated summary reviewed by our editorial team.- Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had an intense and passionate relationship
- Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton may be the next subjects for 'Love Story'
- Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were married twice and divorced twice
Elizabeth Taylor was best known for her stunning looks—raven colored hair and bright blue, almost violet, eyes— incredible acting ability and her significant number of husbands. But there was no relationship quite like the one between her and Richard Burton.
The couple met for the first time on the set of Cleopatra in 1962 and quickly began an affair, leading up to their swift marriage, divorce, remarriage and a second divorce. In between, Taylor and Burton starred in nearly a dozen films together and remained close friends for the remainder of his life.
Get the details on how these major movie stars found love and ended up in a tumultuous affair.
The next potential ‘Love Story’ subjects
The love between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was a passionate, intense and dramatic one—a union that would be remembered by the entire world long after their passing. From the start of their on-set affair, their love was frequently on the front page of tabloids and the subject of innumerable stories. As such, they would seem to be the perfect subject for the anthology series Love Story.
Following the success of Love Story’s first season, which revolves around the relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, show creator Connor Hines shared that he might have the next subject in mind.
“Maybe Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton,” the creator mused. “They have the right intensity.”
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton meet on set
Taylor was in the midst of her stardom and on her fourth husband by the time Cleopatra came around, so meeting a heartthrob like Burton was nothing out of the ordinary for the actress. The two would be portraying lovers in the film, with Taylor cast as the Queen of Egypt and Burton as her Mark Antony.
Burton, however, was smitten with Taylor immediately, saying to her the first time they met, “Has anybody told you that you’re a very pretty girl?” The actress was unmoved by this line, and nothing happened between them. At least not initially.
Both Burton and Taylor were married when they met — Burton to actress Sybil Burton and Taylor to singer Eddie Fisher—but that didn’t stop love from blooming between them.
Taylor and Burton begin their affair
While not exactly love at first sight for Taylor, it wasn’t long before the two fell hard and fast for each other. The night before they filmed their first scene together, Burton got very intoxicated, arriving on set very hungover. The actor got a coffee but couldn’t hold it without his hands shaking, so he asked Taylor to help him drink it. By the time they filmed their first scene, Taylor was enamored with Burton.
Although both actors were in relationships, Taylor felt that her marriage had come to an end. Burton remained with his wife for a while, but once they were both divorced, they married each other for the first time in 1964.
While Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were deeply in love, their relationship was often marked by explosive arguments fueled in part by their shared struggles with alcohol. Yet despite the volatility, they remained together for a decade.
Taylor and Burton’s life together
Following the release of Cleopatra, the couple collaborated again for The V.I.P.s (1963). Once they were married, their films The Sandpiper (1965) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966) were released. In 1967, the couple starred in three more films together: The Taming of The Shrew, Doctor Faustus and The Comedians.
Throughout their relationship and their films, Taylor and Burton were one of the most famous couples in the world. Paparazzi and crazed fans followed them everywhere, publicizing their affair and eventual love story, which only intensified their fame.
Their life together was undeniably luxurious. Taylor and Burton traveled the world, often renting multiple rooms around their own to buffer the sound of their arguments, and maintained homes across the globe. Both were also heavy drinkers, and their shared love of partying became as much a part of their relationship as the romance itself.
Burton and Taylor continued to headline films including Boom! (1968), Under Milk Wood (1971), Hammersmith Is Out (1972) and Divorce His, Divorce Hers (1973).
The end of their relationship
Between Taylor and Burton’s separate struggles with addiction and alcoholism, the couple’s fights were getting out of control. Although they were known for their passionate screaming matches, it was eventually enough to drive them apart, leading to their first divorce in 1974.
Of course, their passion had not entirely faded. Burton and Taylor remarried in 1975, but the reunion proved short-lived, ending in another divorce less than a year later. Both quickly moved on to other marriages, yet remained connected over the years. Taylor later admitted she never fully stopped loving Burton, and his death in 1984 at age 58 left her devastated.
“I don’t want to be that much in love ever again.… I gave everything away…my soul, my being, everything,” Elizabeth shared.
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