Meet Elizabeth Taylor’s 7 Husbands and Learn All About the Hollywood Starlet’s Romantic History
Get to know the men who won Elizabeth Taylor’s heart and headed down the aisle with the star
Key Takeaways
- Elizabeth Taylor was married 8 times to 7 different men throughout her life
- Elizabeth Taylor was involved in a messy love triangle with Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
- Elizabeth Taylor wed Richard Burton twice—once for a decade and again for less than a year
Elizabeth Taylor captivated the world with her very first role in Hollywood at age 10. With her remarkable talent and striking beauty—she was known for her raven hair and violet eyes—it wasn’t long before she became a Hollywood star. It’s also no wonder she drew the attention of so many men throughout her life.
Her breakout role came at just age 12 in the 1944 film National Velvet but it was just the beginning of her career. Taylor’s credits continued to flow from there, with classic flicks like Giant (1956), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Cleopatra (1963) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966).
Taylor’s life was a constant topic of discussion in the media, especially when it came to the details of her 8 marriages. While her most prominent romance was with Richard Burton, the actress was actually married to 7 different men, all of whom she has a story with.
From age 18, Taylor was married to Conrad “Nicky” Hilton (1950–1951), Michael Wilding (1952–1957), Mike Todd (1957–1958), Eddie Fisher (1959–1964), Richard Burton (1964–1974), Richard Burton (again, 1975–1976), John Warner (1976–1982) and Larry Fortensky (1991–1996).
From messy love triangles to a turbulent relationship with Burton, Taylor’s love life is one of the most documented. Learn more about the 7 husbands of Elizabeth Taylor and get to know the men who won her heart.
Conrad “Nicky” Hilton Jr.
At just 18 years old, Taylor found love for the first time. The actress and hotel heir, Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, first met in 1949 at a nightclub in Los Angeles. Just a year later, they tied the knot, their wedding coinciding with the release of her film, Father of the Bride. In fact, MGM Studios paid for her dress for the big day. The stunning gown was worn by Taylor in front of 600 guests and nearly 3,000 fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the newlyweds.
However, their marriage was a short-lived one as Taylor and Hilton filed for divorce after just 8 months and split up in 1951. She shared that Hilton was both physically and emotionally abusive towards her, claiming that this was the cause for a miscarriage she had on their honeymoon.
Michael Wilding
In 1952, Taylor wed second husband, actor Michael Wilding. Although it wasn’t long after her first divorce, Taylor said of the marriage, “It’s a leap year, isn’t it? Well, I leaped!”
The actress was only 20 years old, while Wilding was 40, but their union lasted for a relatively significant five years. The couple welcomed two children together: Michael in 1953 and Christopher in 1955.
However, the actress’ rising stardom and their differing career paths placed too much strain on their marriage and Taylor and Wilding split in 1957.
Mike Todd
Often considered one of the greatest loves of Taylor’s life was her third husband, Mike Todd. The two first met at the MGM commissary, which was a famous dining hall within the Culver City studio lot during Hollywood’s Golden Age. While Taylor was already a star there, Todd was there renting studio space as a producer.
Todd began to pursue the actress, offering grand gestures to win her over, which it soon did. They got to know each other mostly over the phone while Taylor was away filming Raintree County (1957).
The two embarked on a whirlwind romance and in 1957, they married in Acapulco, Mexico. Taylor and Todd welcomed one daughter, Liza, together that same year. Unfortunately, their loving marriage didn’t last long, as Todd tragically died in a plane crash in 1958.
“God, I loved him. My self-esteem, my image, everything soared under his exuberant, loving care,” she wrote in her memoir, Elizabeth Takes Off.
Eddie Fisher
Following the loss of Todd, Taylor was devastated and took about a month off from filming Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Throughout her mourning period, the actress leaned on her friends, including Debbie Reynolds and her husband, Eddie Fisher, who was also Todd’s best friend.
But Fisher and Taylor ended up growing much closer than anticipated and the two began an affair. Fisher eventually left Reynolds for Taylor, causing a massive scandal that became front page news. The affair and marriage between Taylor and Fisher in 1959 fractured the friendship between the actresses.
However, Taylor and Fisher split up five years later in 1964 after a tumultuous marriage. But the end of their union wasn’t just a divorce: it came after Taylor began an affair with Richard Burton.
Richard Burton
In 1962, Taylor met one of the most prominent loves of her life: Richard Burton. The two were acting opposite each other in Cleopatra and although they didn’t get off to the best start, they eventually fell madly in love.
Taylor and Burton, who were both married at the time of their meeting—Taylor to Fisher and Burton to his wife, Sybil Burton—began an affair. News of their relationship soon made headlines, as most things did in Taylor’s life.
Despite outsiders’ opinions of their love, the two actors pressed forward and married in 1964. Their marriage was one of passion and chaos, but their love never diminished. The couple adopted a daughter together, Maria, in 1964. Although the actress had begun the process to adopt while she was still married to Fisher, she and Burton legally adopted Maria.
They remained married for 10 years before deciding to divorce following a volatile relationship. But their split was also fueled by the pressure of constant media attention, Burton’s alcoholism and mutual infidelity. Their separation didn’t last long, as they remarried in 1975 but divorced yet again a year later.
“I don’t want to be that much in love ever again.… I gave everything away…my soul, my being, everything,” Elizabeth shared.
John Warner
John Warner, a Republican politician from Virginia, became Taylor’s 6th husband. He was asked to escort the starlet to a dinner in Washington, DC, hosted by Queen Elizabeth at the British Embassy in 1976. Soon enough, sparks were flying between them and the pair said “I do” that same year.
They stayed together for about 6 years until 1982, but their careers eventually got in the way of their marriage. However, Taylor and Warner remained on good terms.
“He knows he wasn’t the love of my life. And I know I wasn’t the love of his life. But we loved each other,” Elizabeth Taylor told The New York Times in 2002. “We got along wonderfully until he decided to be a politician. And then he married the Senate.”
Larry Fortensky
Taylor met her eighth husband in a rather unconventional way: in rehab. The actress and construction worker Larry Fortensky were patients at the Betty Ford Center at the same time.
“She was funny and sweet, and the more I got to know her, the sweeter she became,” Fortensky shared. “Of course, she was very pretty and I wasn’t too bad looking in those days, either. We had an instant physical attraction.”
The couple married in 1991, despite Fortensky being 20 years her junior, and they spent about five years together. The end of their relationship was caused by being in the public eye, something Fortensky wasn’t used to. However, when they split in 1996, the former couple remained friends.
“I have wonderful memories of my time with Elizabeth, and I will treasure her memory forever,” he says. “I love her. I always will. And I know she loved me, too.”
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