The Affair of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
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 Elizabeth Taylor 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. Taylor and Burton starred in nearly a dozen films together and remained close friends for the remainder of Burton’s life.
Learn how these major movie stars found love with each other and the eventual tumultuous affair of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton meet on set
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Taylor was in the midst of her stardom and on her fourth husband by the time Cleopatra came around, so meeting a heartthrob like Richard Burton was no big deal for the actress. The two would be portraying lovers in the film, with Taylor 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 uninterested by his line, and nothing happened between the co-stars. At least not yet.
Both Burton and Taylor were married when they met — Burton to actress Sybil Burton and Taylor to the singer, Eddie Fisher — but that didn’t stop love from blooming between them.
Taylor and Burton begin their affair
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While it wasn’t 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, so he arrived to 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 the stars were madly in love with each other, they often engaged in major fights, caused by their drinking habits. But despite all their arguments, the couple remained together for ten years.
Taylor and Burton’s life together
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Following the release of Cleopatra, the couple teamed up yet 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 films together: The Taming of The Shrew, Doctor Faustus and The Comedians.
Throughout their relationship and their countless films, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard 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 increased their fame.
Bettmann / Contributor / Getty
Their life together was quite luxurious. Burton and Taylor traveled the world together, renting out multiple rooms around their own, to drown out their fighting, and they owned multiple homes across the globe. Both stars were also heavy drinkers, so they often partied together.
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
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Between Taylor’s struggle with addiction and Burton’s alcoholism, the couple’s fights were getting out of hand. Although they were known for their passionate screaming matches, it was eventually enough to drive them apart, so in 1974, they divorced for the first time.
Of course, given that their passion had not died out just yet, Burton and Taylor remarried in 1975. But it wasn’t long before they divorced once again less than a year later. Both stars quickly married other people, but the two remained connected over the years. Taylor later admitted that she never fully stopped loving Burton, even though they were no longer together. Burton died in 1984 at age 58, devastating Taylor.
“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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