Elizabeth Taylor's Last Husband Tells All About Their Marriage Elizabeth Taylor's Last Husband Tells All About Their Marriage Pinterest Kevin Mazur/Getty After years of silence, Larry Fortensky, the construction worker who met Elizabeth Taylor in rehab and became her eighth and final husband, has opened up about their years together – and their conversation just days before the screen legend died last month at 79. “She was going into hospital the next day,” Fortensky, 59, tells Britain’s Daily Mail of their final talk. “I thought she was going to be okay. I told her she would outlive me. She said, ‘Larry, I’m going to be okay.’ ” It was the coda to the most unlikely of romances between the most famous actress of her generation and a man 20 years her junior who couldn’t have been more anonymous. They met at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1998. “Elizabeth was in there for pills, I was in there for beer,” Fortensky says. “I knew who she was, of course, but I can’t tell you that I remember watching any of her films.” They bonded quickly.

“She was funny and sweet, and the more I got to know her, the sweeter she became,” he says. “Of course, she was very pretty, and I wasn’t too bad looking in those days, either. We had an instant physical attraction.” Yearning to Be Free They were married in 1991 at a lavish ceremony at Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch. And they had several happy years together. Fortensky points to a picture of Taylor frolicking in the snow, taken in Switzerland in 1992. “We were in bed, and she sat up and said, ‘I want to make a snow angel.’ She grabbed a fur coat and put it over her nightdress,” he says. “That’s how I remember Elizabeth. She had a childishness about her. She was 20 years older than me, but I never felt she was old.” The spotlight on their marriage – and on them – placed a strain on the relationship. “Those cameras everywhere,” he says. “Elizabeth was used to it.

I never got used to it.” They split in 1996 but would remain friends and – just as Taylor did with another husband , John Warner – they spoke regularly, right up until her death. “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.” Show Full Article Colin Farrell: 'I wanted to be' Elizabeth Taylor's 8th husband - TODAY.com Today.com Colin Farrell: 'I wanted to be' Elizabeth Taylor's 8th husband 2013-12-17T15:08:00.000Z comment () In another lifetime, Colin Farrell and Elizabeth Taylor might have been great lovers. Speaking with Ellen DeGeneres on Monday, Dec. 16, about his unique friendship with the legendary screen siren, the "Saving Mr. Banks" actor hinted at a deep affection for the actress that was never fully realized because they met so late in life. Photos from Us: Unlikely couples Farrell, now 37, met Taylor toward the end of her life, when his youngest son, Henry, was born at Cedars Sinai Hospital.

(The "Cleopatra" actress, 79 at the time of her death in 2011, was there getting a stent put in her heart.) "I said, 'Will you tell her I said hello? She probably won't know who I am,'" he recalled of running into her manager and close friend Tim Mendelsohn. "And they go, 'No, she knows who you are.' And I went, 'Wow, cool. Well, tell her I said hello and I wish her the best,' and they said, 'Will do.'" Photos from Us: Liz Taylor's legendary life That might have been the end of it, but Farrell couldn't get Taylor off his mind. So he called his publicist, Danica, and asked if he could send some flowers — not knowing that the violet-eyed actress had had the same thought and sent him an orchid, along with a handwritten note. A week later, Farrell asked if he could visit her. "I asked Danica, and she made some calls, and I got to have an audience with her," he told DeGeneres. "And that was the beginning of a year and a half or two years of what was a really cool (relationship).

It was kind of like the last — it feels like in my head, not hers, I'm projecting — but the last kind of romantic relationship I had. Which was never consummated." Photos from Us: Liz Taylor's many marriages Farrell went on to detail their late-night phone calls. "It was really cool, and she wasn't much of a sleeper at night, like I'm not, so at two o'clock in the morning, I'd call her," he said. "I'd call her at two in the morning, and the nurse would answer the phone, and I'd say, 'Is she awake?'... And then I'd be on the phone and I'd hear, 'Hello?' And I'd go, 'How's it going?' And we'd talk for a half an hour, an hour, into the wee hours." "I just adored her," the Irish actor gushed of the actress/activist, who was married seven times in her life. "She was a spectacular, spectacular woman.

I wanted to be (husband) number eight, but we ran out of road." Slideshow Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive Elizabeth Taylor: Legend With two Academy Awards, eight marriages and a long history of AIDS activism, Elizabeth Taylor was a Hollywood icon. Elizabeth Taylor: Legend of Tiny Taylor - Young Elizabeth Taylor stands with her brother, Howard, and their pets in a garden, circa 1930s. Getty Images / Getty Images of First role - Taylor's first big-screen role was in the 1942 film, "There's One Born Every Minute," in which she co-starred with Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer and Catherine Doucet. Everett Collection / Everett Collection of Pure velvet - Taylor gained prominence playing Velvet Brown in 1944's "National Velvet," the story of a girl who nurtures a special horse and races him in England's Grand National Steeplechase. Getty Images / Getty Images of Doggone good - In 1946, Taylor starred opposite Lassie in the dog's third (and Taylor's sixth) film, "Courage of Lassie." In this film, the legendary dog outsmarts the Nazis during World War II.

Everett Collection / Everett Collection of Greeting fans - Teenage Taylor, wearing white gloves and an evening gown, signs autographs for eager fans at a nightclub in 1946. Getty Images / Getty Images of Growing up - Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor embrace on the set of 1949's "Conspirator," as the crew looks on. This was Taylor's first adult role. Getty Images / Getty Images of Marriage No. 1 - Taylor and her first husband, hotelier Nicky Hilton, on their wedding day, May 6, 1950. The two divorced on Jan. 29, 1951. Getty Images / Getty Images of Finding a 'Place' - Taylor and close friend Montgomery Clift co-starred in George Stevens' 1951 film, "A Place in the Sun." She played a spoiled socialite who attracts the attention of Clift, who then murders his working-class pregnant girlfriend (Shelley Winters). Clift and Winters were nominated for Oscars, but Taylor was snubbed. Getty Images / Getty Images of Marriage No. 2 - Taylor married her second husband, Michael Wilding, on Feb. 21, 1952.

The two were divorced on Jan. 26, 1957. Getty Images / Getty Images of Under contract - Taylor starred opposite George Sanders and Robert Taylor (not pictured) in Richard Thorpe's 1952 film, "Ivanhoe." Taylor was reportedly not pleased that MGM cast her in this forgettable film. Getty Images / Getty Images Taylor poses for a promotional photo in 1955. Getty Images / Getty Images of Iconic cast - Taylor starred opposite James Dean and Rock Hudson in George Stevens' 1956 film, "Giant." Dean and Hudson were nominated for Academy Awards, but once again, Taylor was passed over. Everett Collection / Everett Collection of My two sons - Taylor with her sons Michael (born Jan. 6, 1953) and Christopher Wilding (born Feb. 27, 1955). Getty Images / Getty Images of Tragic turn - Taylor married her third husband, American film producer Mike Todd, on Feb. 2, 1957. He was killed in a plane crash on March 22, 1958.

Getty Images / Getty Images of Here, kitty, kitty - Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor starred together in Richard Brooks' 1958 film, based on the Tennessee Williams play, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." She received her second Oscar nomination (the first was for 1957's "Raintree County") for her role as Maggie the Cat. Getty Images / Getty Images of Marriage No. 4 - Taylor married actor Eddie Fisher on May 12, 1959. It was a major 1950s Hollywood scandal when he left actress Debbie Reynolds (and his children Carrie and Todd Fisher) to be with Taylor. The two divorced on March 6, 1964. Getty Images / Getty Images of Passion play - Richard Burton played Antony to Taylor's Cleopatra in the 1963 film of the same name. Taylor received $1 million for her role, and the two stars had a well-publicized affair during the filming. The couple would marry, for the first time, on March 15, 1964.

Getty Images / Getty Images of Golden girl - Taylor holds the Oscar she won for her role in 1966's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in which she starred opposite husband Richard Burton. It was her second Oscar; she won her first for her role in 1960's "Butterfield 8." Getty Images / Getty Images of Twice as nice - Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton hold their granddaughter, Leyla, on Jan. 15, 1973, in Gstaad, Switzerland. The couple divorced on June 26, 1974, but then remarried on Oct. 10, 1975. They divorced for a second time on July 29, 1976. Getty Images / Getty Images of Marriage No. 7 - Taylor married American politician John Warner on Dec. 4, 1976. The couple divorced in 1982, while he was serving as a Republican senator from Virginia. He previously served as Secretary of the Navy.

Getty Images / Getty Images of Checking in - Taylor visited "General Hospital" in 1981, where she portrayed Helena Cassadine opposite singer-actor Rick Springfield's Dr. Noah Drake. Here they're pictured with "GH" executive producer/director Gloria Monty. ABC via AP / ABC via AP Elizabeth Taylor: Legend of AIDS activist - Elizabeth Taylor appears before the Labor, Health and Human Services Senate Subcommittee on May 8, 1986, in Washington, D.C. Taylor appeared as chair of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and appealed for more research funds. The actress helped create amfAR after the 1985 AIDS-related death of her friend, actor Rock Hudson. She also created the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. AFP - Getty Images / AFP - Getty Images Elizabeth Taylor: Legend of Two child stars - Taylor and singer Michael Jackson hold one of two awards he won on Jan. 25, 1993, at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles, Calif. She was a vocal Jackson supporter during his 2005 trial on charges of sexually abusing a child. AFP - Getty Images / AFP - Getty Images Elizabeth Taylor: Legend of Marriage No.

8 - Taylor married former Teamster Larry Fortensky, 20 years her junior, at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch on Oct. 6, 1991. The two met while patients at the Betty Ford Clinic. The couple divorced on Oct. 31, 1996. Getty Images / Getty Images of Honored - President George W. Bush shakes hands with Taylor, a Kennedy Center honoree, on Dec. 8, 2002, at The White House. Left to right, the other honorees are actor James Earl Jones, music conductor James Levine, dancer-actress Chita Rivera, singer-songwriter Paul Simon and Taylor. AFP / AFP of Birthday bash - Taylor arrives with her children, Michael Wilding Jr., Christopher Wilding, Maria Burton, and Liza Todd Burton, for Taylor's 75th birthday party on Feb. 27, 2007, in Henderson, Nev. Getty Images / Getty Images of Acting up - Taylor starred opposite James Earl Jones in the A.R. Gurney play "Love Letters" in 2007. The performance raised $1 million for Taylor's AIDS foundation.

Reuters / Reuters of Saying goodbye - Taylor attends Michael Jackson's funeral service at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif., on Sept. 3, 2009. The Jackson Family via EPA / The Jackson Family via EPA Elizabeth Taylor: Legend of The legend - Taylor on the catwalk at the 27th Annual Macy's Passport party in Santa Monica, Calif., on Sept. 24, 2009. Despite suffering from a cold, the 77-year-old Hollywood legend managed to make an appearance grand enough to warrant a standing ovation. Taylor told the crowd, "As my beloved friend Michael [Jackson] said, 'We are the world.' And it is up to us to take care of those who are sick and dying, in this country and particularly in Africa." AP / AP of Legacy - The American Film Institute named Taylor No. 7 among the Greatest Female Stars of All Time. On the list, she came right after Marilyn Monroe and just before Judy Garland. She died on March 23, 2011, in Los Angeles with her children at her side. She was 79 years old.

Getty Images / Getty Images Larry Fortensky (Construction Worker) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Pr Pioneer Daniel Edelman Dies In Chicago At 92 Huffington Post - Jan 15, 2013 '\n NEW YORK -- Daniel J. Edelman, who built one of the world\'s top public relations companies and pioneered celebrity endorsements and media tours, has died at age 92. \n\n Edelman is credited with developing many of the methods now standard in the field, after transforming the firm he started more than 60 years ago with two people into a global marketing force with more than 4,500 employees in 66 offices worldwide. \n His son Richard Edelman said he died of heart failure on... Lindsay Lohan And Vikram Chatwal: Life Is A Dream Faded Tribune - May 11, 2012 ' It was date night for Lindsay Lohan and rumoured beau Vikram Chatwal in New York City on Thursday night (May 10).\n Posing arm in arm, the hit up the Dream Downtown hotel in the Meatpacking District to check out the Domingo Zapata âLife Is A Dreamâ Art Exhibition.

\n This is the second time Lindsay has been romantically linked to wealthy hotelier Vikram. (He owns the Dream Downtown hotel.) \n Last fall, the two were rumored to be dating, with Lindsay getting into a heated argument with Vi... Liz Smith: Chelsea Handler Is That Vodka Talking Trash About Angelina Jolie? Huffington Post - Apr 23, 2012 '\n \"HE was the beau ideal of the public intellectual!\" said Vanity Fair\'s Graydon Carter at the memorial for writer Christopher Hitchens last Friday afternoon. \n\n Hitchens was the world\'s best-known and voluble atheist. And a group where many loved, disapproved of and envied gathered to say goodbye. \n\n The historic Cooper Union hasn\'t rung with the presence of such a group of haut intellectuals in the many years since Abraham Lincoln spoke there in 1860. \n\n And it was the ... Thanks, Liz.

Youâll Always Be A Hero To Me LGBT Weekly- San Diego - Mar 22, 2012 ' \r\n \r\n \r\n Front (L-R): Sandy Gallin, Hollywood talent agent, Elizabeth Taylor, <mark>Larry Fortensky</mark>, Elizabeth Taylorâs eighth husband. Back: Barry Perkins, Anton Cruz and Trent St. Louis \n It has already been more than a year since the passing of Elizabeth Taylor (March 23, 2011). Although she was of my motherâs age and generation, she managed to stay in the limelight her entire life. There are many things that were extraordinary about Elizab... Elizabeth Taylor Left Struggling Ex-Husband $825k In Will - Radar Online Elizabeth Taylor Left Struggling Ex-Husband $825k In Will By Cliff Renfrew Radar Staff Reporter Big-hearted film star Elizabeth Taylor left her struggling eighth and final husband Larry Fortensky $825,000 in her will. Screen icon Taylor, 79, who died last month from congestive heart failure, always held a soft spot for the former construction worker who she affectionately called “Larry the lion”.

PHOTOS: Elizabeth Taylor Through The Years Fortensky, 59, who now lives like a virtual recluse in a small California town learned about the windfall when he received a letter from Taylor’s lawyers last week. Taylor and Fortensky met at The Betty Ford Clinic before getting married in 1991 At Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch. The pair divorced in 1996 but remained friend until she passed away, with Fortensky always refusing to talk about their relationship with the media. PHOTOS: The Costliest Celebrity Divorces Speaking to the UK’s Mail On Sunday newspaper Fortensky revealed: “I have wonderful memories of my time with Elizabeth and I will treasure them forever.” Fortensky revealed that when they first met she was being treated for addiction to pills while he was being counseled for alcohol addiction. He added : “She was funny and sweet and the more I got to know her the sweeter she became.

Of course she was very pretty and I wasn’t too bad looking in those days either – we had an instant physical attraction.” COURT DOCUMENTS: Notice To Creditors Of Elizabeth Taylor Fortensky suffers from short term memory loss after suffering from a fall and is now cared for by his sister Donna in their small rented home in the tiny town Menifee two hours outside Los Angeles. It’s a world away from the lavish lifestyle he used to enjoy with Taylor, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous and jetting all over the world. At their wedding the gust list included Liza Minelli, Eddie Murphy, Gregory Peck and Nancy Regan. PHOTOS: The Sweet Smell of Success: Celebs with Perfumes At the reception Michael Jackson spent the night dancing away on the dance floor with a small child under his arm – although Fortensky admitted that he could not hear his own wedding vows because of the paparazzi helicopters hovering overhead ! But within a few years their marriage started to flounder as the former construction worker began to feel trapped having left his job to travel around the world with his famous wife.

Fortensky began to hate the constant attention and it was Taylor who asked for a divorce in 1996 because she knew that neither of them was ‘happy’ – he left the marriage with only $1.5 million despite her estimated fortune of around $200 million. PHOTOS: Couples We’d Like To See! But the pair remained friends with Taylor once sending him a cheque for $15,000 to prevent his then home from going into foreclosure. The couple would talk on the phone at least twice a month – their last call was the day before she went into hospital for the last time. Fortensky revealed: “She was going into hospital the next day. I thought she was going to be okay – I told her she would outlive me, She said ‘Larry , I’m going to be OK.’” PHOTOS: David Arquette — First Pics Post-Rehab Sadly, a few days later he learned of his former wife’s death on television. “I was so shocked – I was so sure she would get to go home and I would talk to her once again,” he added.

Elizabeth Taylor - Biography - IMDb Elizabeth Taylor Biography Showing all 204 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (8) | Trade Mark (4) | Trivia (116) | Personal Quotes (45) | Salary (25) Overview (5) 5' 2" (1.57 m) Mini Bio (1) Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was considered one of the last, if not the last, major star to have come out of the old Hollywood studio system. She was known internationally for her beauty, especially for her violet eyes, with which she captured audiences early on in her youth and kept the world hooked on with since. Taylor was born on February 27, 1932 in London, England. Although she was born an English subject, her parents, Sara Sothern (née Sara Viola Warmbrodt) and Francis Lenn Taylor, were Americans, art dealers from St. Louis, Missouri (her father had gone to London to set up a gallery). Her mother had been an actress on the stage, but gave up that vocation when she married.

Elizabeth lived in London until the age of seven, when the family left for the US when the clouds of war began brewing in Europe in 1939. They sailed without her father, who stayed behind to wrap up the loose ends of the art business. The family relocated to Los Angeles, where Mrs. Taylor's own family had moved. Mr. Taylor followed not long afterward. A family friend noticed the strikingly beautiful little Elizabeth and suggested that she be taken for a screen test. Her test impressed executives at Universal Pictures enough to sign her to a contract. Her first foray onto the screen was in There's One Born Every Minute (1942), released when she was ten. Universal dropped her contract after that one film, but Elizabeth was soon picked up by MGM. The first production she made with that studio was Lassie Come Home (1943), and on the strength of that one film, MGM signed her for a full year. She had minuscule parts in her next two films, The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) and Jane Eyre (1943) (the former made while she was on loan to 20th Century-Fox).

Then came the picture that made Elizabeth a star: MGM's National Velvet (1944). She played Velvet Brown opposite Mickey Rooney . The film was a smash hit, grossing over $4 million. Elizabeth now had a long-term contract with MGM and was its top child star. She made no films in 1945, but returned in 1946 in Courage of Lassie (1946), another success. In 1947, when she was 15, she starred in Life with Father (1947) with such heavyweights as William Powell , Irene Dunne and Zasu Pitts , which was one of the biggest box office hits of the year. She also co-starred in the ensemble film Little Women (1949), which was also a box office huge success. Throughout the 1950s, Elizabeth appeared in film after film with mostly good results, starting with her role in the George Stevens film A Place in the Sun (1951), co-starring her good friend Montgomery Clift . The following year, she co-starred in Ivanhoe (1952), one of the biggest box office hits of the year.

Her busiest year was 1954. She had a supporting role in the box office flop Beau Brummell (1954), but later that year starred in the hits The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) and Elephant Walk (1954). She was 22 now, and even at that young age was considered one of the world's great beauties. In 1955 she appeared in the hit Giant (1956) with James Dean . Sadly, Dean never saw the release of the film, as he died in a car accident in 1955. The next year saw Elizabeth co-star with Montgomery Clift in Raintree County (1957), an overblown epic made, partially, in Kentucky. Critics called it dry as dust. In addition, Clift was seriously injured during the film, with Taylor helping save his life. Despite the film's shortcomings and off-camera tragedy, Elizabeth was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Southern belle Susanna Drake. However, on Oscar night the honor went to Joanne Woodward for The Three Faces of Eve (1957).

In 1958 Elizabeth starred as Maggie Pollitt in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). The film received rave reviews from the critics and Elizabeth was nominated again for an Academy Award for best actress, but this time she lost to Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958). She was still a hot commodity in the film world, though. In 1959 she appeared in another mega-hit and received yet another Oscar nomination for Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). Once again, however, she lost out, this time to Simone Signoret for Room at the Top (1959). Her Oscar drought ended in 1960 when she brought home the coveted statue for her performance in BUtterfield 8 (1960) as Gloria Wandrous, a call girl who is involved with a married man. Some critics blasted the movie but they couldn't ignore her performance. There were no more films for Elizabeth for three years. She left MGM after her contract ran out, but would do projects for the studio later down the road.

In 1963 she starred in Cleopatra (1963), which was one of the most expensive productions up to that time--as was her salary, a whopping $1,000,000. The film took years to complete, due in part to a serious illness during which she nearly died. This was the film where she met her future and fifth husband, Richard Burton (the previous four were Conrad Hilton, Michael Wilding , Michael Todd --who died in a plane crash--and Eddie Fisher ). Her next films, The V.I.P.s (1963) and The Sandpiper (1965), were lackluster at best. Elizabeth was to return to fine form, however, with the role of Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Her performance as the loudmouthed, shrewish, unkempt, yet still alluring Martha was easily her finest to date. For this she would win her second Oscar and one that was more than well-deserved. The following year, she and Burton co-starred in The Taming of the Shrew (1967), again giving winning performances.

However, her films afterward were box office failures, including Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), The Comedians (1967) Boom! (1968) (again co-starring with Burton), Secret Ceremony (1968), The Only Game in Town (1970), X, Y and Zee (1972), Hammersmith Is Out (1972) (with Burton again), Ash Wednesday (1973), Night Watch (1973), The Driver's Seat (1974), The Blue Bird (1976) (considered by many to be her worst), A Little Night Music (1977), and Winter Kills (1979) (a controversial film which was never given a full release and in which she only had a small role). Since then, she has appeared in some movies, both theatrical and made-for-television, and a number of television programs. In February 1997, Elizabeth entered the hospital for the removal of a brain tumor. The operation was successful.

As for her private life, she divorced Burton in 1974, only to remarry him in 1975 and divorce him, permanently, in 1976. She had two more husbands, U.S. Senator John Warner and construction worker Larry Fortensky , whom she met in rehab. In 1959, Taylor converted to Judaism, and continued to identify herself as Jewish throughout her life, being active in Jewish causes. Upon the death of her friend, actor Rock Hudson , in 1985, she began her crusade on the behalf of AIDS sufferers. In the 1990s, she also developed a successful series of scents. In her later years, her acting career was relegated to the occasional TV-movie or TV guest appearance. Elizabeth Taylor died on March 23, 2011 in Los Angeles, from congestive heart failure. Her final resting place is Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Glendale, California. Dark hair, violet eyes and suntanned skin Her multiple marriages and divorces, with only one marriage ending in widowhood. Her love affair with beautiful jewelry Trivia (116) She was bridesmaid for Jane Powell for her first marriage.

Powell was bridesmaid for Taylor at her first marriage. Ranked #72 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997] Discharged from hospital, but later rushed back in after a suffering a brain seizure. Said to be comfortable. [February 1997] Underwent successful surgery to remove the benign brain tumor. [February 1997] Has four children and nine grandchildren. Mother of Christopher Edward Wilding and Michael Wilding Jr. Her daughter, Liza Todd , with Michael Todd , is a sculptor, who has two sons, Quinn and Rhys, with her husband artist Hap Tivey. Has appeared solo on the cover of PEOPLE magazine 14 times, second only to Princess Diana (as of 1996). Liz and Richard Burton appeared together on stage in a 1983 revival of "Private Lives." Her episode of Biography (1987) was the highest-rated episode of that series on Arts & Entertainment (thru the end of 1995). American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.

[1993] Liz was a close friend of Montgomery Clift until his death in 1966. They met for the first time when Paramount decided that she had to accompany him to the premiere of The Heiress (1949) because they were both to star in the upcoming A Place in the Sun (1951). They liked each other right away. Clift used to call her "Bessie Mae". When he had a car accident a few years later that disfigured him, he had just left a party at Liz's house. It was she who found him first, got into the wreck and removed some teeth from his throat that threatened to choke him. Her perfumes have been Passion (1987), White Diamonds (1991), Diamonds and Rubies, Diamonds and Emeralds, Diamonds and Sapphires and Black Pearls (1995). At one point during her life-threatening illness while filming BUtterfield 8 (1960), she was actually pronounced dead. First actress to earn $1,000,000 for a movie role (in Cleopatra (1963)).

Along with Julie Andrews , she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II on New Year's Eve, 1999. Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#16). [1995] Mother-in-law of Brooke Palance . Lives in BelAir house once owned by Frank Sinatra when he was married to first wife, Nancy. Born at 2:15 AM GMT Has owned some of the world's most magnificent jewelry, including the 33-carat "Krupp Diamond", the Duchess of Windsor diamond brooch, the Grand Duchess of Russia emeralds, the "LaPeregina Pearl" (which was a Valentine present to her from Richard Burton ), and the famous pear-shaped 69-carat "Burton-Cartier Diamond" Burton gave her in 1969 (subsequently renamed the "Burton-Taylor Diamond."). Considered Michael Jackson among her closest friends.

In the early 1970s, she planned to star in the movie version of the hit 1971 Broadway play "Twigs" by George Furth , in which she would have played four characters -- three sisters and their aged, cranky Bronx-Irish mother -- but the project never materialized. Stepmother of the late Michael Todd Jr. , who was actually her senior by three years. She was a recipient of the 2002 John F. Kennedy Center Honors. Admitted in an interview with Barbara Walters in the late 1990s that she would still like to act but, because of her medical problems, no movie company will insure her. In addition to many other medical problems, including a benign brain tumor she had removed, she has broken her back four times. This causes her severe pain when walking or standing for long amounts of time.

She is mentioned in the lyrics of several songs, including some versions of the Frank Sinatra standard "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)", the Allan Sherman song "Oh Boy" (wherein Sherman giggled "oh boy" in reference to "her men"), "My Baby Just Cares for Me" (written by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson , performed by the likes of Eddie Cantor and Nina Simone ) and "Lady Nina" by the rock band Marillion . The stories of her Oscar win for BUtterfield 8 (1960) have grown legendary. It is generally accepted as truth that she won Oscar voters by a vote of sympathy, because of the recent death of her husband, Michael Todd , and her near-fatal illness and emergency tracheotomy to save her life (her scar was very visible on Oscar night). Wisecracker and Rat Pack member Shirley MacLaine , who was favored to win for her role in The Apartment (1960), said afterwards that "I lost out to a tracheotomy." The premiere of her film Father of the Bride (1950) took place two days after her real-life marriage to Conrad Hilton Jr. .

The publicity surrounding the event is credited with helping to make the film so successful. The marriage lasted as long as the 3 month European honeymoon. Irreconcilable differences were cited in the divorce court. She was voted the 11th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. Has four children. Two sons with Michael Wilding : Michael Howard (born January 6, 1953) and Christopher Edward (born February 27, 1955). Her daughter with Michael Todd , Elizabeth Frances Todd, called "Liza", was born August 6, 1957. Her daughter, Maria Burton, (adopted 1962 with Eddie Fisher ; re-adopted 1964 with Richard Burton ) was born August 1, 1961. Ranked #7 in the American Film Insitutes list of the 50 'Greatest American Screen Legends', the top 25 male and top 25 female. Although born in England, her parents were actually Americans, who were just working in England.

Her ancestry included English (with many colonial American roots going back to the 1600s), as well as Swiss-German (from an immigrant maternal great-grandfather), Northern Irish (Scots-Irish), French, and more distant Dutch, Welsh, and Danish. Premiere Magazine ranked her as #40 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature (2005). Announced in November 2004 she has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but vowed to continue raising funds for AIDS charities and to build a Richard Burton Memorial Theatre in Cardiff, Wales. Is portrayed by Sherilyn Fenn in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story (1995). Was unable to give evidence at Michael Jackson 's trial due to illness. She was (along with Marisa Berenson ) co-matron of honor at Liza Minnelli 's and David Gest 's wedding. Along with Mark Hamill and Joe Mantegna , she was one of only three actors to play both themselves and a fictional character in The Simpsons (1989).

She supplied the voice of Maggie Simpson in the Season Four episode "Lisa's First Word" and portrayed herself in the Season Four episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled". She and Richard Burton starred together in 11 movies: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), The V.I.P.s (1963), Under Milk Wood (1972), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), The Sandpiper (1965), Hammersmith Is Out (1972), Doctor Faustus (1967), Divorce His - Divorce Hers (1973), The Comedians (1967), Cleopatra (1963) and Boom! (1968). She had an uncredited cameo in Burton's film Anne of the Thousand Days (1969). In 1969, Richard Burton bought her one of the world's largest and most beautiful diamonds from the jeweler Cartier after losing an auction for the 69-carat, pear-shaped stone to the jeweler, who won with a $1-million bid.

The rough diamond that would yield the prized stone weighed 244 carats and was found in 1966 at South Africa's Premier mine. Harry Winston cut and polished the diamond, which was put up for auction in 1969. Burton purchased the diamond from Cartier the next day for $1,069,000 to give to Taylor. The small premium was the result of the publicity Cartier garnered from selling the stone, then called the "Burton-Cartier Diamond," to the then "world's most famous couple." Ten years later, the twice-divorced-from-Burton Taylor herself auctioned off the "Burton-Taylor Diamond" to fund a hospital in Botswana. The last recorded sale of the Taylor-Burton was in 1979 for nearly $3,000,000 to an anonymous buyer in Saudi Arabia. The ring was the center of the classic Here's Lucy (1968) episode "Lucy Meets the Burtons," in which Lucy Carter, played by Lucille Ball , gets the famous ring stuck on her finger. The actual ring was used and the episode was the highest rated episode of the very popular series.

Auctioned off her diamond-and-emerald engagement ring from Richard Burton to raise money for an AIDS charity. Her third husband Michael Todd gave her a 29-carat diamond ring during their marriage, a feat topped by fifth husband Richard Burton when he gave her the 69-carat "Burton-Cartier" (later renamed "Burton-Taylor") diamond. Fourth-husband Eddie Fisher said that a $50,000 diamond could keep Taylor happy for approximately four days. She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II at the 2000 New Year's Honours List for her services to drama. Writer Charles Bukowski , in his newspaper column (and later book) "Notes of a Dirty Old Man", revealed that he loathed Taylor as an absurd icon of the celebrity-mad, media-besotted American culture that he despised. 1976: Won the title of "Most Memorable Eyebrows" in a magazine poll. The first runner up was Lassie . Was unable to attend the civil partnership ceremony of her friend Sir Elton John in England due to her illness.

(December 2005) Became friends with Marlon Brando while shooting Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967). Brando agreed to pick up her Best Actress Award for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) from the New York Film Critics Circle. When Brando made his appearance at the NYFCC Award ceremony at Sardi's on January 29, 1967, he berated the critics, querying them as to why they hadn't recognized Liz before. He then flew to Dahomey, Africa, where she was shooting The Comedians (1967) with Richard Burton to personally deliver the award, a development Burton thought odd. Several years later Brando socialized with the Burtons, visiting them on their famous yacht the Kalizma, while they plied the Mediterreanean. Brando's ex-wife Anna Kashfi , in her book "Brando for Breakfast" (1979), claimed that Brando and Burton got into a fist fight aboard the yacht, probably over Liz, but nothing of the incident appears in Burton's voluminous diaries.

In his diaries, Burton found Brando to be quite intelligent but believed he suffered, like Liz did, from becoming too famous too early in his life and believed their affinity for one another was based on this (both Liz and Marlon would later befriend Michael Jackson , another superstar-cum-legend who had become too famous too soon). Burton recognized Brando as a great actor, but felt he would have been more suited to silent films due to the deficiency in his voice (the famous "mumble"). As a silent film star, Burton believed Brando would have been the greatest motion picture actor ever. In 2006, she introduced a line of diamond and precious stone jewelry called "House of Taylor". The designs are said to be inspired by certain favorite pieces in her own collection. She actually wrote a book on jewelry and is considered to be an authority on the subject. Cancelled her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, prompting renewed fears about her health. The acting legend usually attends an annual charity dinner organized by the American Foundation For AIDS Research (AMFAR), which always coincides with the South of France festival.

However, Taylor - who also pulled out in 2004 due to health problems - was replaced by Sharon Stone and Liza Minnelli at the gala. (May 2005) Underwent radiation therapy in 2002 for basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. After her son Michael had renounced his American citizenship for possession of marijuana, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to block his deportation (1988). Her beloved dog, a Maltese named Sugar, died in 2005. Some months later, she purchased Daisy, one of Sugar's descendants. Her older brother Howard Taylor was born in 1929. Was a frequent guest at the infamous "Studio 54" Appeared on Larry King Live (1985) to refute claims that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and was close to death. (30 May 2006) Former stepmother of Carrie Fisher , Todd Fisher , Kate Burton , Jessica Burton, Virginia Warner, John Warner Jr., Mary Warner and Julie Fortensky Henderson. Godmother of Prince Michael . Announced her retirement from acting in 2003.

In Italy, she was exclusively dubbed until the mid-1950s by Germana Calderini . As she matured, she was dubbed by Fiorella Betti . For two of her most celebrated roles--Leslie Lynnton Benedict in Giant (1956) and Catherine Holly in Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)--Taylor was dubbed respectively by Micaela Giustiniani and Lidia Simoneschi , the only time either actress lent their voice to her. Organized "A Commitment to Life", a celebrity event to benefit AIDS research after her Giant (1956) co-star Rock Hudson became ill in 1985. The event featured former First Lady Betty Ford , Burt Lancaster , Shirley MacLaine , Sammy Davis Jr. , and Burt Reynolds . More than $1.3 million was raised. Her AIDS organization AMFAR raised $83 million in the twelve years following its creation in 1985. Did not attend The 75th Annual Academy Awards (2003) due to her opposition to the Iraq war. In 1963, while the highest paid American business executive earned $650,000 and President John F.

Kennedy 's salary was $150,000, she received at least $2.4 million. In a 2007 interview with Entertainment Tonight (1981)'s Mary Hart , Taylor said she had recently telephoned ex-husband Eddie Fisher and spoke to him for the first time in nearly 40 years. Has had three hip replacements. Received $500,000 divorce settlement from Conrad Hilton Jr. , 1951. Mentioned in Walter Kirn 's novel "Thumbsucker". Inducted into the California Hall of Fame in Sacramento (5 December 2007). The 1963 Andy Warhol portrait of hers was sold for $ 23,7 million to an anonymous bidder at a Christie's auction in New York (14 November 2007). After the death of husband Mike Todd , she and Todd's son sued the company Ayer Lease Plan, Inc. for $5,000,000 charging negligence. They were awarded only $40,000, of which $13,000 went to attorney's fees.

The remaining $27,000 went to their daughter, Frances. In 2006, she donated $500,000 to the New Orleans AIDS Task Force to purchase mobile medical unit for AIDS sufferers in New Orleans. Taylor and Shirley Jones are the only actresses to win Oscars for playing prostitutes in the same year: Taylor for BUtterfield 8 (1960) (Best Actress) and Jones for Elmer Gantry (1960) (Best Supporting Actress). She was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film culture. Her first Oscar nomination for Raintree County (1957) marks her first of 4 consecutive nominations, a feat she shares with Jennifer Jones (1943-1946), Thelma Ritter (1950-1953), Marlon Brando (1951-1954) and Al Pacino (1972-1975). Hospitalized with congestive heart failure and pneumonia in July 2008 and was briefly on a life support machine.

Actively sought the role of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady (1964), but Audrey Hepburn was cast instead. Has a street named after her in Iowa City, Iowa. Nominated for the 1981 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for "The Little Foxes" as well as winning a Special Theatre World Award for the same. Underwent heart surgery in October 2009 to repair a leaky valve. Was a heavy smoker from ages 18 to 58. She finally quit at her doctor's recommendation following a severe bout with pneumonia in 1990. Returned to work seven months after giving birth to her daughter Liza Todd in order to begin filming Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). First husband Conrad Hilton Jr. was physically abusive, which was partly caused by a drug problem. Fourth husband Eddie Fisher was a close friend of her late husband Michael Todd . Fisher left his wife Debbie Reynolds to be with Taylor. Ex-husband Larry Fortensky underwent five hours of brain surgery and was in a coma for six weeks after falling off a balcony on January 28, 1999.

Taylor immediately notified the hospital she would personally guarantee all Fortensky's medical expenses. Was at one point going to star in The Public Eye (1972) with Richard Burton . See the trivia page for the film for more information. On Monday evening, November 8, 2010, Andy Warhol 's "Men in Her Life", a 1962 painting based on an image of Elizabeth Taylor between husbands, was auctioned at Phillips de Pury & Company's new salesroom on Park Avenue in New York City. An unidentified bidder bought it for $63.3 million. Although Taylor was raised as a Christian Scientist, in 1959, at the age of 27, she converted to Judaism. She denied that her conversion was motivated by her marriages to Mike Todd or Eddie Fisher (both of whom were Jewish), saying that she had always been drawn to Judaism. Her conversion took place at Temple Israel of Hollywood, where she had studied Torah and Jewish history and traditions under Rabbi Max Nussbaum.

It is traditional for converts to receive a Hebrew equivalent to their names upon conversion (since they wouldn't have received one shortly after birth, as those born into Judaism would have); Taylor's was Elisheba Rachel, Elisheba being the Hebrew for "Elizabeth," and Rachel being the name of Jacob's second wife in the Torah. Her obituary published in The New York Times was written by theater critic and cultural reporter Mel Gussow, who had died in 2005. The newspaper's obituary editor said the piece was "too good to throw away". Had a tubal ligation at age 25 and a hysterectomy when she was 36. Delivered all three of her biological children via Caesarean section. Her biological grandchildren are Leila (b. 1971), Naomi (b. 1975) and Tarquin (b. 1989), via her son Michael Wilding Jr. , Andrew (b. 1984) and Lowell (b. 1992), via her son Christopher Edward Wilding , and Quinn (b. 1986) and Rhys (b. 1991), via her daughter Liza Todd .

Her adoptive grandchildren are Eliza (b. 1982) and Richard (b. 2001), via her adoptive daughter Maria Burton, and Caleb (b. 1983) via Christopher. Launched 12 perfumes and colognes - Passion 1988, Passion for Men 1989, White Diamonds 1991, Diamonds and Emeralds 1993, Diamonds and Rubies 1993, Diamonds and Sapphires 1993, Black Pearls 1996, Sparkling White Diamonds 1999, Brilliant White Diamonds 2001, Forever Elizabeth 2002, Gardenia 2003 and Violet Eyes 2010. On March 1, 2013, her fifth (and sixth) husband, Richard Burton , received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was placed next to Elizabeth's star at 6336 Hollywood Boulevard. A casting agent said of her as a 19 year old: "The kid has nothing. Her eyes are too old.".

Despite playing their mother on Giant (1956), Taylor was just 2 years older than Fran Bennett , 4 years older than Dennis Hopper and 9 months younger than Carroll Baker . Is one of 14 Best Actress Oscar winners to have not accepted their Academy Award in person, Taylor's being for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). The others are Katharine Hepburn , Claudette Colbert , Joan Crawford , Judy Holliday , Vivien Leigh , Anna Magnani , Ingrid Bergman , Sophia Loren , Anne Bancroft , Patricia Neal , Maggie Smith , Glenda Jackson and Ellen Burstyn . Was the 53rd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for BUtterfield 8 (1960) at The 33rd Annual Academy Awards (1961) on April 17, 1961. Credited Montgomery Clift with making her take acting seriously. Taylor was so impressed by Clift's incredible preparation and concentration to play a role that she actively began to seek better parts and give more dynamic performances.

She was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of Carol Ferris (created in 1959). Ferris was created as Green Lantern/Hal Jordan's love interest, and eventually she turned into super-heroine Star Sapphire. Taylor was 27 years old at the point of her creation. Disliked it when people referred to her by the nickname "Liz". Former neighbor of Julie London . Taylor and her husband, Michael Todd , had planned for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) to be her final film, as she intended to retire from the screen. Todd had made a verbal agreement about this with MGM, but after his death, MGM forced Taylor to make BUtterfield 8 (1960) in order to fulfill the terms of her studio contract. As a result, Taylor refused to speak to the director for the entire production, and hated the film. Michael Jackson 's music video "Leave Me Alone" (from his 1987 album Bad) was created as tribute for Elizabeth Taylor, taking several footage of Taylor from her most famous movies, mixing it using the CGI technology that existed in that time.

She had a great and loyal friendship with 1950s actor James Dean , who co-starred with her in Giant (1956). Dean suddenly died in a car accident in Cholame, California in the early fall of 1955, just before the filming of Giant was wrapping up production. It was reported that Taylor felt so distressed and devastated upon hearing the news of her good friend's tragic death that she had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a few days. Taylor was a major supporter of the state of Israel. Has appeared in over 1,000 magazine covers around the world. Appeared on the cover of Life magazine a record 14 times (more than any other movie star), starting when she was just 15 years old. Daughter Elizabeth "Liza" Frances was born six weeks early in 1957 she weighed 4 lbs 14 oz at birth. She had over 35 sibling-in-laws, since several of her husbands came from very large families. Very close friend of Carole Bayer Sager . Became a great-grandmother in 1998.

Taylor underwent more than 40 major operations during her lifetime and was hospitalized at least 100 times. She reportedly told doctors in 2010 that she didn't want any more life-saving surgeries despite being in daily pain. Elizabeth's ex-husband Larry Fortensky passed away in July 2016 at age 64, having been in a coma since May. The news was confirmed on Facebook and Twitter by relatives, but there has been no media coverage or even an obituary in the local newspaper. Was considered for the role of Alexis on Dynasty (1981). Personal Quotes (45) [on turning 53 years old] I think I'm finally growing up - and about time. I had a hollow leg. I could drink everyone under the table and not get drunk. My capacity was terrifying. My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw was an engagement ring. I was hooked. I don't pretend to be an ordinary housewife. [Cannes, May 2001] If not to make the world better, what is money for?

[on her weight fluctuations] When you're fat, the world is divided into two groups - people who bug you and people who leave you alone. The funny thing is, supporters and saboteurs exist in either camp. Success is a great deodorant. It takes away all your past smells. Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses. I don't remember much about Cleopatra (1963). There were a lot of other things going on. One problem with people who have no vices is that they're pretty sure to have some annoying virtues. [About Montgomery Clift ] The most gorgeous thing in the world and easily one of the best actors. You find out who your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal. [on Eddie Fisher ] I'm not taking anything away from Debbie [ Debbie Reynolds ] because she never really had it. [2005] Acting is, to me now, artificial. Seeing people suffer is real. It couldn't be more real. Some people don't like to look at it in the face because it's painful. But if nobody does, then nothing gets done. [2005] There's still so much more to do.

I can't sit back and be complacent, and none of us should be. I get around now in a wheelchair, but I get around. [on Michael Jackson ] What is a genius? What is a living legend? What is a mega star? Michael Jackson - that's all. And when you think you know him, he gives you more . . . I think he is one of the finest people to hit this planet, and, in my estimation, he is the true King of Pop, Rock and Soul. [on John Wayne ] His image had as much impact in the world as many of our presidents have had, but Duke was a great actor, a great humanitarian, but always himself. To be a friend was a lifetime thing. If someone's dumb enough to offer me a million dollars to make a picture, I'm certainly not dumb enough to turn it down. I believe in mind over matter and doing anything you set your mind on. I, along with the critics, have never taken myself very seriously. [on Michael Jackson ] He is part of my heart. We would do anything for each other. [on Michael Wilding ] I'm afraid in those last few years I gave him a rather rough time.

Sort of henpecked him and probably wasn't mature enough for him. It wasn't that we had anything to fight over. We just weren't happy. [on John Wayne ] He is as tough as an old nut and as soft as a yellow ribbon. [on Clark Gable ] He was the epitome of the movie star -- so romantic, such bearing, such friendliness. [on Montgomery Clift ] Monty was the most emotional actor I have ever worked with. And it is contagious. [on Marilyn Monroe ] She seemed to have a kind of unconscious glow about her physical self that was innocent, like a child. When she posed nude, it was 'Gee, I am kind of, you know, sort of dishy,' like she enjoyed it without being egotistical. I will love Michael Jackson forever. (On Michael Jackson 's death) [on the death of Michael Jackson ] I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event.

Richard came on the set and sort of sidled over to me and said: "Has anybody ever told you that you're a very pretty girl?" 'I thought, Oy gevalt, the great lover, the great wit, the great Welsh intellectual, and he comes out with a corny line like that! But then I noticed his hands were shaking as if he had Saturday night palsy. He had the worst hangover I'd ever seen. And he was obviously terrified of me. I just took pity on him. I realized he really was human. That was the beginning of our affair. [on her conversion to Judaism] It had absolutely nothing to do with my past marriage to Mike [Todd] or my upcoming marriage to Eddie Fisher , both of whom were Jewish. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time. I don't entirely approve of some of the things I have done, or am, or have been. But I'm me. God knows, I'm me. I have the emotions of a child in the body of a woman. I was rushed into womanhood for the movies. It caused me long moments of unhappiness and doubt.

The ups and downs, the problems and stress, along with all the happiness, have given me optimism and hope because I am living proof of survival. I've come through things that would have felled an ox. That fills me with optimism, not just for myself but for our particular species. [on Michael Jackson ] He is one of the most normal people I know. I hate being called "Liz", because it can sound like such a hiss. [on Cleopatra (1963)] They had cut out the heart, the essence, the motivations, the very core, and tacked on all those battle scenes. It should have been about three large people, but it lacked reality and passion. I found it vulgar. [on BUtterfield 8 (1960)] A piece of shit. Straight sex, gay sex, bisexual sex, use a condom whoever you are. If someone's dumb enough to offer me a million dollars to make a picture, I'm certainly not dumb enough to turn it down. [before her final wedding in 1991] I've been single for eleven years, and I have thought long and hard about ever marrying again. I mean, this is it, forever.

I've only slept with men I've been married to. How many women can make that claim? [after divorcing Richard Burton for the second time] I love Richard Burton with every fiber of my soul, but we can't be together. We're too mutually self-destructive. [on Larry Fortensky ] Larry sees through the world of bullshit I live in. He's very protective. The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues. Salary (25) Elizabeth Taylor Files for 8th Divorce - latimes Elizabeth Taylor Files for 8th Divorce February 06, 1996 |MILES CORWIN | TIMES STAFF WRITER After Elizabeth Taylor and Welsh actor Richard Burton divorced in 1973, she offered a lofty explanation for the breakup: "We have loved each other too much." After she filed for divorce Monday from her seventh husband, construction worker Larry Fortensky, her explanation was prosaic: "irreconcilable differences." "The whole thing will be worked out amicably between Elizabeth and Larry," said Taylor's attorney, Neil Papiano.

"They are both very sorry matters didn't work out, but they still have great respect and love for each other." While the situation may appear final to Fortensky, he could take note of events that followed Taylor's 1973 split from Burton. Sixteen months after the divorce, they remarried and Burton, once her fifth husband, then became her sixth. They did not, however, stay married long. They re-divorced eight months later. Taylor recuperated quickly from the trauma of two marriages and two divorces with the same man. Six months after the second divorce was final she married her seventh husband, U.S. Sen. John W. Warner. They divorced in 1982, after which Taylor stayed single almost an entire decade. Taylor, 63, whose last hit movie was 30 years ago, is famous for being famous. And a good part of her celebrity, many believe, are her marriages to rich, talented or powerful men. Larry Fortensky was the departure. He drove a Caterpillar dirt compactor for a living and was a member of Teamsters Local 420 in Los Angeles.

His union classified him as a "construction driver." Taylor referred to him as an "employee of a large engine equipment company." Their storied meeting could be characterized as a match made in a detoxification center. They met at the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage in 1988. Taylor was there for drug treatment. Fortensky's stay at the clinic, reportedly covered under his Teamsters insurance policy, followed a drunk-driving conviction. In 1991, Taylor announced: "I always said I would get married one more time and with God's blessings, this is it, forever." Forever lasted 40 months. But despite their many differences and the 20-year gap in their ages, Taylor married for the eighth time. Last August, Taylor and the former construction worker announced their trial separation. "Larry and I both need our space now," Taylor said at the time. "We both hope this is only temporary." It wasn't. At least for now. MORE:

Question: Who married Elizabeth Taylor in 1991 to become her eighth husband?
Answer: Larry Fortensky