A Passionate Love: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Through the Years
In honor of what would have been their 52nd anniversary, a look back at the couple's most glamorous and heart-rending moments.
After meeting on the set of Cleopatra in the early '60s, actress Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) and actor Richard Burton (1925-1984) began one of the most publicized and turbulent love stories of all time, captivating millions with their on-again, off-again relationship. Despite the drama, they shared a love that was deep and fierce, the kind of love that can often be as destructive as it is beautiful.
1962
When Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton first met on the set of Cleopatra in Rome, they were instantly smitten with each other, despite both being married—Taylor to her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher, who she "stole" from Debbie Reynolds in one of the biggest celebrity scandals of the 1950s. Here, Taylor and Burton are pictured relaxing on a speedboat in Ischia after filming wrapped, the start of their extravagant love affair.
1962
After their yacht outing was published in the tabloids, the public became obsessed with Taylor and Burton's budding romance. The paparazzi stopped at nothing to catch the couple on camera, flocking to the star's Appian Way villa. Here, one photographer is pictured climbing a tree to find the perfect camera angle.
1962
On the set of Cleopatra, Burton is pictured here with Elizabeth Taylor's daughter, Liza. At the time, the actress had three children: Two sons, Michael and Christopher, with her second husband Michael Wilding, and daughter Liza with her third husband Michael Todd.
Burton was in the process of adopting a German orphan, later known as Maria Burton, while he was still married to his first wife.
1963
A publicity image released for Cleopatra shows the actors both in costume. Their sizzling on-camera chemistry wasn't just acting. They shared their first kiss on camera, continuing the moment even after the director called "cut."
LIFE would go on to call Cleopatra the "most talked about movie ever made," due to its expensive price tag and the scandal surrounding the stars.
1963
Taylor and Burton are pictured at the premiere for the film Lawrence of Arabia in Paris. By 1963, their romance was in full gear—they were completely smitten with each other. By the next year, they would both be divorced from their current partners.
In one of their early love letters, eventually published in the book Furious Love by Sam Kashner, Burton wrote, "I lust after your smell...and your round belly and the exquisite softness of the inside of your thighs and your baby-bottom and your giving lips and the half-hostile look in your eyes when you're deep in rut with your little Welsh stallion."
1963
At the end of the year, Burton and Taylor were said to be pondering how soon they could wed. On December 23, 1963, Burton said he could not marry Miss Taylor before January 16, 1964, when her divorce from Fisher would be finalized.
1964
Only days after Taylor's divorce was actually finalized, the couple wed on March 15, 1964 in a ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton in Montreal, beginning what has been referred to as "the marriage of the century." This would be the first of the couple's two marriages, which both ended in divorce.
1965
Taylor and Burton pose on set of The Sandpiper. Their off-screen romance was so turbulent, it could have been a movie of its own—and the dramatic roles they played were often said to reflect their actual relationship. Taylor was known to have tantrums while Burton had problems with alcoholism.
1967
Taylor and Burton share yet another kiss in costume, this time for the film adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, in Italy. They would star in 11 films alongside one another, fueling their glamorous lifestyle filled with designer clothes, Champagne, a yacht, and a jet.
1967
The couple, pictured here with their four children, would divorce in June 1974 for the first time. Despite the passion they shared for each other, they were constantly butting heads, not to mention that Burton had an affair with a co-star.
1970
According to TIME, Burton admitted he was making movies due to his desire for money, not a love for the art. However, he thought quite highly of his talented wife. He once wrote, "You are probably the best actress in the world, which, combined with your extraordinary beauty, makes you unique. When, as an actress, you want to be funny, you are funnier than W.C. Fields; when, as an actress, you are meant to be tragic, you are tragic."
1975
Despite both having other relationships after their split, Taylor and Burton couldn't stay away from each other for long. According to Marie Claire UK, they met up to discuss financial affairs, but ended up crying in each other's arms. They told the public they were in love again the following August, and were married secretly in October 1975 for the second time at Chobe National Park in Botswana.
Taylor expressed her excitement in a letter to her once-again husband: "Dearest Hubs, How about that! You really are my husband again, and I have news for thee, there bloody will be no more marriages — or divorces, either. Yours truly, Wife."
1976
But Taylor and Burton reportedly fought so much they were unable to live together and agreed to split up again less than a year after the ceremony.
1982
Despite their rough past and two divorces, the pair always held each other near and dear, remaining close friends. They even celebrated Taylor's 50th birthday together, leading to rumors that they were getting back together.
1983
Burton and Taylor starred in one last play together, Noel Coward's Private Lives. The production received such bad reviews that Taylor actually got drunk and missed a performance. While it's rumored that she was hoping to use the play to get close to Burton again, he was so angry about her missing the show that he turned to his assistant Sally Hay—who he later married. Taylor was then engaged to lawyer Victor Luna.
1984
Burton passed away on August 5, 1984 of a brain hemorrhage. Here, his family, including widow Sally, are pictured leaving his funeral.
1984
Days before his death, Burton wrote a final letter to the love of his life, which arrived at Taylor's house shortly after she attended his memorial service, pictured here. While Furious Love says this is the only letter Taylor chose to keep private, she claims he wanted to give their relationship another chance. "Attentive, loving — that was Richard," Taylor said in Furious Love. "From those first moments in Rome we were always madly and powerfully in love. We had more time but not enough."
Rebecca was the social media editor at CountryLiving.com and WomansDay.com.
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