The Eight Weddings, Seven Husbands: Unpacking Elizabeth Taylor's Most Scandalous Marriages

The romantic life of Elizabeth Taylor remains one of Hollywood's most enduring and fascinating sagas, a narrative of passion, drama, and unparalleled star power that captivated the world for decades. As of December 12, 2025, her legacy as the actress who married eight times to seven different men—a record in celebrity history—continues to define her persona as much as her Oscar-winning performances. Her journey from a child star to an iconic screen siren was punctuated by a whirlwind of controversial and highly publicized unions, each adding a new, dramatic chapter to the legend of 'Liz.' The sheer number of her marriages—eight in total—often overshadows the men themselves, who ranged from hotel heirs and fellow movie stars to a construction worker she met in rehab. Understanding "who Elizabeth Taylor was married to" is not just a list of names; it's a deep dive into the shifting landscape of Hollywood's golden age, a testament to her relentless pursuit of love, and a chronicle of the intense media scrutiny she faced throughout her life.

Complete Biography of Elizabeth Taylor's Husbands

Elizabeth Taylor's life was a testament to her belief in love, even if it meant walking down the aisle repeatedly. She was married eight times to seven different men. The only man she married twice was the Welsh actor Richard Burton. Here is the definitive list of Elizabeth Taylor's husbands, in chronological order:

• Husband #1: Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr. (Hotel Heir)
  • Married: May 6, 1950
  • Divorced: February 1, 1951 (less than nine months later)
  • Context: Married at age 18 in a lavish, studio-publicized wedding. The marriage quickly dissolved due to his alleged abuse, drinking, and gambling.
• Husband #2: Michael Wilding (British Actor)
  • Married: February 21, 1952
  • Divorced: January 26, 1957
  • Context: Wilding was 20 years her senior. They had two sons, Michael Howard and Christopher Edward. This marriage offered a period of relative calm but ended as Taylor's career eclipsed his.
• Husband #3: Mike Todd (Film Producer)
  • Married: February 2, 1957
  • Widowed: March 22, 1958
  • Context: Todd was the only husband Taylor did not divorce; he tragically died in a plane crash. She had one daughter, Liza Todd, with him. Taylor often cited Todd as one of the great loves of her life.
• Husband #4: Eddie Fisher (Singer/Actor)
  • Married: May 12, 1959
  • Divorced: March 6, 1964
  • Context: This was one of the biggest scandals of the era. Fisher was married to Taylor’s best friend, Debbie Reynolds, and left her for Taylor following Mike Todd's death. The public backlash was immense, labeling Taylor a "homewrecker."
• Husband #5: Richard Burton (Welsh Actor)
  • Married (1st time): March 15, 1964
  • Divorced (1st time): June 26, 1974
  • Context: Their affair began on the set of *Cleopatra* while both were married. Their relationship, famously dubbed "Liz and Dick," was characterized by passionate love, epic fights, lavish spending, and heavy drinking. They adopted a daughter, Maria Burton.
• Husband #6: Richard Burton (Welsh Actor)
  • Married (2nd time): October 10, 1975
  • Divorced (2nd time): July 29, 1976
  • Context: Their second attempt at marriage, held in Botswana, lasted only nine months. Their chemistry was undeniable, but their volatile personalities proved too destructive for a lasting union.
• Husband #7: John Warner (U.S. Senator)
  • Married: December 4, 1976
  • Divorced: November 7, 1982
  • Context: A departure from Hollywood, this marriage saw Taylor attempt a life as a politician’s wife. The pressure and boredom led to weight gain and a reliance on alcohol and pills, ultimately contributing to her first trip to the Betty Ford Center.
• Husband #8: Larry Fortensky (Construction Worker)
  • Married: October 6, 1991
  • Divorced: October 31, 1996
  • Context: Her final and most unconventional marriage. They met in rehab at the Betty Ford Center. The wedding was held at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.

The Epic, Tumultuous Saga of Liz and Dick

The relationship between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton remains the most iconic and frequently discussed chapter in her romantic history. Their love story was a global phenomenon, setting the standard for all subsequent celebrity power couples, complete with all the drama, wealth, and intensity the public could ever crave. Their initial spark ignited on the set of the 1963 film *Cleopatra*, where Taylor was reportedly paid a then-unheard-of $1 million salary. At the time, she was married to Eddie Fisher, and Burton was married to Sybil Williams. Their immediate, undeniable chemistry led to a highly public affair that scandalized the Catholic Church and was condemned by politicians in the U.S. and abroad. The Vatican even issued a statement denouncing their "erotic vagrancy." The "Liz and Dick" brand became synonymous with extravagance. Burton famously lavished Taylor with some of the world's most spectacular jewels, including the 33.19-carat Krupp Diamond and the 69.42-carat Taylor-Burton Diamond. They starred in 11 films together, including the critically acclaimed *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* (1966), which earned Taylor her second Academy Award. Their relationship was a cycle of intense love and equally intense conflict. The two married in 1964, divorced in 1974, and then, driven by an inability to live without one another, remarried in 1975 in a remote ceremony in Botswana. This second attempt, however, was short-lived, ending in divorce just nine months later. Burton would later write to Taylor, "You must know how much I love you. You must know how badly I treat you." The passion that defined their union was ultimately the force that destroyed it, leaving behind a legacy of drama that is still dissected by historians and fans today.

From Hollywood Royalty to a Construction Worker: The Shocking Final Marriage

Elizabeth Taylor's final walk down the aisle in 1991 to marry construction worker Larry Fortensky was arguably her most surprising and powerful statement about love. After two failed attempts to find stability outside of Hollywood—first with Senator John Warner and then a period of intense struggle with addiction—Taylor checked into the Betty Ford Center for treatment. It was there, in a setting stripped of the glamour and pretense of her life, that she met Fortensky. He was a non-celebrity, a former construction worker who was also seeking treatment for alcoholism. The 20-year age gap and the stark difference in their backgrounds made their pairing a media sensation, but Taylor insisted that the simplicity of their connection was exactly what she needed. The wedding itself was a spectacle that only Elizabeth Taylor could orchestrate. It took place at Neverland Ranch, the private estate of her close friend Michael Jackson, who gave her away. The event attracted such intense paparazzi attention that helicopters buzzed overhead, and a paraglider even attempted to crash the ceremony. Taylor often spoke of Fortensky as a "real" man who was unconcerned with her fame, which offered her a sense of normalcy she rarely experienced. However, the vast differences in their social circles and lifestyles eventually proved insurmountable. Fortensky struggled with the constant media scrutiny, and the marriage ended in 1996. This final union, however, offered a profound closing note to her romantic life. It demonstrated that for all her wealth, fame, and legendary status, Elizabeth Taylor was fundamentally a woman seeking genuine connection. She was married eight times because she never stopped believing in the possibility of finding true love, a relentless romantic quest that cemented her status not just as a star, but as a cultural icon.

The Enduring Legacy of Elizabeth Taylor's Quest for Love

Elizabeth Taylor's eight marriages are more than just a footnote in her Wikipedia entry; they are a central part of her enduring myth. Each husband represented a different phase of her life: the youthful naivety with Nicky Hilton, the stability with Michael Wilding, the tragic passion with Mike Todd, the scandalous drama with Eddie Fisher, the epic fire with Richard Burton, the attempt at a new life with John Warner, and the grounded reality check with Larry Fortensky. Her willingness to publicly pursue love, fall, fail, and try again was a radical act of vulnerability in a time when celebrity images were tightly controlled. She was unapologetically passionate, a trait that made her both a target of moral outrage and a beloved figure of romantic idealism. Her husbands, whether they were Hollywood royalty or a regular man, were all part of a single, lifelong narrative: Elizabeth Taylor's courageous, often reckless, and always spectacular search for "the one." She taught the world that love, in all its complicated forms, was a risk worth taking, over and over again.