Elizabeth Taylor divorced her husband 15 years before passing away, but still left him money in her will
The prominent Hollywood diva passed away in 2011 and had eight marriages behind.
Often called one of the most beautiful actresses ever, Elizabeth Taylor was a true diva. Her unique look, including a double row of eyelashes from a condition called distichiasis, and her stunning purple eyes added to her beauty.
Her looks and incredible talent led her mother to encourage her to enter the film industry. Although Elizabeth enjoyed acting, she later admitted that she regretted missing out on a normal childhood.
She signed her first contract with Universal Studios when she was very young, and by age 10, she made her film debut in *There’s One Born Every Minute*. This was followed by roles in *Lassie Come Home* (1943) and *The White Cliffs of Dover* (1944). However, her big break came with *National Velvet*, where she played a tomboy. At that time, she already had a contract with MGM, having been fired by Universal Studios for reasons that remain unclear. Some magazines reported that the casting director thought “her eyes were too old” and that “she didn’t have the face of a child.”
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Throughout her career, Elizabeth Taylor appeared in many movies and received significant recognition and awards. She won two Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role for *Butterfield 8* (1961) and *Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* (1967). She also received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes.
Elizabeth’s personal life was just as eventful as her successful career, which lasted nearly her entire life. Her eight marriages kept her name in the headlines of gossip and celebrity news, but she never stopped searching for love.
The Cleopatra star was married eight times, twice to the same man, actor Richard Burton.
Elizabeth Taylor’s first marriage was to hotel heir Nicky Hilton, but it didn’t last long. She later said she was too young and probably had high expectations. Her second husband, Michael Wilding, was twenty years older than her, and they had two children together: Michael Jr., born in 1953, and Christopher, born in 1955.
In 1957, Elizabeth married movie producer Mike Todd, and they had a daughter named Lizz. Tragically, Todd died in a plane crash just a year later. While grieving, she became close to Todd’s best friend, Eddie Fisher, who was married to actress Debbie Reynolds at the time. Eventually, Elizabeth and Eddie married, but they divorced later, allowing Elizabeth and Debbie to reconcile.
One of her most talked-about relationships was with actor Richard Burton. They married twice and divorced twice, and they adopted a daughter named Maria from Germany.
In 1967, Elizabeth married her seventh husband, John Warner, a Republican politician from Virginia.
Elizabeth Taylor’s last husband, Larry Fortensky, was twenty years younger than her. They met in 1988 at the Betty Ford Clinic, where she was getting treatment for pills, and he was there for beer.
Their relationship continued after they left the clinic, and they got married in 1991 at Michael Jackson’s ranch, Neverland. The wedding cost $1.6 million.
Surrounded by many rumors, Larry decided to share the truth about their relationship. “Of course, she was very pretty, and I wasn’t too bad-looking in those days either. We had an instant physical attraction,” he said about their first meeting.
Larry described Elizabeth as a special person with a great sense of humor and a playful spirit. One of his favorite memories of her was from a trip to Switzerland. “I chased her outside, and she fell in the snow and started waving her arms around, giggling like a little girl. That is my favorite picture. I keep it by my bed,” he recalled. “That’s how I remember Elizabeth. She had a childishness about her. She was twenty years older than me, but I never felt she was old.”
Elizabeth was very devoted to her relationship with Larry and often showered him with expensive gifts. One time, she bought him a brand-new Harley-Davidson motorbike and a BMW for his birthday.
Larry knew he couldn’t match her generosity. “I knew I couldn’t compete with Elizabeth, so I didn’t try. When she gave me the bike, I gave her chocolate-covered roses. Another year, I bought her a baby lop-eared bunny, which she loved,” he said.
He mentioned that Elizabeth was used to being in the spotlight, but he struggled to handle the paparazzi and cameras.
Even after their divorce, Elizabeth and Larry stayed close friends and nurtured that friendship until the end of her life.
When she passed away in 2011 from congestive heart failure, Elizabeth left Larry $500,000 in her will to “honor their friendship.”
The rest of her huge fortune was inherited by her children. As for her jewels and perfumes, they were auctioned off and the money went to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, a cause she kept close to her heart her entire life.
