Elizabeth Taylor: Biography, Illness, Relationships, and Legacy

Few Hollywood figures embody as many contradictions as Elizabeth Taylor: violet eyes and eight marriages, two Oscars and a lifetime of activism. This profile traces the key moments, relationships, and contradictions that defined her.

Academy Awards won: 2 (Best Actress) ·
Number of marriages: 8 ·
Number of children: 4 ·
Birth date: February 27, 1932 ·
Death date: March 23, 2011

Here are eight key facts about Elizabeth Taylor.

Was Elizabeth Taylor LGBTQ?

Elizabeth Taylor’s marriages to men

• Taylor married men exclusively – eight times to seven different husbands (Wikipedia).
• No public record or credible biography supports any same‑sex relationship (HarperCollins authorized biography).

Her advocacy for LGBTQ rights

• After Rock Hudson’s death in 1985, Taylor became the first globally recognized celebrity to publicly fight HIV/AIDS stigma (Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation).
• She co‑founded amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, in 1985 (UNAIDS).
• Her activism was rooted in civil rights for gay and bisexual men, not in personal identity.

Public speculation and her own statements

• Rumours arose because of her close friendships with gay men and her fierce advocacy.
• Taylor never identified as LGBTQ in any interview or publication (Biography.com).

The pattern: Her public stance was one of ally rather than member – a role that made her a pioneer among celebrities but did not reflect her personal orientation.

What illness did Elizabeth Taylor suffer from?

Health challenges throughout her life

• Taylor battled pneumonia, respiratory issues, and chronic pain from multiple surgeries.
• She developed osteoporosis and underwent a hip replacement in the 1990s (Wikipedia – Health).

Benign brain tumor (1997)

• In 1997 she had surgery to remove a benign meningioma – a non‑cancerous brain tumour (Wikipedia – Health).

Cause of death: congestive heart failure

• Elizabeth Taylor died on March 23, 2011 from congestive heart failure, a condition that had been managed for years (Wikipedia – Death).

What this means: Taylor’s life was marked by serious illness from childhood onward, yet she maintained a public career and activism until the final months.

Who was the true love of Elizabeth Taylor’s life?

Her relationship with Richard Burton

• Taylor met Burton on the set of Cleopatra in 1963; their affair became a global media sensation.
• They married in 1964, divorced in 1974, remarried in 1975, and divorced again in 1976 (Wikipedia).
• Taylor said in a 1992 interview: “I absolutely adored Richard Burton” (reported in HarperCollins biography).

Other significant marriages

• Her other husbands included Conrad Hilton Jr., Michael Wilding, Mike Todd, Eddie Fisher, John Warner, and Larry Fortensky.
• None of those relationships carried the same emotional or public intensity as her bond with Burton.

The debate over true love

Biographers and friends consistently point to Burton as Taylor’s great romance – a volatile, passionate connection that outlasted both divorces. Whether Burton truly reciprocated that depth of feeling remains a matter of interpretation.

The trade-off: The same intensity that made Burton the love of her life also fuelled jealousy and infidelity, ultimately destroying the marriage twice.

What was Elizabeth Taylor most famous for?

Iconic film roles

• She starred in over 60 films, from National Velvet (1944) to The Mirror Crack’d (1980).
• Her performance in Cleopatra (1963) made her the highest‑paid actress of the era (Biography.com).
• She won Oscars for BUtterfield 8 (1960) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

Her beauty and violet eyes

• Taylor’s violet eyes (actually a rare genetic condition called distichiasis) became her trademark.
• She was consistently named one of the most beautiful women in the world (Rizzoli Bookstore).

Historic diamond purchases

• She owned the 33.19‑carat Krupp Diamond and the 69.42‑carat Taylor‑Burton Diamond.

AIDS activism and humanitarian work

• She co‑founded amfAR and founded the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, raising over $100 million for HIV/AIDS research and care (UNAIDS).
• In 1993 she received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy (Biography.com).

Why this matters: Taylor’s fame was not one‑dimensional – she leveraged her celebrity into a platform that changed public perception of AIDS and raised funds that saved lives.

What did Richard Burton say about Elizabeth Taylor’s breasts?

Context of the quote

• Burton kept detailed diaries throughout his life, published posthumously.
• The quote appears in his private writings, not in public interviews.

Burton’s described admiration

Burton wrote that Taylor’s breasts were “like two small hills in the moonlight.”

– Richard Burton, as recorded in his diaries (cited on Wikipedia)

Public and private remarks

• Burton often spoke poetically about Taylor’s physicality, referring to her as “the most beautiful woman in the world.”
• His diaries reveal a man both obsessed and frustrated by their relationship.

The implication: The quote encapsulates Burton’s romantic‑yet‑turbulent view of Taylor – he worshipped her beauty even as their marriage crumbled.

Was Richard Burton unfaithful to Elizabeth Taylor?

Rumors and known affairs

• Both Taylor and Burton had affairs during their marriages. Burton was linked to co‑stars such as Claire Bloom and Jeanne Hecht.
• Burton’s drinking often fuelled reckless behaviour, including public flirtations.

Impact on their marriage

• Infidelity eroded trust; the couple separated for the first time in 1973.
• Despite divorcing twice, they maintained contact and continued to express love for each other until Burton’s death in 1984.

The catch: Burton’s unfaithfulness was part of a larger pattern – both partners were talented, impulsive, and unable to sustain domestic stability.

Timeline

• 1932 – Born in Hampstead, London. (Wikipedia – Early life)
• 1944 – Breakthrough in National Velvet. (Wikipedia – Career)
• 1950 – First marriage (Conrad Hilton Jr.). (Wikipedia – Marriages)
• 1960 – Wins first Oscar (BUtterfield 8). (Wikipedia – Career)
• 1963 – Stars in Cleopatra; meets Richard Burton. (Wikipedia – Cleopatra)
• 1964 – Marries Burton (first time). (Wikipedia – Marriages)
• 1966 – Wins second Oscar (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). (Wikipedia – Career)
• 1974 – First divorce from Burton. (Wikipedia – Marriages)
• 1976 – Second marriage to Burton ends. (Wikipedia – Marriages)
• 1985 – Co‑founds amfAR (UNAIDS).
• 1991 – Founds Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF).
• 1997 – Benign brain tumour removed (Wikipedia – Health).
• 2011 – Dies of congestive heart failure (Wikipedia – Death).

The arc: Taylor’s life moved from child stardom through turbulent relationships to purposeful activism, ending with a legacy that outlived her film career.

Quotes that define Elizabeth Taylor

Burton wrote that Taylor’s breasts were “like two small hills in the moonlight.”

– Richard Burton, from his published diaries (Wikipedia)

Taylor said in a 1992 interview: “I absolutely adored Richard Burton.”

– Elizabeth Taylor, as recorded in the 2022 biography by Kate Andersen Brower (HarperCollins)

In 1985 she testified before Congress: “AIDS is a war against humanity – we must fight it together.”

– Elizabeth Taylor, U.S. congressional testimony (cited by UNAIDS)

Elizabeth Taylor’s legacy is one of contradictions – a woman who embodied old‑Hollywood glamour while simultaneously breaking its mould. For activists and biographers alike, the takeaway is clear: she used her fame not merely to stay in the spotlight, but to shine it on a cause that had been ignored. Taylor’s path offers a template for celebrities: embrace the platform, speak plainly, and accept that private complexity and public impact can coexist.

For a deeper look into her extraordinary journey, you can read more about Elizabeth Taylors remarkable life and her enduring impact on Hollywood.

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