Elizabeth Taylor was the very definition of a Hollywood icon. As the star of legendary films like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, she won a legion of fans while also winning the Academy Award for Best Actress…twice! While her acting skills were top-notch, it was arguably her great beauty that made her a source of fascination for fans around the world. As soon as people took a look in those deep blue eyes, they just couldn’t help falling in love.
That was the natural reaction to seeing Elizabeth Taylor on the silver screen. She was even more captivating in person, which is how she ended up with so many colorful suitors. And the stories behind those relationships are just as fascinating as this amazing actress. Who did she marry? What, exactly, broke these relationships up, and how did she leave her mark on some of the greatest actors in Hollywood history? Keep reading to find out!
Conrad Hilton, Jr.
Previously, Elizabeth Taylor turned down marriage proposals from two men: US Army Football legend Glenn Davis, and billionaire Air Force pilot Bill Pawley. The first man she actually said yes to was Conrad Hilton, Jr., the famous hotel heir. He proposed after she turned 18, and they got married in an extravagant wedding at Beverly Hills’ Church of the Good Shepherd. The 600 guests and thousands of fans who flocked to the church to see these two began their very own happily ever after.
Sadly, it was not to be. The hotel heir ended up being abusive, both physically and mentally. A horrific example of this was an incident where he reportedly kicked her in the stomach so hard that it led to a miscarriage. After eight months of wedded misery, these two icons divorced, leaving Elizabeth Taylor free to find love elsewhere.
A tale of two Michaels
Elizabeth Taylor’s second husband was Michael Wilding, an actor whom she met in London. In a very progressive move, she actually proposed to him, even picking out her own luxurious diamond ring. They had two children together and enjoyed a peaceful marriage that only lasted for five years. The two ultimately divorced amid Taylor’s acting career intensifying and her desire to find a more dominant husband.
One month after their divorce, she married film producer Michael Todd. The two were quite happy, and Taylor later dubbed him one of the two great loves of her life. He was the exact kind of husband she was waiting to spend the rest of her life with. Tragically, though, he died when his private plane crashed in New Mexico. Taylor was on the plane and survived, but she later admitted that she didn’t care if she lived after learning that her third husband had died.
The Shocking Truth About Elizabeth Taylor’s Marriage History
