The 'Cleopatra' costars' love story encompassed two marriages, two divorces and intense passion.

 

The 'Cleopatra' costars' love story encompassed

 two marriages, two divorces and intense passion.

Elizabeth Taylor Was 'Still Madly in Love' With Ex Richard Burton When He Died

The 'Cleopatra' costars' love story encompassed two marriages, two divorces and intense passion.

SARA KETTLERUPDATED:SEP 9, 2020ORIGINAL:AUG 29, 2019

Romance blossomed between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on the set of Cleopatra in 1962. Their tumultuous relationship was built on irresistible chemistry, vicious fights, a luxurious lifestyle and awe-inspiring gifts. Even when they were the subject of controversy, they fascinated the public and the media. Through a decade-long first marriage, a divorce, a short-lived remarriage and a second divorce, the bond between them couldn't be broken.

Taylor didn't want to be a 'notch on his belt'

It wasn't love at first sight for Taylor and Burton. A decade before filming Cleopatra, they'd met at a party where his reputation as a womanizer had Taylor deciding, "I’m not gonna become a notch on his belt." In 1962, they came together again to make Cleopatra, which starred Taylor as the Egyptian queen and Burton as Cleopatra paramour Mark Antony. However, Taylor was unimpressed when Burton asked, "Has anybody told you what a pretty girl you are?"

A connection formed when a drunk Burton's shaking hands prompted Taylor to help him with a cup of coffee. Sparks flew between them when they filmed a scene that required her to gaze into his eyes, and an on-set kiss went on for far longer than the production required. Looking back, Taylor admitted, "When I saw him on the set of Cleopatra, I fell in love and I have loved him ever since."

Burton, who reportedly once proclaimed in the men's makeup trailer, "Gentlemen, I’ve just f****d Elizabeth Taylor in the back of my Cadillac!," had experienced many on-set romances. He initially assumed his time with Taylor would fall into the same category, but soon realized this relationship was more meaningful than a simple fling.

READ MORE: Antony and Cleopatra's Legendary Love Story

Their volatile relationship was a public spectacle

As the romance the two were acting out in front of the cameras carried over into real life, paparazzi tried to sneak onto the Cleopatra set and followed them whenever and wherever they could. When John Glenn orbited the earth, some front pages preferred to feature Taylor and Burton instead. Condemnation of what the two dubbed "le scandale" included an open letter in the Vatican City's weekly paper that denounced their "erotic vagrancy."

The romance was an intense one. Both Taylor and Burton were heavy drinkers, and they didn't hold back from screaming at and fighting with each other. According to studio head Spyros Skouras, in one violent altercation with Burton, Taylor "got two black eyes, her nose was out of shape, and it took 22 days for her to recover enough in order to resume filming." (Taylor attributed her injuries to a car accident). Throughout the troubled production of Cleopatra, the romance continued, as did the attention it drew.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton at their first wedding

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton at their first wedding on March 15, 1964.

Photo: William Lovelace/Evening Standard/Getty Images

Taylor and Burton were in other relationships when they got together

Taylor was not only a world-famous movie star, but she'd also already been tabloid fodder for being the "home-wrecker" behind the end of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher's marriage. Taylor's relationship with Fisher had begun in grief: After Taylor's third husband, Mike Todd, died in a plane crash, she and his friend Fisher grew close. Fisher eventually became her fourth husband but now she felt the marriage had run its course, and he was unable to do anything to stop the freight train of Taylor and Burton's romance.

Burton had subjected his wife Sybil to numerous infidelities. During his romance with Taylor, she expected her husband to return to her, as he'd always done. But Burton found he couldn't stop seeing Taylor, who was so enraptured that she overdosed on sleeping pills when Burton tried to leave her. She later said, "We did try and resist. My marriage with Eddie was over, but we didn’t want to do anything to hurt Sybil."

READ MORE: Elizabeth Taylor: Richard Burton and the Six Other Men She Called 'Husband'

Burton showered Taylor with lavish gifts

It took time to officially end things with their respective spouses, but nine days following Taylor's divorce from Fisher, Burton and Taylor married in Montreal on March 15, 1964. Their blended family included an adopted girl, Taylor's daughter from her third marriage and two sons from her second marriage. Burton had two daughters of his own with Sybil. But instead of sinking into humdrum domesticity, their married life continued to enthrall observers. As Burton noted, "For some reason, the world has always been amused by us two maniacs."

Together, Burton and Taylor partied hard and drank heavily. They owned homes across the globe and traveled the world, renting the hotel suites above and below their own (their passionate fights could get loud). They bought valuable artwork, a yacht, a private plane and luxury cars.