A Passionate Love: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Through the Years (2024)

When Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton first met on the set of Cleopatra in Rome, they were instantly smitten with each other, despite both being married—Taylor to her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher, whom she "stole" from Debbie Reynolds in one of the biggest celebrity scandals of the 1950s. Here, Taylor and Burton are pictured relaxing on a speedboat in Ischia after filming wrapped, the start of their extravagant love affair.

Burton is pictured here with Elizabeth Taylor's daughter, Liza, on the set of Cleopatra. At the time, the actress had three children: Two sons, Michael and Christopher, with her second husband Michael Wilding, and daughter Liza with her third husband Michael Todd. Burton was in the process of adopting Maria Burton, a German orphan, while he was still married to his first wife.

A publicity image released for Cleopatra shows the actors both in costume. Their sizzling chemistry wasn't just acting. They shared their first kiss on camera, continuing the moment even after the director called "cut." Life would go on to call Cleopatra the "most talked about movie ever made," due to its expensive price tag and the scandal surrounding the stars.

Only days after Taylor's divorce was finalized, the couple wed on March 15, 1964 in a ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton in Montreal, beginning what has been referred to as "the marriage of the century." This would be the first of the couple's two marriages, which both ended in divorce.

The couple, pictured here with their four children, would divorce in June 1974 for the first time. Despite the passion they shared for each other, they were constantly butting heads, not to mention that Burton had an affair with a co-star.

But Taylor and Burton reportedly fought so much they were unable to live together and split up again less than a year after the ceremony.

Despite their rough past and two divorces, the pair always held each other near and dear, remaining close friends. They even celebrated Taylor's 50th birthday together, leading to rumors that they were getting back together.

Burton and Taylor starred in one last play together, Noel Coward's Private Lives. The production received such bad reviews that Taylor actually got drunk and missed a performance. While it's rumored that she was hoping to use the play to get close to Burton again, he was so angry about her missing the show that he turned to his assistant Sally Hay, whom he later married. Taylor was then engaged to lawyer Victor Luna.

Burton passed away on August 5, 1984 of a brain hemorrhage. Here, his family, including widow Sally, are pictured leaving his funeral.

Days before his death, Burton wrote a final letter to the love of his life, which arrived at Taylor's house shortly after she attended his memorial service, pictured here. While Furious Love says this is the only letter Taylor chose to keep private, she claims he wanted to give their relationship another chance. "Attentive, loving — that was Richard," Taylor said in Furious Love. "From those first moments in Rome we were always madly and powerfully in love. We had more time but not enough."