Elizabeth Taylor measured about 5 feet 2 inches and weighed around 120 pounds in the early 1950s. These measurements, documented by casting sheets from Hollywood studios and mentioned in obituaries by the Los Angeles Times in 2011, placed her clearly below the average stature of actresses of her time.
Eight marriages to seven different men, two Oscars, a legendary collection of diamonds: the biographical data of this British-American actress born in London on February 27, 1932, outlines a journey where each marital union corresponds to a distinct phase of her professional and personal life.
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Elizabeth Taylor’s Measurements: What the Studio Archives Say
The casting sheets preserved by Hollywood studios are the most reliable source regarding the actual physique of actresses from the golden age. For Elizabeth Taylor, they indicate a height of about 5 feet 2 inches, which is significantly shorter than the Hollywood ideal of the time.
Her weight, around 120 pounds (approximately 54 kg) at the peak of her career in the 1950s, classified her as more voluptuous than the standard imposed by the studios. The American press of the time did not present this discrepancy as a flaw: it contributed to what critics described as a unique charm, a dense physical presence on screen that her small stature did not suggest.
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To delve deeper into this data, one can consult Elizabeth Taylor’s height on Chez Clara, which also details her other documented physical characteristics.
Summary Table of Elizabeth Taylor’s Eight Marriages
The timeline of Elizabeth Taylor’s unions reveals a pattern where each marriage fits into a specific professional and social context. The table below gathers verified data on her seven husbands and eight ceremonies.
| Husband | Period | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Conrad Hilton Jr. | 1950-1951 | Hotel heir, married at 18 |
| Michael Wilding | 1952-1957 | British actor, two sons |
| Mike Todd | 1957-1958 | Producer, accidental death |
| Eddie Fisher | 1959-1964 | Singer, media scandal |
| Richard Burton (1st marriage) | 1964-1974 | Met on the set of Cleopatra |
| Richard Burton (2nd marriage) | 1975-1976 | Remarriage after less than a year of separation |
| John Warner | 1976-1982 | Republican senator from Virginia |
| Larry Fortensky | 1991-1996 | Construction worker, met in rehab |
Two elements stand out from this timeline. The first: Richard Burton is the only man she married twice, a sign of a relationship whose intensity survived an initial divorce. The second: the gap of nearly ten years between the Warner marriage and the Fortensky marriage marks a clear break in the rhythm of her unions.
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor: The Data of a Filmed Passion
The Burton-Taylor relationship is not just a sentimental news item. It constitutes a measurable economic and media phenomenon. Their meeting on the set of Cleopatra in the early 1960s generated unprecedented press coverage for a couple of actors.
Their two marriages span a total of twelve years. During this time, they starred in several films together and Burton gifted Taylor some of the most famous diamonds in jewelry history. The Taylor-Burton diamond, a stone of over 69 carats, became a symbol of their relationship as well as an object of public fascination.
Their divorces (1974 and then 1976) were described by the press as relatively quick, without the prolonged legal battles that characterized other Hollywood separations of the time. This swiftness suggests that the end of each union stemmed from mutual exhaustion rather than a property conflict.
What the Double Union of Burton Reveals
Remarrying the same person after a divorce is statistically rare. In the case of Burton and Taylor, the remarriage occurred in 1975, less than a year after their first divorce. This second union lasted only a few months, which supports the idea of an attraction that remained intact but a daily incompatibility that became structural.
Larry Fortensky: A Final Marriage that Breaks the Pattern
Elizabeth Taylor’s first seven husbands belonged to the worlds of entertainment, politics, or business. Larry Fortensky, a construction worker, is a documented exception. They met during a rehabilitation program at the Betty Ford Center, a setting that neutralizes the usual social hierarchies of Hollywood.
The ceremony on October 6, 1991, at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was described by the American press as having a security detail almost presidential in nature. People magazine acquired exclusive rights to the photos for a seven-figure sum, part of which Elizabeth Taylor donated to AIDS charities.
This marriage represents a deliberate break from the pattern of powerful and famous husbands that had structured her romantic life. It ended in divorce in 1996, after which Taylor did not remarry.
Diamonds and Marriages: Two Inseparable Threads
Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection cannot be analyzed independently of her unions. Each significant marriage is accompanied by major pieces, and jewelry functions as a material marker of her romantic timeline.
- The Krupp diamond, gifted by Richard Burton, worn daily by Taylor as an ordinary cocktail ring
- The Taylor-Burton diamond (69 carats), one of the most famous stones associated with the Burton-Taylor couple
- The Peregrina, a historic pearl that belonged to the Spanish crown, gifted by Burton
Taylor’s diamonds remain among the most famous ever worn by an actress, and the dispersal of this collection at auction after her death confirmed the extent of the jewelry heritage accumulated over her eight marriages.
Elizabeth Taylor’s trajectory, from her modest height to the most spectacular diamonds of the 20th century, reads like a series of factual data that speak for themselves: eight marriages, seven husbands, two Oscars for acting, a collection dispersed at auction after her death on March 23, 2011, in Los Angeles. The numbers are sufficient.