The HBO documentary “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes illuminates the famously tumultuous marriages of Elizabeth Taylor.”
The late Oscar-winning actress, who married eight times to seven different men, candidly discusses her relationships in this revealing footage.
In one striking revelation, Taylor admits to having never truly loved her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher. “I liked him. I felt sorry for him,” she reveals in the documentary. Their marriage began under scandalous circumstances, just three hours after Fisher divorced Debbie Reynolds in 1959. Years later, Taylor reflects on this union as “one big friggin’ awful mistake,” according to her interviews with journalist Richard Meryman.
Mike Todd, Taylor’s third husband, emerges as her great love. She fondly recalls how Todd wooed her, fathered her child, produced the Oscar-winning Around the World in 80 Days, and tragically died in a plane crash within a year. His death plunged Taylor into profound grief, leading her to marry Fisher, who was Todd’s friend, as she navigated her sorrow.
The documentary also explores Taylor’s volatile relationships with her fifth and sixth husband, Richard Burton, with whom she married and divorced twice from 1964 to 1976. Their intense on-screen chemistry in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” paralleled their real-life drama.
Drawing from 40 hours of conversations between Taylor and Meryman, the documentary offers an intimate, unfiltered look at Taylor’s personal life, showcasing her openness and honesty about her most challenging relationships. “Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes” provides a compelling glimpse into the private world of a Hollywood legend.
