Elizabeth Taylor's Seven Marriages Paint A Complicated Picture Of Her Love Life

The following includes references to domestic abuse.

Hollywood has never been known as the ideal platform for lasting unions, and over the years, a number of stars have tried their hand at marriage several times over. However, there certainly is one actor who reigns supreme in the serial marriages department: Elizabeth Taylor. 

As many will know, Taylor was wed a whopping eight times during her life. Though she's most often associated with the man she married twice, Richard Burton, Taylor was also wed to Paris Hilton's great-uncle Conrad Nicky Hilton Jr., fellow actor Michael Wilding, producer Mike Todd, Carrie Fisher's father Eddie Fisher, politician John Warner, and finally, construction worker Larry Fortensky. 

Taylor's first experience with marriage was a difficult one. Despite her relationship with Hilton being dubbed "a storybook union" (via Reuters Connect), it ended just months later, with the actor accusing the hotel heir of neglecting her during their honeymoon. According to a report from their divorce hearing published by the Los Angeles Times, Taylor also accused her first husband of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, the latter of which even caused a miscarriage. As heard in a clip used for BBC's "Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar" documentary, the actor said of the horrific situation she found herself in, "That's when the reality of the world hit me. The reality that I was not an adult, and I had to really grow up fast." Thankfully, she would go on to have many more loving relationships in the years that followed, such as with Michael Wilding, with whom Taylor welcomed her first two children. That ended in divorce as well, though they kept things amicable. Taylor had another very stable relationship with Mike Todd, and many, including Taylor herself, believed they would have grown old together. Sadly, Todd was killed in a plane accident in 1958.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

In the wake of Mike Todd's passing, Elizabeth Taylor bonded with his friend, Eddie Fisher — who was married to Debbie Reynolds at the time. Unsurprisingly, the affair (and later marriage) this resulted in didn't exactly endear either the stars to their fans, and both of their reputations took a major knock. Taylor and Fisher's marriage also became increasingly tumultuous after she and her most famed husband, Richard Burton, began seeing one another ... during the marriage. Most know Taylor and Burton married twice, first for a decade between the mid-'60s and mid-'70s, then from 1975 to 1976. However, the relationship was troubled, and they ultimately went their separate ways after that. 

After splitting from Burton, Taylor's love interests shifted away from Hollywood, and she wed politician John Warner. She even campaigned for his Senate run, though her and Warner's political views didn't always align. Unfortunately, the coupling wasn't to last, and Taylor has been quoted as saying neither one of them believed the other was the love of their life. However, they did remain amicable after divorcing in 1982, and after Taylor's death, Warner told NBC, "We were friends to the end."

Taylor's final marriage would take place after her longest stint living the single life, to Larry Fortensky in 1991. In an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," Taylor quipped, "I wasn't married for 11 years, which for me is history-making." She also poked fun at their age gap, sharing that she'd always liked a man in his forties, even as she got older. Sadly, that marriage didn't last either, though, as with her other former husbands, she and Fortensky remained friendly. TBH, we're not sure what's more iconic: being married eight times or keeping nice with that many exes.