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Elizabeth Taylor‘s life had many dramatic twists and turns and it’s why her life continues to be covered almost 13 years after her death. Now, an upcoming book, Erotic Vagrancy: Everything about Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, is diving deep into her tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship with Welsh actor Richard Burton, but there’s a particular story about the violet-eyed star’s fourth husband Eddie Fisher that’s drawing attention, too.
Taylor’s role in Cleopatra was historic because she was setting the record for being the first actor to be paid $1 million for a film. In 1958, it was a huge deal. Unfortunately, the production was plagued with issues from the get-go and a lot of the problems started and ended with her substance abuse. In an excerpt of the book, obtained by Page Six, Fisher told the 20th Century Fox that Taylor was “popping pills and drinking most of the day.” In order to keep the movie on track, they hired him to get his wife to set on time, make sure she was eating healthy, and walk their pack of dogs.
It was essentially a glorified babysitting job for one of the world’s most famous stars, and Fisher was getting paid $150,000 for his services. Unfortunately, the singer was also dealing with his addiction problems and when Truman Capote came to visit them, he discovered their place to be “crowded with shedding cats and unhousebroken dogs and a general atmosphere of disorderly paraphernalia.” Gross!
Filming was eventually halted after a series of illnesses from migraines to her bout with “Malta Fever,” which was allegedly caused “by the ingestion of animal secretions — unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat,” and a serious case of pneumonia that put her in a coma. The studio scratched the entire production and started over again with a new director, Joseph Mankiewicz, and a new costar, the charming, but volatile Burton.
That’s when their first torrid affair began, even though Taylor was married to Fisher, and Burton was married to his wife, Sybil. It was one of Hollywood’s most scandalous love triangles (OK, it’s a square) that set the stage for the modern-day version with Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston. Fisher wound up divorcing Taylor in 1964 which created a clear path for her to marry Burton that same year. Taylor never missed a romantic beat.
Before you go, click here to see every man Elizabeth Taylor dated or married below:
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