Elizabeth Taylor: Remembering The World's Most Famous Divorcee

Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away Wednesday of a congestive heart failure, was known as much for her on-screen roles as she was for her off-screen marriages--eight, in total.

The two time Oscar winner's love life was a constant source of tabloid fodder throughout her decades-long career, from her first husband, Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, in 1951, to her last, construction worker Larry Fortensky, in 1991. When they divorced in 1997, she vowed never to marry again.

"I'm not going to join a nunnery," she once said. "I said I'm through with marriage, but I'm not through with men – that wouldn't be realistic."

Taylor's passion for love was championed by her son, Michael Wilding, who said in a statement: "My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love."

Here, a look back at her seven loves.

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Conrad "Nicky" Hilton: 1950-1951

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Elizabeth Taylor married her first husband, hotel heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, in a lavish Beverly Hills ceremony in 1950 at the Church of the Good Shepherd. The reception was held at the Bel Air Hotel, and over 700 guests were in attendance including Mickey Rooney, Ginger Rogers, Joan Bennet, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and others. Eight months later, the newlyweds called it quits. "A month after our wedding I knew we'd made a mistake," Taylor told The Salt Lake Tribune in May 1951. "Our marriage couldn't last ... I have nothing bad to say against Nicky. And I assume my share of the fault in the breakup of our marriage. If I had been more mature, I could have understood many of his actions that hurt me. And, understanding, I could have forgiven him."

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Elizabeth Taylor married her first husband, hotel heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton, in a lavish Beverly Hills ceremony in 1950 at the Church of the Good Shepherd. The reception was held at the Bel Air Hotel, and over 700 guests were in attendance including Mickey Rooney, Ginger Rogers, Joan Bennet, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, and others. Eight months later, the newlyweds called it quits. "A month after our wedding I knew we'd made a mistake," Taylor told The Salt Lake Tribune in May 1951. "Our marriage couldn't last ... I have nothing bad to say against Nicky. And I assume my share of the fault in the breakup of our marriage. If I had been more mature, I could have understood many of his actions that hurt me. And, understanding, I could have forgiven him."

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Comments

[woundedduck]

06:08 PM on 03/25/2011

Good God Liz was beauttiful.

[Andrew FingerlickingGree]

12:14 AM on 03/25/2011

"I'm not going to join a nunnery," she once said. "I said I'm through with marriage, but I'm not through with men – that wouldn't be realistic."

I've so intrigued by her... even more now than ever.

I love that she hadn't had one bad thing to say about any of her exes..... classy lady.

[DesertRatzoRizzo]

04:21 PM on 03/24/2011

I was lucky enough to see Elizabeth Taylor in 1981 on stage in her Broadway debut in "The Little Foxes" at the Martin Beck Theater in New York, and I will never forget the experience. She is one great lady, a genuine star.

[OhManOhMan]

01:53 PM on 03/24/2011

7 seven husbands and she's famous for that?

tsk

[ohjodi]

12:24 PM on 03/24/2011

Shame on you, HP.

[nohpiano]

12:03 PM on 03/24/2011

I nearly through my laptop through the window when I saw the headline. Leave this cheap crap to the Enquirer. When someone like her championed HIV/AIDS research and raised as much money - and awareness - as she did, not to mention all her behind the scenes actions (including visiting my brother in 1994 in his San Diego hospital room as he himself was dying of AIDS - under mask of darkness so that the press could not track her) - it is a shame that this sort of thing appears. Shame on you.

[jojobinx]

12:01 PM on 03/24/2011

And how many times did Larry King marry? Leave her alone.

[Andrew FingerlickingGree]

12:16 AM on 03/25/2011

True..... she married her lovers. If some of us should marry all our lovers we would beat her record 10 times over, lol

[timetraveler2039]

11:28 AM on 03/24/2011

What a sad statement -- why not write about Elizabeth Taylor being the first person to fund AIDS research? She was truly the famous face to bring awareness of this terrible disease out in the open. Her charity work in this direction funded research that has prolonged, even saved many lives. RIP Liz!

[wslope]

10:57 AM on 03/24/2011

This article is more like tabloid trash

[bklo]

10:40 AM on 03/24/2011

Let's find the article where Tony Curtis is reduced to the number of marriages (6) he had. Hmmmm, can't seem to find it. Double standard much?

[2SoonOld2LateSmart]

11:40 AM on 03/24/2011

Really not much with Tony Curtis to reduce, methinks.

[DMDAY44]

10:27 AM on 03/24/2011

Not to speak ill of the dead, but if you have been married eight times, maybe a little introspection in order!

[Sabrina DAmico]

10:19 AM on 03/24/2011

I don't care about her personal life, or anyone's for that matter, but she'll always be a hero for her philanthropic work for AIDS and her for big heart and sensitivity. Also, watching her films is one of my greatest comforts & pleasures in life. Her voice made me feel like 'home', and her beauty was pure and wonderful but never pretentious. The way she portrayed her characters always left me in awe. Giant & Cleopatra are still my pre-bedtime comfort, sort of like my grown up lullaby lol. No one can ever compare to her in my book. So many people try and fail... She had a great run, and what a full life.

[Jesse Steele]

10:09 AM on 03/24/2011

I remember living in San Francisco in the early 80's when all my friends were dying of AIDS and no one would even speak about their deaths or the reason for them. When our nations leaders and many families wouldn't acknowledge them and would not say the word "AIDS". Dame Elizabeth Taylor was one of the first and most powerful voices to speak up for those victims. We love you We miss you!

[Sunflo]

09:53 AM on 03/24/2011

Not that it matters but imo the most famous divorcee was Wallis Simpson.

[Behind the Tweed Curtain]

11:50 AM on 03/24/2011

Flash in the pan.

[Sunflo]

01:39 PM on 03/24/2011

Historians would disagree with that.

[WSAY]

09:42 AM on 03/24/2011

Celebrities are more apt to get divorced simply because they have more choices. It merely demonstrates that marriage is a poor institution. Too many people stay married when they are unhappy.