The entanglement of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton gave the former, the notorious fame of being a "femme fatale". She was condemned by the Vatican in the later years. Burton was a heavy drinker and life for them with drinking sessions and bouts of wild passion became too tedious. Taylor and Burton separated only to remarry again in the later years. Elizabeth Taylor's and Richard Burton's love affair makes an interesting study. They had wild passion for each other, but somehow their relationship always lacked stability. Burton at the beginning of their love affair was marred by the fact that Richard legally belonged to another woman, Sybil Williams. Richard had married Sybil as a young actor in 1948, meeting on the set of his screen debut “The Last Days of Dillwyn” at the age of 23. They had two daughters, Kate and Jessica.  When fate stepped in and brought Elizabeth Taylor into his life, he did not have the heart to divorce Sybil.  His love and obsession for Elizabeth, however, only grew stronger.  While still filming “Cleopatra” in Italy, he realized he was a doomed man. “Elizabeth, you are a dark and bottomless ocean and I have no choice but to drown in you.”  Although he publicly declared his love for Elizabeth and openly maintained relations with her, he was still married to Sybil. As a symbol of his undying devotion, he purchased an enormous emerald broach for Elizabeth to serve as an engagement gift.  Yet he was still not divorced.  The pressure was on.  After Elizabeth insisted in no uncertain terms that “a married man cannot get engaged,” he sorrowfully went to Sybil to ask for a divorce to which she resignedly agreed. The circumstances were quite beyond his control.

Elizabeth and Richard went on to make several hit movies together, including the raucous Shakespearean romance “The Taming of the Shrew” and the darkly disturbing “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” for which Elizabeth won an Academy Award. Sometimes the acting seeped into their real lives and the characters they were portraying overtook their own personalities. While the bawdy Elizabethan lustiness of “Taming of the Shrew” seems to enhance their playfulness, the cruel psychological games of “Virginia Woolf” took on an uncanny realism as the two characters stripped away each other’s dignity scene after painful scene. Although proud of the critical acclaim they both received from the difficult roles of George and Martha, their love barely survived the film.

Elizabeth Taylor is quiet, deep and emotionally complex and often hides feelings of jealousy, guilt and other powerful emotions out of a fear of being misunderstood.  Elizabeth Taylor needs passion, drama and intensity in order to feel completely alive, and may intentionally or unintentionally stir up personal crises or emotional storms in order to have those feelings. There is an underlying attraction to anything secret, dark and mysterious, including the hidden or dark side of people. Negatively, Elizabeth Taylor can be subtly manipulative and controlling. Positively, Elizabeth Taylor can be immensely loyal; a deep and faithful friend or lover.

Richard Burton is quite different from Elizabeth Taylor in that Richard Burton responds logically and rationally to situations, rather than irrationally and instinctively, as does Elizabeth Taylor. There may be something in Richard Burton's background, or in the way Richard Burton was raised that makes Richard Burton careful, shy or restrained about being too emotional or sexual.  Elizabeth Taylor's very intense feelings may be difficult for Richard Burton to understand or enter into.  Also, Richard Burton is quite self-critical and is therefore very sensitive to criticism from others. The two of them do share a tendency to probe and analyze themselves and others, and a desire to change and improve themselves, as well. 

Born Richard Jenkins, November 10, 1925, to a poor mining family in Wales, he broke away from home at a young age. Thanks to positive influence from his schoolmaster, Phillip Burton, who later adopted him, Richard went on to Exeter College at Oxford where he excelled in drama. Working early on with stage veterans he caught the eye of important directors and producers and soon was involved in Hollywood productions such as “The Robe,”  in which he costarred with Jean Simmons. With his distinctive voice, he was perfectly cast in costume epics, and his role as Marc Antony in the multi million-dollar production, “Cleopatra,” would bring him face to face with his karmic destiny, forever linking him to the film's dazzling star, Elizabeth Taylor. The production had experienced a variety of serious setbacks, including recasting of both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony and a near fatal bout of pneumonia for Elizabeth Taylor.  By the time Richard Burton came on board they were well into filming. He arrived for his first day on the set with a vicious hangover. Shakily trying to lift a cup of coffee to his lips, Elizabeth walked over and steadied his trembling hand by guiding the cup to his mouth. Their eyes met and the rest is history.

They say the electricity on the set was palpable. Ironically enough, their first day of shooting was a bedroom scene. Throwing two actors in a bed who have never met and expect the camera to pick up a natural chemistry may sound difficult, but the director knew what he was doing.  In the story, based on true accounts from the historical writings of Greek scholar Plutarch, Marc Antony and Cleopatra have not seen each other in 3 years, since Caesar’s assassination in Rome. They are now at a standoff over political reasons, although their mutual attraction is stronger than ever. Her icy reserve and his nervousness play well in the scene even though we all know that just under the surface their passion is beginning to boil.

In the end, their intense passion proved to be their undoing.  Richard kept a journal that was later published into a fascinating book, “Richard Burton, A life.”  In it, he talked of spending their lives “in a haze of cigarette smoke and alcohol...” He also complained of Elizabeth’s chronic untidiness, the countless stream of hangers on from her entourage and agonized over her endless need for medical attention that eventually led to a serious addiction to painkillers.  Elizabeth could also be shrill and was extremely suspicious of the amorous intentions of other women, watching him like a hawk at social gatherings. When Richard's older brother died after being paralyzed from a senselessly tragic fall at the front gate of Richard’s chateau in Switzerland after a night of carousing,  Richard spiraled out of control, completely beset by grief and guilt. He suddenly wanted out of the marriage. “The game’s up,” he told his friends. After several separation and reconciliations, they finally divorced the second and final time in 1976.

Elizabeth fell into a succession of unfulfilling romances and marriages and Richard married twice more, first to a younger woman named Susan Hunt and later to production assistant, Sally Ha.  Not many people know he actually owned a third home here in Vallarta with Susan, right around the corner from Casa Kimberley, called Casa Bursus, for Burton/Susan. One can only wonder if the sentimental ghosts from his original love nest came wistfully up the cobblestone corridor to haunt him in the night. It is amazing to think Richard Burton was only 58 years old when he died in August 1984.

Local author, Ed Hutmacher, who is writing a book on the making of “The Night of the Iguana,” organized a special birthday celebration her in Puerto Vallarta in November 2002 and the response was overwhelming: over 120 people attended a standing room only dinner and program to honor Richard Burton, paying homage to a man who played such a key role in the early days of Puerto Vallarta. A unique and forceful entity, the aura of Burton’s intense personality lives on. His cosmic melding with “twin soul” Elizabeth catapulted his star power to icon status. Laurence Olivier once asked him if he wanted to be known as a great actor or a household name. His answer was “Both.” His notorious romance with Elizabeth Taylor became a mirror image of the other famous couple that brought them together, Antony and Cleopatra; star-crossed lovers bound together by Destiny, victims of their own all consuming love, subject to the power of celestial forces. Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born February 27, 1932) is an iconic two-time Academy Award-winning English actress. She was long considered one of the most beautiful women in the world and, arguably, the most beautiful actress of all time. Her trademark is her dazzling violet-blue eyes framed by a double row of eyelashes. The American Film Institute named Taylor among the Greatest Female Stars of All Time, ranking at No. 7. She was born in Hampstead, London, the second child of Francis Lenn Taylor (December 28, 1897 – November 20, 1968) and Sara Viola Warmbrodt (August 21, 1896 – September 11, 1994), who were Americans residing in England. Her older brother is Howard Taylor (born in 1929). Though sometimes referred to as "Liz," she is not fond of that name and prefers her given name to be pronounced Eee-lizabeth. Her first names are in honor of her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Taylor, who was born Elizabeth Mary Rosemond. Taylor was born with U.S. nationality, which she would relinquish after marrying Richard Burton, and take British nationality.

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