CONTENTS

4 ELIZABETH TAYLOR, 1932-2011

Groundbreaking movies, turbulent marriages and affairs, rumors from seven decades, early and fervent activism: the life of an icon.

12 A LOVE TOO BIG TO LAST

From scandalous beginning to tormented end, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton lived the most epic love story in cinema history: a blaze of headlines, booze, and brawls. In an adaptation from the book Furious Love, the authors draw on never-before-seen letters from Burton that reveal the poignant truth behind the legend of" Liz and Dick." BySAMKASHNER and NANCY SCHOENBERGER

28 WHEN LIZ MET DICK

Forget Titanic. The most expensive movie ever made opened in 1963. It took $44 million (about $300 million today), two directors, two separate casts, and two and a half years of on-and-off filming in England, Italy, Egypt, and Spain to bring Cleopatra to the screen. The historic folly was eclipsed only by the

international furor over the romance of its stars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

By DAVID KAMP

48 AFIRST-CLASS AFFAIR

While shooting The VI.P.s—a star-studded, jet-set melodrama—the couple rode a wave of scandal over the affair begun on their previous movie, Cleopatra. Here, the author reveals how the off-camera dustups mirrored, and even outdid, Terence Rattigan's classic script. BySAMKASHNER

62 THEQUEEN ANDI

Vanity Fair's late special correspondent recounts several indelible scenes from his 30year friendship with Elizabeth Taylor, beginning on a movie set in Italy and including a brief rift over her jewels.

By DOMINICK DUNNE

66 ELIZABETH'S MARCH ON WASHINGTON

In 1976, the actress met the man who would become her sixth husband, future Republican senator John Warner. Speaking with the author, Warner remembers a glittering blind date—which

included a British Embassy dinner, a tom dress, and a fight with the Secret Service—not to mention a reception with two Elizabeths, Miss Taylor and the Queen of England.

By DAVID KAMP

72 A LIFE IN JEWELS

Mementoes of love affairs, marriages, fights, film roles, and public appearances, Elizabeth Taylor's jewels are a record of her era's fashion, craftsmanship, and spectacle. ByRUTHPELTASON

80 CLOSING ACT

Elizabeth Taylor's death raised a question. Who was she in her last decade, spent largely outside the public eye? Well, there was her post-9/11 road trip with Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando. There was swimming with the sharks. There was her favorite gay bar. The legend's final roles: AIDS activist, entrepreneur, and a woman who knew how to live. BySAMKASHNER

95 CREDITS

96 THE BACKPAGE