EXCLUSIVE: The Drama, Romance and Lasting Legacy Behind the Making of 'Cleopatra'
The drama, romance and lasting legacy behind the making of 'Cleopatra' reveals the turbulent history.
Oct. 11 2026, Published 10:30 a.m. ET
Elizabeth Taylor put on her most stoic face as she took her seat on a gilded platform before an enormous sphinx, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Her entrance into Rome, drawn by slaves during an elaborate procession, was conceived as the visual high point of Cleopatra, but the star was terrified. "She'd gotten death threats. She was scared she was going to be killed or that the extras would boo her," said Kate Andersen Brower, author of Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of an Icon.
'Cleopatra' Nearly Bankrupted Hollywood Studio
Richard Burton's affair with Elizabeth Taylor drew intense scrutiny while the pair filmed 'Cleopatra' in Rome.
The 6,000 Italians playing citizens of the ancient republic were supposed to cheer and shout "Cleopatra!" Instead, when they caught sight of Taylor – who had just been vilified by the press and the Vatican for her scandalous affair with costar Richard Burton – they screamed, "Liz! Liz!" and "Baci! Baci!" while blowing air kisses.
"She burst into tears," said Andersen. "It was an emotionally exhausting time for her."
Sixty-three years ago, the public got its first look at Cleopatra. With a budget that swelled to $44million – over $300million today – the sword-and-sandal epic became the most expensive movie ever made. The production burned through two directors and several lead actors.
Its script was in constant flux. One of its many elaborate sets, a fake Roman forum, cost $1.5million to build and was twice as large as the original.
It's no surprise that the movie almost bankrupted 20th Century Fox.
The film would make Taylor the first actress to be paid $1million for a project, but it came at a considerable personal cost. Plagued by respiratory illnesses on the London set, she underwent an emergency tracheotomy to save her life in 1961.
Taylor Fell for Burton on 'Cleopatra' Set
Eddie Fisher said his marriage to Taylor was already nearing its end during the troubled production of 'Cleopatra.'
The close call made her rethink her marriage to Eddie Fisher (pictured above with her son Christopher). "It was only a matter of time for us. The clock was ticking," she said.
After a months-long pause to allow Taylor to recover, production moved to Rome with a new director and a new leading man playing Mark Antony – Richard. Taylor had met the Welsh star before and written him off as a pompous bore – but when he showed up on the set with a hangover, she saw his vulnerable side.
"He wasn't a snob. He was the son of a coal miner and a self-made man," said Brower. "To Elizabeth, that was s--- and attractive."
Taylor and Burton’s Affair Sparks Chaos
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Taylor and Burton skipped the 1963 New York City premiere of 'Cleopatra' after the film's chaotic production.
Chaos erupted when news of the married costars' affair got out. Photographers posed as extras to spy on the lovers. Richard waffled about leaving his wife. Taylor missed call times to fight with Fisher. "The day I left Rome, it cost them another $100,000," said Fisher. "Elizabeth screamed and carried on."
Before long, Fisher flew back to Rome. Taylor had overdosed on prescription sedatives, summoning both her husband and her lover to her hospital bed.
"It wasn't a suicide attempt," she said. "I'm not that kind of person. I needed the rest."
On June 12, 1963, when Cleopatra premiered in NYC, Taylor and Richard were conspicuously missing.
"We'd just had it with Cleopatra by then," said Taylor, who would marry Richard the following year.
"The whole thing. It was probably the most chaotic time of my life."
