Taylor and Todd were married from 1957 until his untimely death in 1958.
Mike Todd, the producer of *Around the World in 80 Days*, was Elizabeth Taylor’s third husband. However, he was the first to show her a love she hadn’t experienced before, according to her close friend.
“Mike taught her how to receive love. He showed her how to be loved. Accepting such deep love isn’t always easy,” shared Tim Mendelson, Taylor’s longtime friend and executive assistant. “Elizabeth always said that Mike’s legacy was teaching her how to receive love.”
As a “larger-than-life” personality, Todd was the first to truly court Taylor, appreciating her in ways no one else had. Mendelson recalled, “Mike could whisk her off her feet, treat her like royalty, and buy her extravagant gifts, like a diamond tiara.”
Todd often expressed his love for Taylor, even after winning the Academy Award for *Around the World in 80 Days*. “He said, ‘I got the two biggest prizes in Hollywood, a Best Picture Oscar and Elizabeth Taylor,’” Mendelson said.
Todd frequently bought her gifts, small trinkets daily, but one cherished gift was a round diamond heart-shaped pendant that Taylor wore for years, including during *Cat on a Hot Tin Roof* and *Suddenly, Last Summer*.
After nearly dying from pneumonia during the filming of *Cleopatra*, Taylor recalled seeing Todd while near death. “He told her, ‘You’re not done. You have to go back,’” Mendelson shared.
Taylor believed this experience heightened her senses and made her appreciate life even more. Despite her tough exterior, Mendelson remembered her as a woman with both strength and a compassionate, sweet side.
