Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd in 1957 (left), Elizabeth Taylor in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ in 1958.Photo:Hulton Archive/Getty; Archive Photos/Getty
Hulton Archive/Getty; Archive Photos/Getty
Elizabeth Taylorlearned one of her greatest lessons about love fromMike Todd.TheAround the World in 80 Daysproducer may have been the iconic actress' third husband, but he was the first to love her on a level she hadn’t previously thought possible, according to her longtime friend.“Mike taught her how to receive love. He taught her how to be loved. It’s not always the easiest thing, I think, to accept huge love. And Elizabeth said Mike’s legacy to her really was that he taught her how to receive love,“Tim Mendelson, Taylor’s executive assistant and friend from 1990 until her 2011death, tells PEOPLE.As a “larger than life” figure himself, Todd was the first man who truly courted Taylor and showed her appreciation beyond what she could offer him.“Mike was a showman. He had a bunch of stuff going on, and he was kind of the first one who could really sort of whisk her off her feet, put her on a pedestal,” Mendelson says. “He could treat her like a queen, buy her big jewelry. He bought her a diamond tiara and gave her a bunch of places to wear it.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd in 1956.Darlene Hammond/Hulton Archive/GettyTodd never missed an opportunity to tell Taylor, or the world, how he felt about her.Mendelson recalls one proclamation of love that came after Todd won the Academy Award for Best Picture forAround the World in 80 Days.“He said, ‘I got the two biggest prizes in Hollywood, a Best Picture Oscar, and Elizabeth Taylor,’ and he talked about the best thing in the world was trying to spoil Elizabeth. He said, ‘I don’t think you can.’ And I’ll tell you, she wasn’t spoiled. She appreciated everything,” Mendelson says.Elizabeth Taylor pictured wearing a white fur stole at a premiere party in 1956.Darlene Hammond/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesTodd would “buy her something every day, even if it was a little trinket,” but he also gave Taylor one of her most revered pieces of jewelry.“I didn’t realize it until after she passed, but Mike Todd had given her this small round diamond in a heart-shaped pendant. He gave one to Elizabeth and one to her mother, Sara. And Sara had left hers to Liza Todd, who is Elizabeth and Mike’s daughter,” Mendelson shares.The discreet gem was one Taylor wore religiously for many years. “Elizabeth is wearing this inCat on a Hot Tin Roof. She wears it inSuddenly, Last Summer. It is so clear that this is an extremely sentimental piece for her, but I never really thought twice about this pendant until I saw that Liza had one also,” Mendelson adds.“She’s even wearing it when she gets married to Eddie Fisher, which kind of makes sense because Eddie and Mike were best friends. And that whole thing happened really, because they were both grieving over Mike.“Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd in 1957.Bettmann ArchiveYears later, when Taylor nearly succumbed to illness while filmingCleopatra, it was Todd she said she saw while near death.“They were doing Cleopatra the first round in England and then she got that pneumonia, and then they had to do the emergency tracheotomy. Her heart stopped, and she said she went down the tunnel of white light, and saw Mike Todd,” Mendelson recalls.“He told her, ‘You’re not done. You have to go back.’ And she said, ‘I don’t want to go back. I want to be with you.’ He’s like, ‘You have to go back.’ So, she came back, and she said that after that she had, colors were brighter, all her senses were heightened.“Mendelson says the experience gave her a sense of a higher power. “I think that’s why she was able to continue to appreciate life, even when all these things happened, and not get jaded.““She was also good about being forgiving,” he adds. “She was a tough woman, but she had a sweet and compassionate side to her also.”
Elizabeth Taylorlearned one of her greatest lessons about love fromMike Todd.
TheAround the World in 80 Daysproducer may have been the iconic actress' third husband, but he was the first to love her on a level she hadn’t previously thought possible, according to her longtime friend.
“Mike taught her how to receive love. He taught her how to be loved. It’s not always the easiest thing, I think, to accept huge love. And Elizabeth said Mike’s legacy to her really was that he taught her how to receive love,“Tim Mendelson, Taylor’s executive assistant and friend from 1990 until her 2011death, tells PEOPLE.
As a “larger than life” figure himself, Todd was the first man who truly courted Taylor and showed her appreciation beyond what she could offer him.
“Mike was a showman. He had a bunch of stuff going on, and he was kind of the first one who could really sort of whisk her off her feet, put her on a pedestal,” Mendelson says. “He could treat her like a queen, buy her big jewelry. He bought her a diamond tiara and gave her a bunch of places to wear it.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd in 1956.Darlene Hammond/Hulton Archive/Getty
Darlene Hammond/Hulton Archive/Getty
Todd never missed an opportunity to tell Taylor, or the world, how he felt about her.
Mendelson recalls one proclamation of love that came after Todd won the Academy Award for Best Picture forAround the World in 80 Days.
“He said, ‘I got the two biggest prizes in Hollywood, a Best Picture Oscar, and Elizabeth Taylor,’ and he talked about the best thing in the world was trying to spoil Elizabeth. He said, ‘I don’t think you can.’ And I’ll tell you, she wasn’t spoiled. She appreciated everything,” Mendelson says.
Elizabeth Taylor pictured wearing a white fur stole at a premiere party in 1956.Darlene Hammond/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Todd would “buy her something every day, even if it was a little trinket,” but he also gave Taylor one of her most revered pieces of jewelry.
“I didn’t realize it until after she passed, but Mike Todd had given her this small round diamond in a heart-shaped pendant. He gave one to Elizabeth and one to her mother, Sara. And Sara had left hers to Liza Todd, who is Elizabeth and Mike’s daughter,” Mendelson shares.
The discreet gem was one Taylor wore religiously for many years. “Elizabeth is wearing this inCat on a Hot Tin Roof. She wears it inSuddenly, Last Summer. It is so clear that this is an extremely sentimental piece for her, but I never really thought twice about this pendant until I saw that Liza had one also,” Mendelson adds.
“She’s even wearing it when she gets married to Eddie Fisher, which kind of makes sense because Eddie and Mike were best friends. And that whole thing happened really, because they were both grieving over Mike.”
Elizabeth Taylor and Mike Todd in 1957.Bettmann Archive
Bettmann Archive
Years later, when Taylor nearly succumbed to illness while filmingCleopatra, it was Todd she said she saw while near death.
“They were doing Cleopatra the first round in England and then she got that pneumonia, and then they had to do the emergency tracheotomy. Her heart stopped, and she said she went down the tunnel of white light, and saw Mike Todd,” Mendelson recalls.
“He told her, ‘You’re not done. You have to go back.’ And she said, ‘I don’t want to go back. I want to be with you.’ He’s like, ‘You have to go back.’ So, she came back, and she said that after that she had, colors were brighter, all her senses were heightened.”
Mendelson says the experience gave her a sense of a higher power. “I think that’s why she was able to continue to appreciate life, even when all these things happened, and not get jaded.”
“She was also good about being forgiving,” he adds. “She was a tough woman, but she had a sweet and compassionate side to her also.”
source: people.com
