Did elizabeth Taylor get mad because john Wayne beat out Richard Burton for the Oscar in 69?

Answer 1

"Mad" might be a little strong of a word. She was clearly disappointed which you can see on her face as she walks out to present the next award. John Wayne was an old friend of Elizabeth's and knew Richard as well. So, had it not been a year in which Richard was nominated also, she would have been happy for him. Wayne attended the Burton's after the Oscar's party at the Beverly Hills Hotel. And Richard and Elizabeth were told by numerous people that they had no idea how Wayne won as no one knew anybody who voted for him. They both really wanted him to win that Oscar, but the one they were both (quite rightly so too) were mad about was the nomination of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966.

The more interesting question is how did Richard feel about it? By 1969 Elizabeth had two best actress Oscars. He wanted one to the point of envy although both had BAFTAs (UK Oscar), he really wanted an American one to level the playing field with Elizabeth. Both being competitive people, he did feel that she had bested him of the American film scene. Many authors have speculated that this loss was the beginning of the end of their first marriage.

In any case, Richard went on to buy Elizabeth several more millions of dollars worth of jewels including the Taj Mahal Diamond after the loss (some speculate to keep them in the news while the better movies were being offered to younger actors), and Elizabeth (along with Maureen O'Hara) after John Wayne's death went before the US Congress to lobby for a Congressional Gold Medal to be struck in Wayne's honor - they were successful.