Linda Gray has revealed the funny nickname Elizabeth Taylor gave her.
The Dallas star says the Cleopatra legend affectionately referred to her as “the b**** with the long legs,” while Linda had an equally colorful nickname for the two-time Oscar-winner. Taylor died from congestive heart failure in March 2011 at the age of 79.
Lasting Friendship
Reflecting on their friendship during an appearance on the Celebrity Drop podcast, Linda, 85, recalled that she first met Elizabeth through a mutual friend who happened to be decorating Taylor’s home.
She explained, “We met through mutual friends. He was a decorator, a dear friend of mine, and he was doing Elizabeth’s house, and they were great friends.”
The friendship truly began when the pair were invited to spend time together at their mutual friend’s home in the Hamptons.
Linda said, “He had a home in the Hamptons, so he invited me to come and also Elizabeth to come and I thought, ‘Well, this is great coincidence and wonderful.'”
Although both women were already household names, Linda said they immediately hit it off.
The Models Inc alum remembered, “So, we get to talk together, have a little chat and have fun.”
Nicknames for Each Other
Then came the nickname that made Linda laugh.
She revealed, “And she said, ‘Oh, she’s the b**** with the long legs.'”
Linda’s famous legs had already become part of Hollywood history years earlier after they appeared on the iconic poster for the 1967 coming-of-age classic The Graduate.
Looking back, Linda says the teasing was all part of the easy rapport she and Elizabeth quickly developed.
Gray said, “But anyway, we got to be friends and it was lovely.”
The actress, who became one of television’s biggest stars playing the long-suffering Sue Ellen Ewing on Dallas for 14 seasons, said Elizabeth’s larger-than-life personality was every bit as captivating away from the cameras.
Linda said, “She was absolutely… she was funny. ‘A bawdy broad’ is what I called her and she called me ‘the b**** with the long legs.’ I called her ‘a bawdy broad’ and that was fun.”
Taylor’s Passing
Elizabeth died at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles, surrounded by her children: “Michael [Howard] Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd, and Maria Burton,” her publicist, Sally Morrison, said.
In a statement, Michael paid tribute. He said, “My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world.”
“Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished.”
“We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”