Taking Names: Diary excerpts show Burton’s love for Elizabeth Taylor

Previously unpublished extracts from the diary of iconic Welsh actor Richard Burton have revealed his “aching” love for screen siren Elizabeth Taylor, whom he married twice.

Passages from the journal, which will be published in full in October, expose a sensitive side to the notoriously hard-drinking actor, according to Agence France-Presse.

“She has turned me into a model man but not a prig, she is a wildly exciting lover-mistress, she is shy and witty, she is nobody’s fool,” he said of Taylor in extracts published on Tuesday.

“She is a brilliant actress … she can be arrogant and wilful, she is clement and loving.

“She is Sunday’s child, she can tolerate my impossibilities and my drunkenness, she is an ache in the stomach when I am away from her and she loves me. And I shall love her for ever.”

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Shock rocker Alice Cooper gave the audience at Tuesday’s “Rock of Ages” ... more >

In another entry from November 1968 he describes Taylor as “beautiful beyond the dreams of pornography.”

The couple met on the set of “Cleopatra” in 1961 but their relationship finally broke down with their second divorce in 1976.

The diaries have been edited by Swansea University professor Christopher Williams, who was given the diaries by Burton’s widow, Sally.

“The words reveal somebody who is reflective and thoughtful and someone who engaged intellectually with the world around him,” Mr. Williams said. “It’s not just the ale-and-women kind of image.”

Cooper joins ‘Rock of Ages’to perform ‘School’s Out’

Shock rocker Alice Cooper made a surprise appearance as a guest performer at the “Rock of Ages” musical in London on Tuesday.

The 64-year-old joined the cast of the West End musical to perform his classic hit “School’s Out” — marking the anniversary of the track hitting No. 1 in the U.K. charts 40 years ago this week.

The audience members appeared delighted, shouting, dancing and singing along with him. Those who hope to catch him again will be disappointed, though. He said the appearance was a one-off.

As far as musicals go, “Rock of Ages” seemed a good fit for Mr. Cooper. The show, which recently was adapted for the big screen with Tom Cruise, is about an aspiring rock star and features classic rock hits from bands including Bon Jovi, Journey and Poison.

“The songs that they’re playing — everybody knows every word of every song,” Mr. Cooper noted in an interview with the Associated Press ahead of the show.

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