You’ve probably heard the story about Elizabeth Taylor winning her first Oscar for a movie she absolutely loathed. It’s one of those Hollywood legends that sounds too dramatic to be true, but it totally is. In 1960, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) basically forced her into the lead role of Gloria Wandrous in BUtterfield 8. She was so ticked off about the script—calling it a piece of junk—that she reportedly threw a shoe at the screen during a private viewing.
Yet, here we are decades later, and the butterfield 8 movie cast remains a fascinating snapshot of a very specific, messy era in cinema history. It wasn’t just Taylor on screen. You had a weird mix of established dramatic heavyweights, a British leading man trying to find his footing in America, and a pop singer who was only there because he was married to the star.
The Reluctant Leading Lady: Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor didn't want to be there. Period. She had one movie left on her contract with MGM and she was desperate to go film Cleopatra for 20th Century Fox. MGM held her to the fire, forcing her to play Gloria, a "model" (which was 1960-speak for a high-end call girl) who falls for a married man.
Taylor’s performance is electric, but honestly, it’s fueled by pure spite. You can see the defiance in her eyes. She wasn’t just playing a woman fed up with men; she was an actress fed up with her studio. When she famously screams, "Face it, Mama! I was the slut of all time!" it’s raw and uncomfortable.
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Then came the 1961 Academy Awards. Taylor had been nominated three times before and lost. This time, she almost died from a severe bout of pneumonia right before the ceremony. She had an emergency tracheotomy—you can even see the scar in some of her later films. When she won Best Actress for BUtterfield 8, many in Hollywood whispered it was a "sympathy Oscar." Shirley MacLaine, who was nominated for The Apartment, famously said, "I lost to a tracheotomy."
The Men of BUtterfield 8: Harvey and Fisher
Laurence Harvey played Weston Liggett, the wealthy, miserable husband Gloria falls for. Harvey was a big deal at the time, fresh off his success in Room at the Top. He brings a certain coldness to the role that works, but he and Taylor didn't exactly have sizzling chemistry. He played Liggett as a man who hated himself as much as he loved the booze, which made him the perfect foil for Taylor's fiery Gloria.
Then there’s Eddie Fisher.
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Fisher played Steve Carpenter, Gloria’s platonic best friend. If we're being real, he was kind of a vacuum on screen. Fisher was a massive recording star, but his acting was... well, let's just say he was cast because Taylor insisted. She was married to him at the time, having famously "stolen" him from Debbie Reynolds in a scandal that rocked the tabloids. Having her real-life husband play her "friend" while she chased Laurence Harvey on screen was a meta-commentary that audiences in 1960 couldn't ignore. It made the movie a massive hit, even if critics weren't sold on Fisher's dramatic chops.
The Supporting Powerhouse
While the leads got the headlines, the supporting butterfield 8 movie cast actually held the thing together. Dina Merrill played Emily Liggett, the "perfect" society wife. She was the polar opposite of Taylor’s character—refined, cool, and seemingly untouchable.
Mildred Dunnock, playing Gloria’s mother, Annie Wandrous, delivered a heartbreaking performance as a woman living in deep denial about how her daughter actually paid the bills. Dunnock was a legend of the stage and screen (she was the original Linda Loman in Death of a Salesman), and she brought a grounded, tragic weight to the film that kept it from sliding into pure camp.
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Betty Field also popped up as Fanny Thurber, the nosy but well-meaning neighbor. These actors provided the "Prestige" feel that MGM was so desperate to maintain, even while producing what was essentially a high-budget soap opera.
Why the Butterfield 8 Movie Cast Still Matters
Looking back, the movie is a time capsule. It captures the transition from the repressed 1950s to the more liberated 1960s. The film deals with sex, alcoholism, and class in a way that feels dated now, but was scandalous then.
- Elizabeth Taylor (Gloria Wandrous): The star who hated the film but won the Oscar anyway.
- Laurence Harvey (Weston Liggett): The brooding, self-loathing love interest.
- Eddie Fisher (Steve Carpenter): The real-life husband in a "safe" supporting role.
- Dina Merrill (Emily Liggett): The symbol of "proper" womanhood.
- Mildred Dunnock (Mrs. Wandrous): The emotional anchor of the tragedy.
The movie was directed by Daniel Mann, who was known for getting great performances out of actresses (he directed Shirley Booth to an Oscar in Come Back, Little Sheba). Even though the script was a bit of a mess compared to the John O'Hara novel it was based on, the cast pushed through the melodrama.
If you're planning to watch it, don't expect a masterpiece. Expect a masterclass in star power. Taylor is so mesmerizing that she makes you forget the plot is kinda thin. You're watching a woman at the height of her fame, dealing with a personal life that was just as chaotic as the character she was playing.
If you want to understand the 1960s Hollywood machine, start by watching Taylor's scenes with Mildred Dunnock. The tension between the "sinner" daughter and the "saint" mother tells you everything you need to know about the moral landscape of the time. Afterward, compare Taylor's performance here to her work in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? to see the massive leap she took once she was finally free of her MGM contract.