Unlucky-in-Love Liza Minnelli Falls Fast and Hard, Says Lifelong Pal Mia Farrow: 'Loses All Her Bearings'

Mar. 15, 2025

Liza Minnelli and Desi Arnaz Jr.Photo:Adam Scull/Shutterstock

Adam Scull/Shutterstock

According to some of the people who know her best,Liza Minnelliloves fast, hard and a lot. The legendary Oscar winner probably would agree.

She’s been married and divorced four times, and she’s had high-profile relationships with a number of A-lister over the years. Photos and newspaper reports of some of those past romances flash across the screen in the new documentaryLiza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.

Liza: ‘A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story’.Kii Arens/Courtesy Atlas Media Corp

Kii Arens/Courtesy Atlas Media Corp

There’s ballet legendMikhail Barishnikov, French singer Charles Aznavour, Oscar-winning film directorMartin Scorsese, fellow second-generation starDesi Arnaz Jr.and Tony winnerBen Vereen. In a clip of Minnelli chatting with two friends, herCabaretcostar Marisa Berenson andKnot’s Landingactress Michelle Lee, the subject of her romantic history comes up and Minnelli jokes, “Some of them weren’t men at all.”

In a new interview for the documentary, when Minnelli, 78, is asked about the loves her her life, she gets cheeky. “Give me a gay break, will you?" she says, breaking into laughter. “I’m sorry. Cut that. Well, I feel wonderful about love because I wanted it to be like it was in the songs.” (Minnelli’s first marriage, to Australian entertainer Peter Allen, ended when she discovered he was gay.)

Her longtime friend Michael Feinstein tries to explain what drove her in her romances. “She wanted to consume the fullness of life,” he says. “I don’t think she has any regrets in that area.”

Mia Farrow (left) and Liza Minnelli.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty

Mia Farrow, her friend since they were toddlers, puts it more bluntly: “She loses all of her bearings and all of her judgement: ‘This is great. This person is going to be great. This is it.’ ”

Farrow, 79, also reveals that her favorite Minnelli song is “Maybe This Time” from the musicalCabaret, in part, because it was more than just a song. “You felt when she was singing it,” Farrow says. “You hoped that maybe this time would be the time because she sure deserved it.”

Allan Lazare, who was Minnelli’s friend from 1973 until his death in February 2024, concurs in the film. “She gets really into people very quickly, so she’s had some really unique relationships lasting a short period of time,” he says. “She throws herself into the relationship with the same passion that she throws herself into a song. But then, just like in a song, you have to go on to the next song.”

From left: Lucille Ball, Liza Minnelli and Dezi Arnaz Jr. in 1972.Fairchild Archive/WWD/Penske Media via Getty

Fairchild Archive/WWD/Penske Media via Getty

In a vintage interview clip from the early ’70s in the documentary, Minnelli discusses ending things with Desi Arnaz Jr. “The relationship has been deteriorating for some time,” she says. “There is no more engagement. That’s all called off.”

Of course, that wedding never happened. (Sellers died in 1980 at age 54.) “Liza has acknowledged that she didn’t always make the greatest decisions in relationships and laughs about it,” Feinstein says. “Because there was genuine love, deep love in every one of those relationships, in different ways.”

And as Feinstein points out, although forever love eluded her, for Minnelli, there are no regrets. In one old clip of her chatting with Rona Barrett, the superstar talks about love. “I was expecting all the pretty things I’d heard about,” says. “And I got a lot of them.”

Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Storyis now playing in select theaters.

source: people.com