She may have lived an extraordinary life, widely regarded as one of Hollywood’s pre-eminent actresses, singers, and dancers, but for all her fame and fortune Liza Minnelli’s life wasn’t a bed of roses.
Now, a new documentary about the iconic star’s life reveals the lifelong secret pain Liza has harboured.
In the new, no-holds-barred documentary, Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story, the 78-year-old gets candid about her biggest disappointment: never having children.
The Oscar winner, who has been married four times – to Peter Allen (1967-1974), Jack Haley Jr. (1974-1979), Mark Gero (1979-1992) and David Gest (2002-2007) – revealed she suffered three miscarriages over the years.
The first was with her second husband, and two more were with her third spouse.
The documentary features footage from an old interview, in which the only child of actress Judy Garland and stage director Vincente Minnelli revealed her burning desire to have children.
“I desperately want a family,” the Cabaret star said. “I really want a family.”
Allan Lazare, a dentist and New York socialite who passed away in 2024 spoke in the doco of his friend’s sadness.
“If she had to pick one thing that she’s disappointed [with] in her life … that’s not being a mother,” he said.
“She would have been a great mother. She has so much to give. She’s been so wonderful with our children.”
“We have a picture when our daughter was three years old, around a Christmas tree, [with] Liza hugging her. And then 35 years later, when our daughter had a three-year-old, we have a picture around that same Christmas tree.”
Longtime friend Michael Feinstein said while “she wasn’t able to have children of her own, she seems to have created her own family through all the children who came into her life and
all the godchildren.”
Actress Mia Farrow also opened up about the ever-present role Liza has played in her own children’s lives.
“She’s godmother to my twins, who are 50 now, and she’s never missed a birthday,” she revealed.
The Rosemary’s Baby star – who has been friends with Liza since they were toddlers – added her pal is known to lose “all of her bearings and all of her judgment” in relationships.
It’s a sentiment echoed by Allan: “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.”
Of her four marriages, Michael insists he doesn’t believe that Liza has any regrets, saying she “wanted to consume the fullness of life”.
“Liza has acknowledged that she didn’t always make the greatest decisions in relationships and laughs about it,” he says.
“Because there was genuine love, deep love in every one of those relationships, in different ways.”
In 2024, Liza revealed to Interview magazine her own childhood was far from perfect after her parents separated in December 1950, as she “bounced back and forth” between them.
“They didn’t really like each other so it wasn’t fun to be around them,” she said.
