Grant Bowler to star opposite Lindsay Lohan in biopic 'Liz & Dick'

Grant Bowler has been cast to portray Richard Burton opposite Lindsay Lohan's Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime biopic "Liz & Dick," the network confirmed to OnTheRedCarpet.com on Thursday.

"Thanks all. It's true and apparently now official!? I'm looking forward to working w the very talented @LindsayLohan on #Liz@Dick," Bowler Tweeted on May 24.

Bowler, who is best known for his role as a werewolf on "True Blood," has also appeared on ABC's "Ugly Betty" as Vanessa Williams' love interest a! nd recen tly had a stint on ABC's recently canceled series, "GCB."

The 43-year-old actor is from New Zealand and is 18 years older than Lohan. Burton and Taylor were seven years apart in age.

The Lifetime Original Movie will be based on the story of Taylor's torrid romance with actor Richard Burton and is set to begin shooting in June in Los Angeles, the network said in a statement.

"Grant will add gravitas to our couple and bring to life one of the greatest actors who has ever lived," Executive Producer Larry A. Thompson told Deadline. "Burton was a Welsh poet, a rascal, and a man's man, who swept Elizabeth Taylor off her feet and flew her so close to the sun that they both exploded into stardust that still lights up Hollywood."

Thompson said that Bowler did a reading with Lohan and the "chemistry erupted in the room." After auditioning "many actors" from around the world, the network settled on the handsome actor.

Following months of speculation, it was confirmed that Lohan would take on the role of Taylor on April 23.

Taylor and Burton met in Italy on the set of the 1963 film "Cleopatra." At the time, Burton had been married to Sybil Williams since 1949 and Taylor had been married to Eddie Fisher since 1959. The couple divorced their spouses and married for the first time in 1964. The two divorced in 1974, but remarried in 1975 before calling it quits again in 1976. Burton died in 1984.

Tayl or died of congestive heart failure at age 79 on March 23, 2011. She was laid to rest a day later at a private memorial service at Forest Lawn Cemetery near Los Angeles. Taylor became as famous for her love affairs as she was for her movie roles in films like "Cleopatra" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" She was married eight times to seven husbands.

"I have always admired and had enormous respect for Elizabeth Taylor. She was not only an incredible actress but an amazing woman as well. I am very honored to have been asked to play this role," Lohan, 25, said in a statement.

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