Liza Minnelli Says Parents Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli ‘Didn’t Really Like Each Other’

Liza Minnelli admitted that her parents, Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, had a marriage that was far from perfect.

In a Wednesday, October 16, conversation with Michael Feinstein for Interview Magazine, Liza, 78, opened up about the most glamorous and most challenging parts of her childhood.

“The most glamorous was my father, and the most challenging was my mother,” she said with a laugh. “I bounced back and forth because they were divorced, but I loved them both so much. My mother was fascinating because she knew so many fascinating people who would come over. And my father used to let me go to the set and watch him direct. I’d go to the dance room where they choreographed stuff and learn it. I’d watch people like Cyd Charisse and Gene Kelly.”

Judy and Vincente ended their marriage in 1951, but Liza admitted that she didn’t really remember when they got divorced.

“No, not really. I don’t even remember how old I was, but you can look it up,” she said.

The Cabaret actress also said that as a child, she did not hope that her parents would get back together because of their rocky relationship.

“They didn’t really like each other so it wasn’t fun to be around them,” Liza said. “My father knew me so well. He knew what to bring me and what I would love. I remember he designed all the clothes for Radio City Music Hall, and I got five costumes every Christmas — a ballerina, or the costume from “Shall We Dance” from The King and I. One time the costume was a very attractive green bug. It had a little hat and the antennae on top. With those costumes, he put magic and romance into my life.”

She said that her father understood her, but her relationship with her mother was a lot more complicated.

On the other hand, Liza said that her mom was “strict” and it “depended on what mood she was in or whether she was working too hard and they were pushing her too much. Or whether she didn’t like who she was married to at the time.”

Liza said that her dad treated her “like a princess,” and they had a great bond.

“He was enchanted that he had made such a little girl,” she reflected. “That’s really the way to explain it. He’d work all week and take me to the movies on Saturdays. I was always at his house.”

And while her bond with her mom was different, she still loved her to no end. Liza became an older sister when her mom welcomed Lorna and Joey Luft with Sidney Luft. The Wizard of Oz actress was married five times throughout her life.

“Mama was interested in a different way because she was very interested in detail, like most mothers,” Liza said. “Then when Lorna and Joey arrived, I became freer. Everyone took care of them because they were nine and seven years younger than I was, so I got to stay with my dad a little bit more. But I loved my mom. She was funny.”

Judy died at age 47 on June 22, 1969, from an accidental barbiturate overdose. Vincente died on July 25, 1986, from emphysema and pneumonia.