Elizabeth Taylor wanted to play Anne, but was rejected as too old at 37.
Richard Burton hated both the film and his performance, and was amazed to receive an Oscar nomination.
Richard Burton loaned the coat he wore as Henry VIII to Sid James to wear when he played Henry VIII in Carry on Henry VIII.
Olivia Hussey was the first choice for the role of Anne, but she turned the role down due to personal problems she was dealing with at the time.
Julie Christie turned down the lead role.
Kate Burton's film debut.
Faye Dunaway turned down the role of Anne Boleyn.
A critical and financial flop on release.
Although "Anne of the Thousand Days" opened on Broadway in 1948, it had to wait until 1969 to be filmed, due to its frank discussions of adultery, illegitimacy, and incest, on which the storyline relies heavily. The old censorship code still existed in the 1940s and 1950s, and would not have allowed a play in which these subjects were discussed to be filmed, no matter how tastefully.
In the original 1948-49 Broadway production, Rex Harrison played Henry VIII and Joyce Redman was Anne Boleyn.
Maxwell Anderson's play "Anne of the thousand days" was originally produced on Broadway at Shubert Theatre. It premiered on 8 December 1948 and closed on 8 October 1949 (288 performances in total).
The masked girl who interrupts Queen Katherine's prayers is played by an unbilled Elizabeth Taylor.