Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor is a genuine living legend from Hollywood's Golden Age. She made her first movie when she was just nine years old in 1942, and she was basically raised in the original Hollywood studio system and a major child star at the age of 12 years. She has been nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award on five occasions, winning twice, first in 1960 for 'Butterfield 8', and then in 1966 for 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'. She has become as famous for her husbands, her serial illnesses and flamboyant lifestyle as for her considerable acting prowess. In 1963 she became the first actress to be paid one million dollars for her role as Cleopatra.

She is still one of the most famous women on earth, larger than life even by Hollywood standards. Not for nothing is she known as 'Hollywood Royalty'.

Search Amazon for Elizabeth Taylor

Biography

She was born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor on February 27, 1932, in Hampstead, North-West London. Her parents were Americans from Arkansas and temporarily living in London, her father an art dealer and her mother a former actress. She had an older brother, Howard, born in 1929. The family moved back to America in 1939 just before the outbreak of war and eventually settled in Los Angeles.

Elizabeth was a strikingly beautiful little girl and a family friend recommended her to Universal Studios for a screen test. As a result the nine year old made her movie debut in 'There's One Born Every Minute' in 1942. When Universal cancelled her contract it was quickly taken up by MGM and they nursed Elizabeth into child stardom, firstly with 'Lassie Come Home' in 1943' and then, after minor roles in two films, in 1944 she was given the role that made her a star, Velvet Brown in 'National Velvet' playing a young girl who trains a horse to win the Grand National. The film, which also starred Mickey Rooney, was a great success and made Elizabeth MGM's top young star. She was given a long term contract and more successful child and adolescent roles followed during the 1940's: 'Courage of Lassie' in 1946, ' Life With Father' in 1947, and 'A Date with Judy' and 'Julia Misbehaves' in 1948. In 1949, she played her last adolescent role, that of Amy in 'Little Women'. She was about to grow up quickly.

Young Hollywood Star

Her first two movies as an adult actress fared badly, 'Conspirator' in 1949 and 'The Big Hangover' in 1950 but Liz hit the jackpot again with the romantic comedy which was to become a classic, 'Father of the Bride' in 1950, co-starring Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett. Elizabeth married hotel heir Nicky Hilton in May 1950, the first of her eight marriages to seven husbands, and the marriage lasted less than nine months, ended by the abuse, both physical and mental, which Hilton meted out to Elizabeth.

Her performance in her next movie, 'A Place In The Sun', in 1951, directed by George Stevens also attracted rave notices. For the next few years Liz kept busy making movies which could be described as adequate but not startling, such as 'Callaway Went Thataway' in 1951, 'Ivanhoe' in 1952, and 'Beau Brummel' in 1954. In 1952 she got married again for the second time, to Michael Wilding an established British actor. They had two sons, Michael Jr. in 1953, and Christopher in 1955. They divorced in January 1957.

In 1956 she was at last given a stronger role in the epic 'Giant' opposite Rock Hudson and James Dean, again directed by George Stevens. The film was a box-office hit and marked the start of a highly successful period in Taylor's Hollywood career. She was nominated for Best Actress Oscars for four years in a row, firstly in 1957's 'Raintree County' then in 1958 she starred in 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' to rave reviews and was nominated again. In 1959 she was nominated again for 'Suddenly, Last Summer', another big hit and then finally in 1960 she was awarded the elusive Oscar for Best Actress for her wonderful performance in 'Butterfield 8' as a call girl who is involved with a married man.

Her personal life, too, seemed to have settled down when, 3 days after divorcing Michael Wilding in January, 1957, she married the movie producer, Mike Todd. They had a daughter, Elizabeth "Liza" Todd in August of that year. After 13 months of marriage, in March 1958 Mike Todd was killed in a plane crash. The following year she married Eddie Fisher, who had been Todd's best man at Liz and Mike's wedding.

Liz left MGM at the end of her contract and in 1963 she hit the headlines again when she starred in Cleopatra, one of the most expensive movies ever made up to that time, and for which her salary was a cool $1,000,000. During the making of Cleopatra she began an affair with her co-star, Richard Burton. Once more the gossip columnists had a field day as both Taylor and Burton were married to other people at the time.

After 'Cleopatra' Liz appeared in the disapointing 'The VIPs' in 1963 and then the following year she divorced Fisher and married Richard Burton. They appeared together in 1966 in the masterly film adaptation of Edward Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' and Liz won her second Oscar for Best Actress. She and Burton were now the most famous couple in the world and were feted wherever they went. Burton gave her expensive jewelery such as the "LaPeregina Pearl", and the famous pear-shaped 69-carat "Burton-Cartier Diamond", and their flamboyant and extravagant lifestyle made headlines everywhere. They performed together in several more movies over the next few years including Franco Zeffirelli's production of 'The Taming of the Shrew' in 1967 and 'The Comedians' in the same year. Liz also appeared in John Huston's 'Reflections in a Golden Eye' costarring Marlon Brando in 1967 but her box-office drawing power was fading, and she made fewer and fewer movies. Her marriage to Burton did not last the glare of the media and they divorced in June 1974. They were reconciled and remarried a year and a half later but divorced again within 10 months.

Her career faltered thereafter. She has continued to make several TV appearances, notably in 1985 in the TV film 'Malice in Wonderland' when she played the gossip columnnist, Louella Parsons. She has also appeared in television series, such as General Hospital, as well as the cartoon series 'The Simpsons', once as herself, and once as the voice of Marge Simpson. She has also acted in theatrical productions and made her debut on both Broadway and the West End in 1982 in Lillian Hellman's 'The Little Foxes'. The following year she starred with Richard Burton again in Noel Coward's 'Private Lives'.

Liz met Senator John Warner on a blind date and they married in December, 1976. Her career took a back seat as she tried to adapt to the life of a politician's wife, but the pressures were too great and they divorced in November, 1982.

Liz's eighth marriage, (to husband number 7) was to Larry Fortensky a construction worker 20 years her junior, whom she had met while in alcohol rehabilitation atthe Betty Ford Centre. They had an opulent ceremony at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch and Jackson gave away the bride. This marriage also failed and they divorced in October, 1996 after 5 years of marriage.

Today, Elizabeth still hits the headlines but usually because of her health. She has survived many serious health problems including skin cancer and an operation to remove a benign brain tumour. She devotes much of her time to her AIDS related charity, the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation (ETAF). By 1999, she had helped the charity to an estimated total of US$50 million to fight the disease. Liz has also launched three perfumes and her 'White Diamonds' brand is still a consistent best-seller. In addition she has designed jewelery of great elegance for 'The Elizabeth Collection'.

She is a remarkable lady and she deserves the last word. She was asked what she would like to see written on her gravestone, and her answer was:
"Here lies Elizabeth. She hated being called Liz. But she lived."