Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (27 February 1932 – 23 March 2011) was a British-American actress, businesswoman, and humanitarian. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s, and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. She continued her career successfully into the 1960s, and remained a well-known public figure for the rest of her life. In 1999, the American Film Institute named her the seventh-greatest female screen legend.
Born in London to wealthy, socially prominent American parents, Taylor moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1939, and she soon was given a film contract by Universal Pictures. She made her screen debut in a minor role in There's One Born Every Minute (1942), but Universal terminated her contract after a year. Taylor was then signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and had her breakthrough role in National Velvet (1944), becoming one of the studio's most popular teenaged stars. She made the transition to adult roles in the early 1950s, when she starred in the comedy Father of the Bride (1950) and received critical acclaim for her performance in the drama A Place in the Sun (1951).
Despite being one of MGM's most bankable stars, Taylor wished to end her career in the early 1950s, as she resented the studio's control and disliked many of the films to which she was assigned. She began receiving roles she enjoyed more in the mid-1950s, beginning with the epic drama Giant (1956), and starred in several critically and commercially successful films in the following years. These included two film adaptations of plays by Tennessee Williams: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959); Taylor won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for the latter. Although she disliked her role as a call girl in BUtterfield 8 (1960), her last film for MGM, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.
Taylor was then paid a record-breaking $1 million to play the title role in the historical epic Cleopatra (1963), the most expensive film made up to that point. During the filming, Taylor and co-star Richard Burton began an extramarital affair, which caused a scandal. Despite public disapproval, Burton and she continued their relationship, and were married in 1964. Dubbed "Liz and Dick" by the media, they starred in 11 films together, including The V.I.P.s (1963), The Sandpiper (1965), The Taming of the Shrew (1967), and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Taylor received the best reviews of her career for Woolf, winning her second Academy Award and several other awards for her performance. She and Burton divorced in 1974, but reconciled soon after, and re-married in 1975. The second marriage ended in divorce in 1976.
Taylor's acting career began to decline in the late 1960s, although she continued starring in films until the mid-1970s, after which she focused on supporting the career of her sixth husband, Senator John Warner. In the 1980s, she acted in her first substantial stage roles and in several television films and series, and became the first celebrity to launch a perfume brand. Taylor was also one of the first celebrities to take part in HIV/AIDS activism. She co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research in 1985, and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991. From the early 1990s until her death, she dedicated her time to philanthropy. She received several accolades for it, including the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Throughout her life, Taylor's personal affairs were subject to constant media attention. She was married eight times to seven men, endured serious illnesses, and led a jet set lifestyle, including assembling one of the most expensive private collections of jewelry. After many years of ill health, Taylor died from congestive heart failure at the age of 79 in 2011.
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Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born on February 27, 1932 in London, England. A family friend noticed the strikingly beautiful little Elizabeth and suggested that she be taken for a screen test. Her test impressed executives at Universal Pictures enough to sign her to a contract. Her first foray onto the screen was in There's One Born Every Minute (1942), released when she was ten. Universal dropped her contract after that one film, but Elizabeth was soon picked up by MGM.
The first production she made with that studio was Lassie Come Home (1943), and on the strength of that one film, MGM signed her for a full year. She had minuscule parts in her next two films, The White Cliffs of Dover (1944) and Jane Eyre (1943) (the former made while she was on loan to 20th Century-Fox). Then came the picture that made Elizabeth a star: MGM's National Velvet (1944). She played Velvet Brown opposite Mickey Rooney. The film was a smash hit, grossing over $4 million. Elizabeth now had a long-term contract with MGM and was its top child star. She made no films in 1945, but returned in 1946 in Courage of Lassie (1946), another success. In 1947, when she was 15, she starred in Life with Father (1947) with such heavyweights as William Powell, Irene Dunne and Zasu Pitts, which was one of the biggest box office hits of the year. She also co-starred in the ensemble film Little Women (1949), which was also a box office huge success.
Throughout the 1950s, Elizabeth appeared in film after film with mostly good results, starting with her role in the George Stevens film A Place in the Sun (1951), co-starring her good friend Montgomery Clift. The following year, she co-starred in Ivanhoe (1952), one of the biggest box office hits of the year. Her busiest year was 1954. She had a supporting role in the box office flop Beau Brummell (1954), but later that year starred in the hits The Last Time I Saw Paris (1954) and Elephant Walk (1954). She was 22 now, and even at that young age was considered one of the world's great beauties. In 1955 she appeared in the hit Giant (1956) with James Dean.
In 1958 Elizabeth starred as Maggie Pollitt in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). The film received rave reviews from the critics and Elizabeth was nominated again for an Academy Award for best actress, but this time she lost to Susan Hayward in I Want to Live! (1958). She was still a hot commodity in the film world, though. In 1959 she appeared in another mega-hit and received yet another Oscar nomination for Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). Once again, however, she lost out, this time to Simone Signoret for Room at the Top (1959). Her Oscar drought ended in 1960 when she brought home the coveted statue for her performance in BUtterfield 8 (1960) as Gloria Wandrous, a call girl who is involved with a married man. In 1963 she starred in Cleopatra (1963), which was one of the most expensive productions up to that time--as was her salary, a whopping $1,000,000. The film took years to complete, due in part to a serious illness during which she nearly died.
This was the film where she met her future and fifth husband, Richard Burton (the previous four were Conrad Hilton, Michael Wilding, Michael Todd--who died in a plane crash--and Eddie Fisher). Her next films, The V.I.P.s (1963) and The Sandpiper (1965), were lackluster at best. Elizabeth was to return to fine form, however, with the role of Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Her performance as the loudmouthed, shrewish, unkempt, yet still alluring Martha was easily her finest to date. For this she would win her second Oscar and one that was more than well-deserved. The following year, she and Burton co-starred in The Taming of the Shrew (1967), again giving winning performances. However, her films afterward were box office failures, including Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), The Comedians (1967) Boom (1968) (again co-starring with Burton), Secret Ceremony (1968), The Only Game in Town (1970), Zee and Co. (1972), Hammersmith Is Out (1972) (with Burton again), Ash Wednesday (1973), Night Watch (1973), The Driver's Seat (1974), The Blue Bird (1976) (considered by many to be her worst), A Little Night Music (1977), and Winter Kills (1979) (a controversial film which was never given a full release and in which she only had a small role.
Elizabeth Taylor died on March 23, 2011 in Los Angeles, from congestive heart failure. Her final resting place is Forest Lawn Memorial Park, in Glendale, California.
(Source:http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000072/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm )
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton |
The world has been captivated by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's fiery relationship ever since the couple first got together on the set of Cleopatra in 1963. From the moment their eyes met on the set of Cleopatra in 1963, the two stars were consumed with one another. Their first on-screen kiss lasted so long that the director had to ask them whether he could say ‘cut’. They carried on kissing.
But despite their undeniable passion for each other, their relationship was marred by alcoholism and bitter fighting. Their first marriage, which began in March 1964, ended 10 years later, after Richard was unfaithful with a young co-star.
Both found new partners, but could not forget one another. They met up in the summer of 1975 to discuss their financial affairs but ended up weeping in each other’s arms. In August, it was announced that they were in love again, and the pair remarried in October.
Richard soon found himself enraptured with another woman – his future wife, Suzy Hunt. Elizabeth and Richard divorced for the second and final time in July 1976 and Burton married Suzy three weeks later. Elizabeth soon remarried as well, to the wealthy American John Warner.
Elizabeth and Richard remained obsessed with one another, however. Before his death, Richard supposedly said of his ex-wife to a friend ‘she still fascinates, you know’. Elizabeth, too, remained devoted to him. As an older woman, she reportedly said that, had Richard lived, she was sure they would have married again.
Their love was the kind that does not die. Explaining why they couldn’t make it work, Elizabeth once said: ‘Maybe we loved each other too much.
Their movies
The V.I.P.s (1963)
an all-star vehicle about travelers waiting in the V.I.P. lounge of a London airport for a delayed flight to New York, it features Taylor as a wife who’s cheating on her mega-rich businessman husband (Burton) with an aging playboy (Louis Jourdan).
Cleopatra (1963)
A turgid epic in which Taylor plays the Egyptian queen and Burton is her Roman lover, Mark Antony.
The Sandpiper (1965)
This movie features Taylor as a free-spirited artist fond of walking on the beach and Burton as the Episcopal priest whom she seduces.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The film version of Edward Albee’s landmark play about a middle-aged couple ripping into each other over the course of a long, alcohol-fueled evening, Woolf featured Taylor as a blowsy, foul-mouthed Martha–she gained 30 lbs. for the role–and Burton as hen-pecked, stealth attack artist George. Director Mike Nichols, making his first film, chose to shoot it in black and white at a time when most films were already being shot in color. Taylor always said that Woolf was her best performance.
The Comedians (1967)
Burton plays a hotel owner and Taylor a married woman with whom he’s having an affair as Haiti crumbles around them.
Doctor Faustus (1967)
Burton co-directed this film version of Christopher Marlowe’s classic play about a man (Burton) who sells his soul to the devil to land the woman of his dreams, Helen of Troy (a totally mute Taylor).
The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
Taylor and Burton tackle William Shakespeare here. While Burton was a Shakespeare veteran, having impressed as Hamlet and in other roles on stage, Taylor had zip experience with the Bard prior to the film. The result, though, is a romp, with the emphasis on yuks and slapstick brawling in this version of Shakespeare’s battle-of-the-sexes comedy.
Boom! (1968)
Based on Tennessee Williams’ play, The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, the movie stars Taylor as a wealthy woman living in seclusion on an island and Burton as a stranger who shows up one day to possibly usher her across the River Styx.
Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
Taylor turns up briefly in a cameo. She’s wearing a mask and speaks only a line or two.
Under Milk Wood (1972)
On the strength of their names and popularity, Taylor and Burton were able to get this respectable film version of poet Dylan Thomas’ radio play made. In it, the various residents of a small Welsh fishing town reveal their dreams and private thoughts and Burton gets a chance to talk and talk and talk in that gorgeous voice of his.
Hammersmith is out (1972)
Burton and Taylor teamed up with old friend Peter Ustinov who directed and co-starred in this comedy about a mental patient (Burton) who bribes an orderly to help him escape. Once on the outside, the nut job teams up with a slatternly waitress (Taylor).
Divorce His – Divorce Hers (1973), a drama examining the dissolution of an 18-year marriage, was a made-for-TV movie.
The two also starred together on Broadway in a revival of Noel Coward’s Private Lives in 1983.
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