Elizabeth Taylor

For other people named Elizabeth Taylor, see Elizabeth Taylor (disambiguation).

Elizabeth Taylor
From the trailer of Giant, 1956
Born	Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
Other names	Liz Taylor
Years active	1942 - 2003
Spouse(s)	Conrad Hilton Jr. (1950-1951) Michael Wilding (1952-1957) Mike Todd (1957-1958) Eddie Fisher (1959-1964) Richard Burton (1964-1974) Richard Burton (1975-1976) John Warner (1976-1982) Larry Fortensky (1991-1996)
Awards	NYFCC Award for Best Actress 1966 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? NBR Award for Best Actress 1966 Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actress 1972 Hammersmith Is Out AFI Life Achievement Award 1993 Lifetime Achievement

File:TAYLORF2.jpg

1950's classic Elizabeth Taylor glamour pose publicity shot. Photo:Howard Frank Archives.

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born 27 February 1932) is a two-time Academy Award-winning English-American actress. Known for her acting skills and beauty, as well as her Hollywood lifestyle, including many marriages, she is considered one of the great actresses of Hollywood’s golden years, as well as a larger-than-life celebrity.

The American Film Institute named Taylor seventh among the Greatest Female Stars of All Time.

Biography

Life and career

Main article: Elizabeth Taylor filmography and various appearances

Taylor was born in Hampstead, a wealthy district of north-west London, the second child of Francis Lenn Taylor (1897 – 1968) and Sara Viola Warmbrodt (1896 – 1994), who were Americans residing in England. Taylor's older brother, Howard Taylor, was born in 1929.

Her two first names are in honor of her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Taylor, who was born Elizabeth Mary Rosemond. Taylor was born both a British subject and an American citizen, the former by being born on British soil under the principle of jus soli, and the latter through her parents under the principle of jus sanguinis.

Both of her American parents were originally from Arkansas City, Kansas. Her father was an art dealer and her mother a former actress whose stage name was Sara Sothern. Sara retired from the stage when she and Francis Taylor married in 1926 in New York.

At the age of three, Elizabeth began taking ballet lessons. Shortly after the beginning of World War II, her parents decided to return to the United States to avoid hostilities. Her mother took the children first, while her father remained in London to wrap up matters in the art business. They settled in Los Angeles, California, where Sara's family, the Warmbrodts, were then living.

Taylor appeared in her first motion picture at the age of nine for Universal. They let her contract drop, and she was signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her first movie with that studio was Lassie Come Home (1943), which drew favorable attention. That movie starred child star Roddy McDowall, with whom Elizabeth would share a lifelong friendship. After a few more movies, the second on loan-out to 20th Century Fox, she first appeared in her first leading role and achieved child star status playing Velvet Brown, a young girl who trains a horse to win the Grand National in Clarence Brown's movie National Velvet (1944) with Mickey Rooney. National Velvet was a big hit, grossing over US$4  million at the box-office, and she was signed to a long-term contract. Gene Tierney originally was offered the role in MGM's National Velvet but production was delayed so Tierney signed with Fox.

She attended school on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lot and received a diploma from University High School in Los Angeles on January 26, 1950, the same year she was first married at age 18.

Elizabeth Taylor won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performances in BUtterfield 8 (1960), which co-starred then husband Eddie Fisher, and again for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), which co-starred then-husband Richard Burton and the Supporting Actress Oscar-winner, Sandy Dennis.

Taylor was nominated for Raintree County (1957) with Montgomery Clift, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) with Paul Newman, and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) with Clift, Katharine Hepburn and Mercedes McCambridge.

in Cleopatra (1963)

In 1963, she became the highest paid movie star up until that time when she accepted US$1 million to play the title role in the lavish production of Cleopatra for 20th Century Fox. It was during the filming of that movie that she worked for the first time with future husband Richard Burton, who played Mark Antony. Movie magazines, the forerunners of today's tabloids, had a field day when Taylor and Burton began an affair during filming; both stars were married to other people at the time. She was even accused by a Vatican newspaper of having descended into "erotic vagrancy." A lot of people thought of Elizabeth Taylor as a Scarlet Woman. She and many others disagreed with that strongly. Richard Burton was quoted as saying: "You'd be surprised at the morals of many women stars who are regarded by the public as goody-two-shoes. They leap into bed with any male in grabbing distance. That's what makes me mad when I read stuff hinting Liz is a scarlet woman because she's been married five times. She's only had five men in her life whereas those goody-two-shoes have lost count."

She has also appeared a number of times on television, including the 1973 made-for-TV movie with then husband Richard Burton, titled Divorce His - Divorce Hers. In 1985, she played movie gossip columnist Louella Parsons in Malice in Wonderland opposite Jane Alexander, who played Hedda Hopper, and also appeared in the mini-series North and South. In 2001, she played an agent in These Old Broads. She has also appeared on a number of other TV shows, including the soap operas General Hospital and All My Children and the animated The Simpsons; once as herself, and the other as the voice of Maggie.

Taylor has also acted on the stage, making her Broadway and West End debuts in 1982 with a revival of Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes. She was then in a production of Noel Coward's Private Lives (1983), in which she starred with her former husband, Richard Burton. The student-run Burton Taylor Theatre in Oxford was named for the famous couple after Burton appeared as Doctor Faustus in the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS) production of the Marlowe play. Elizabeth Taylor played the ghostly, wordless Helen of Troy, who is entreated by Faustus to 'make [him] immortal with a kiss'.

In November 2004, Taylor announced that she had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart pumps insufficient amounts of blood throughout the body. She has broken her back five times, had both her hips replaced, survived a benign brain tumor operation, skin cancer, and has faced life-threatening bouts with pneumonia twice. She is reclusive and sometimes fails to make scheduled appearances due to illness or other personal reasons. She now uses a wheelchair and when asked about it she said that she has osteoporosis and was born with scoliosis.

In 2005 she was a vocal supporter of her friend Michael Jackson in his trial in California on charges of sexually abusing a child. He was acquitted.

In recent years, Taylor reportedly became closely attached to her pet dog, saying that she went nowhere without her little Maltese named Sugar. In an interview with American magazine W, Taylor said she was happiest while with husbands Todd and Burton, but now has to be content with Sugar for company. She explains, "I've never loved a dog like this in my life. It's amazing. Sometimes I think there's a person in there. There's something to say for this kind of love - it's unconditional." In June 2005, Taylor's beloved dog Sugar died. However, several months later (in September) she purchased a descendant of Sugar which she named Daisy.

It was reported on April 27 2006 that Taylor was close to death. This was quickly denied by Taylor's publicist, Dick Guttman. "Dick Guttman says that he can refute every allegation in these published reports. In fact, he says they didn't get anything right. Guttman says Taylor has a very busy life, with her successful perfume and jewelry lines and the work she does for the fight against AIDS." On May 30, 2006, she appeared on Larry King Live to refute the claims that she has been ill, and denied the allegations that she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and was close to death.

In late August 2006 Taylor decided to take a boating trip to help prove that she was not even close to death. She also decided to make Christie's auction house the primary place where she will sell her jewelry, artwork, clothing, furniture, and memorabilia (September 2006).

In October 2006, it was widely reported that Taylor would be marrying her photographer Firooz Zahedi, 17 years her junior. Taylor responded by asserting that she and Zahedi "never have been and will never be romantically involved."

The February 2007 issue of Interview magazine devoted itself entirely to Elizabeth Taylor--a celebration of her life, career and her upcoming seventy-fifth birthday.

On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Taylor into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

She was in news once more recently for a rumored 9th marriage to her constant companion Jason Winters. This has been dismissed as a rumour. However she is quoted as saying, "Jason Winters is one of the most wonderful men I've ever known and that's why I love him. He bought us the most beautiful house in Hawaii and we visit it as often as possible," to celebrated gossip columnist Liz Smith. Dame Elizabeth and Jason Winters enjoy spending time together in Dame Elizabeth's home in Bel Air as well as in both of Winters' homes located in Palm Springs and Hawaii. He also accompanied her to Macy's Passport 2007 where she was honored with the Humanitarian Award as well as to her performance of A.R. Gurney's, Love Letters in 2007, escorting her down the red carpet at both events.

On December 1, 2007, Taylor and James Earl Jones gave a benefit performance of the A.R. Gurney play Love Letters, to raise $1 million for Taylor's AIDS foundation. Tickets for the show were priced at $2,500 and more than 500 people attended. This event happened to coincide with the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike and, rather than cross the picket line, Taylor requested a "one night dispensation". The Writers Guild agreed not to picket the Paramount Pictures lot that night, to allow for the performance.

Marriages

Taylor has been married eight times to seven husbands:

• Conrad "Nicky" Hilton (May 6, 1950 - January 29, 1951) (divorced)
• Michael Wilding (February 21, 1952 - January 26, 1957) (divorced)
• Michael Todd (February 2, 1957 - March 22, 1958) (widowed)
• Eddie Fisher (May 12, 1959 - March 6, 1964) (divorced)
• Richard Burton (March 15, 1964 - June 26, 1974) (divorced)
• Richard Burton (again) (October 10, 1975 - July 29, 1976) (divorced)
• Tim Gupton (December 4, 1976 - November 7, 1982) (divorced)
• Larry Fortensky (October 6, 1991 - October 31, 1996) (divorced)

Relationship with parents

Taylor's mother exerted influence on Taylor's life well into adulthood. Despite their often difficult relationship, Sara was always her daughter's biggest champion and when she died in 1994 at age 99, Taylor was devastated. In 2000 when Taylor was made a Dame of the British Empire she raised a glass of sparkling cider and made a toast:

There's a woman who deserves our deepest appreciation because if it weren't for her we'd all be somewhere else right now. Let's all drink to my mother Sara Taylor.

A guest shouted 'Hear, hear!'; however, Taylor then commanded

No! Let's drink to two things. To my mother and forgiveness.

Little is known regarding Taylor's relationship with her father.

Children

Taylor and Wilding had two sons, Michael Howard Wilding (b. January 6, 1953), and Christopher Edward Wilding (b. February 27, 1955). She and Todd had one daughter, Elizabeth Frances Todd, called "Liza," (b. August 6, 1957). And in 1964, she and Fisher started adoption proceedings for a daughter, whom Burton later adopted, Maria Burton (b. August 1, 1961). She became a grandmother on August 25, 1971 at age 39.

Other interests

Taylor on a show that was celebrating Taylor's life, late 1981, image by Alan Light

Taylor has a passion for jewelry. Over the years she has owned a number of well known pieces, two of the most talked about being the 33.19 carat (6.638 g) Krupp Diamond and the 69.42 carat (13.884 g) pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond, which were among many gifts from husband Richard Burton. Taylor also owns the 50 carat La Peregrina Pearl, purchased by Burton as a Valentine's day present in 1969. The pearl was formerly owned by Mary I of England, and Burton sought a portrait of Queen Mary wearing the pearl. Upon the purchase of the painting, the Burtons discovered that the British National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, so they donated the painting to the Gallery. Her enduring collection of jewelry has been eternalized with her book My Love Affair with Jewelry (2002).

In 2005, she partnered with Jack and Monty Abramov of Mirabelle Luxury Concepts in Los Angeles to introduce the House of Taylor Jewelry. In 2005, House of Taylor Jewelry formed a partnership with Kathy Ireland Worldwide, a design-and-marketing firm with more than US$1 billion in annual sales. She has also launched three perfumes, "Passion," "White Diamonds," and "Black Pearls," that together earn an estimated US$200 million in annual sales. In the Fall of 2006, Dame Elizabeth Taylor celebrated the 15th anniversary of her White Diamonds perfume, one of the top-10 best selling fragrances for more than the past decade.

Taylor has devoted much time and energy to AIDS-related charities and fundraising. She helped start the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) after the death of her former co-star and friend, Rock Hudson. She also created her own AIDS foundation, Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation (ETAF). By 1999, she had helped to raise an estimated US$50 million to fight the disease.

Recently, in 2006, Taylor donated US$40,000 to the New Orleans Aids task force, a charity designed for the New Orleans population with AIDS and HIV. The NO/AIDS task force estimated that about 7,400 residents were infected with HIV before Hurricane Katrina. Taylor and Macy's donated a 37-foot "CareVan," equipped with examination tables and X-Ray equipment.

In the early 1980s she moved to Bel-Air, which is her current home. She also owns homes in Palm Springs and Hawaii. The fenced and gated property is on tour maps sold at street corners and is frequently passed by tour guides.

Taylor was also a fan of the soap opera General Hospital. In fact, she was cast as the first Helena Cassadine, matriarch of the Cassadine family.

Taylor is a supporter of Kabbalah and member of the Kabbalah Centre. She encouraged friend Michael Jackson to wear a red string as protection from the evil-eye during his 2005 trial for molestation, where he was eventually cleared of all charges. Back in 1997, Jackson presented Taylor with exclusively written to her epic 'Elizabeth, I Love You' song, performed on the day of her 65th birthday celebration.

In October 2007, she won a legal battle over a Vincent van Gogh painting in her possession when the US Supreme Court refused to reconsider a legal suit filed by four persons claiming that the artwork belongs to one of their Jewish ancestors.

List of awards and honors

Main article: Elizabeth Taylor awards

Taylor has had a long and distinguished career in the movie and television industry. Here is a listing of the many awards that has been bestowed upon her by the entertainment industry.

See also

• List of notable brain tumor patients

References

• "Ailing Liz Taylor is 'close to death'". Retrieved April 27 2006, since refuted by publicist
• Diamond Bug. "Elizabeth Taylor's life-long love affair with Jewelry". Retrieved May 15 2005.
• "Liz takes centre stage". (6 November 2005). New Sunday Times, p. 29.
• "Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Kors talk fashion". (August 2006) [Harper's Bazaar], , pg. 116.

External links

• Elizabeth Taylor at the Internet Broadway Database
• Elizabeth Taylor at IMDb
• Elizabeth Taylor at the TCM Movie Database
• Profile @ Turner Classic Movies
• Elizabeth Taylor Resource Extensive biography, separate entries for each film, TV, stage, news archive, photographs, etc.
• Kennedy Center bio. for Elizabeth Taylor
• American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR)
• Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation (ETAF)
• Elizabeth Taylor interviewed by Ginny Dougary (1999)

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