Remembering the Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor
Taylor’s personal life often rivaled her on-screen dramas. She won her first Academy Award, for Best Actress in “Butterfield 8” in 1960, followed by another win with “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” in 1966
Remembering the Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born on February 27, 1932, in the Paddington district of London, England, to art dealers Francis Taylor and Sara Sothern. At the age of five, her family relocated to Los Angeles, where her striking violet eyes and natural poise quickly caught the attention of Hollywood talent scouts. By 1942 she was under contract to Universal Pictures, and two years later her performance as the spirited Velvet Brown in “National Velvet” (1944) made her an international child star at just twelve years old.
As she transitioned into adult roles, Taylor demonstrated a rare combination of glamour and emotional depth. In the early 1950s she earned critical praise opposite Montgomery Clift in George Stevens’s “A Place in the Sun” (1951), and her luminous presence carried her through a string of romantic dramas and historical epics. Her first Academy Award, for Best Actress in “Butterfield 8” (1960), showcased her ability to inhabit complex, troubled characters. Three years later, she embarked on the title role of “Cleopatra” (1963), a production beset by drama behind the scenes but which ultimately cemented her status as one of the world’s most recognizable movie stars.
Taylor’s personal life often rivaled her on-screen dramas. Her eight marriages—including two whirlwind unions with co-star Richard Burton—became the stuff of tabloid legend. Yet amid tabloid frenzy, she remained a consummate professional, delivering her second Oscar–winning turn in Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966), where her fierce, raw portrayal of Martha earned universal acclaim.
Though her film output slowed in later decades, Taylor remained a force both on screen and off. She took memorable supporting turns in films such as “The Taming of the Shrew” (1967) and “The Only Game in Town” (1970), and made occasional returns to television in prestige projects. Away from acting, she became one of the earliest—and most generous—celebrities to champion HIV/AIDS awareness, co-founding the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) in 1985 and establishing the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991 to support people living with the disease around the globe.
After a lifetime of health challenges—including multiple heart surgeries—Elizabeth Taylor passed away on March 23, 2011, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 79. Today her legacy endures not only through a filmography that spans nearly seven decades, but also through her pioneering humanitarian work, which transformed the way the world confronts and cares for those affected by HIV/AIDS.
Watch the A&E Elizabeth Taylor biography
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