Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
1932 — 2011
États-Unis, Royaume-Uni
Elizabeth Taylor (1932–2011) was a British-American actress widely regarded as one of Hollywood's greatest stars. A child prodigy who rose to fame early, she excelled in major roles of classic cinema and became a global symbol of glamour and the Hollywood star system. She was also a pioneering activist in the fight against AIDS from the 1980s onward.
Famous Quotes
« I've always admitted that I'm ruled by my passions. »
« You find out who your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal. »
Key Facts
- 1932: born in London to American parents
- 1944: breakthrough role in Lassie Come Home, captivating young audiences worldwide
- 1960–1963: filming of Cleopatra, the most expensive Hollywood production of its time
- 1966: won her second Academy Award for Best Actress for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, following her first for Butterfield 8 (1960)
- 1985: co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), becoming a pioneering voice in the fight against AIDS
- 2011: died in Los Angeles
Works & Achievements
Elizabeth Taylor's first major role at age 11, revealing her natural screen presence. This family film marked the beginning of an exceptional career under contract with MGM.
An adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's novel directed by George Stevens. Taylor portrays Angela Vickers with a grace and intensity that confirmed her talent as a serious dramatic actress.
An adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play in which Taylor portrays Maggie with explosive sensuality. The film earned her her first Oscar nomination and cemented her status as an international star.
A role as a sophisticated call girl that earned her her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Taylor herself considered the film mediocre, making her win all the more remarkable.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz's epic production in which Taylor portrays the Queen of Egypt with unforgettable magnificence. The film remains one of the landmark moments in Hollywood cinema history.
An adaptation of Edward Albee's play, directed by Mike Nichols. Taylor portrays Martha with raw brutality and extraordinary depth, earning her a second Academy Award in a role radically at odds with her glamorous image.
Co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research with Dr. Mathilde Krim. This landmark humanitarian initiative made Taylor a pioneer in the fight against HIV/AIDS, long before the cause was recognized by mainstream institutions.
Anecdotes
Elizabeth Taylor was one of the first actresses to negotiate a one-million-dollar fee for a single film. In 1963, for the filming of Cleopatra in Rome, she secured this record-breaking sum, permanently shifting the balance of power between Hollywood studios and their stars.
On the set of Cleopatra, Taylor and Richard Burton fell desperately in love, even though both were married to other people. Their affair sparked a worldwide scandal and official condemnations, reaching as far as the Vatican, which described their behavior as a challenge to public morality.
After the death of her friend Rock Hudson from AIDS in 1985, Elizabeth Taylor co-founded amfAR (the American Foundation for AIDS Research) that same year alongside Dr. Mathilde Krim. She was one of the first celebrities to break the silence on a disease that was still deeply stigmatized at the time.
Taylor was married eight times to seven different men — she wed Richard Burton twice, in 1964 and again in 1975. This turbulent romantic life fueled the world's press for decades and helped define the myth of the Hollywood star.
Primary Sources
I've always admitted that I'm ruled by my passions. I think it's the secret of my staying power.
I call upon you — our community — to do all we can to fight this disease, to support those who suffer from it, and to find a cure.
Ignorance is the enemy. Silence is complicity. We must speak out about AIDS.
Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses. The rest were just human beings.
Key Places
The heart of the studio system where Taylor was under contract with MGM from childhood. Hollywood was the stage for her glory, her scandals, and her long career spanning more than six decades.
It was in these legendary studios that Cleopatra (1962–1963) was filmed, and where the affair between Taylor and Richard Burton began, under the eyes of a captivated world press.
Elizabeth Taylor's birthplace, where she was born on February 27, 1932, into an upper-middle-class English family. Her British roots gave her an artistic upbringing and a European sensibility.
The favorite retreat of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton at the height of their shared fame in the 1960s and 1970s. Their Swiss chalet came to symbolize their lavish life away from the spotlight.
The residential neighborhood of Los Angeles where Taylor spent the final decades of her life. It was here that she passed away on March 23, 2011, surrounded by her loved ones.
Gallery
Portrait of a man title QS:P1476,en:"Portrait of a man "label QS:Len,"Portrait of a man "
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Frans Hals
Portrait of a man label QS:Len,"Portrait of a Man leaning over the back of a chair"
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Frans Hals
Portrait-of-mary-1-by-unknown-artist-circa-1555
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Unknown. Portrait from around 1555
Sampson Copestake of Kirk Langley (1726–1816)label QS:Len,"Sampson Copestake of Kirk Langley (1726–1816)"
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Joseph Wright of Derby
Sampson Copestake of Kirk Langley (1726–1816)label QS:Len,"Sampson Copestake of Kirk Langley (1726–1816)"
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Joseph Wright of Derby
Taylor, Elizabeth posed
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Studio publicity still
Elizabeth Taylor, late 1950s
Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — MGM publicity still
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (February 2023) - 069
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Another Believer
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - March 2023 - 096
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Another Believer
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (February 2023) - 069 (cropped)
Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 — Another Believer