Elizabeth Taylor (1932–2011,) fully Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, was a British-born American actress. She was known for her incomparable beauty and her portrayals of volatile and strong-willed characters in over 50 films. Her eight marriages and personal life were remarkably well-publicized and overshadowed her acting career.
Born in London, England, to American parents, Taylor moved with her family to Los Angeles (1939,) where she made her début at the age of ten in There’s One Born Every Minute (1942.) As a child star, she made several other films, including two ‘Lassie’ stories (1943, 1946,) National Velvet (1944,) and Little Women (1949.)
Taylor first acted as an adult in Life with Father (1947) and The Father of the Bride (1950.) Her career blossomed through the 1950s with films such as Raintree County (1958,) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958,) and Suddenly Last Summer (1959,) for all of which she earned Academy Award nominations. She won her first Academy Award for Butterfield 8 (1960.)
The sensational epic Cleopatra (1962) provided the backdrop to Taylor’s well-publicized affair with co-star Richard Burton, whom she married for the first time in 1964. They made several films together, including Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966; Academy Award.)
Taylor made her stage début in New York with The Little Foxes (1981.) After therapy for alcohol addiction, she continued acting, mostly on television with Malice in Wonderland (1985,) Poker Alice (1986,) and other films.
Taylor helped establish the American Foundation for AIDS Research (1985.) Biographies include Kitty Kelley’s Elizabeth Taylor, The Last Star (1981,) Brenda Maddox’s Who’s Afraid of Elizabeth Taylor? (1977,) and Donald Spoto’s A Passion for Life: The Biography of Elizabeth Taylor (1995.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Elizabeth Taylor
It’s not the having, it’s the getting.
—Elizabeth Taylor
Topics: Achievement
I don’t like my voice. I don’t like the way I look. I don’t like the way I move. I don’t like the way I act. I mean, period. So you know, I don’t like myself.
—Elizabeth Taylor
Topics: Reality, Opportunities
I hate myself on the screen. I want to die… my voice is either too high or too gravelly. I want to dive under the carpet… I’ll love to be tall and willowy… I’m short.
—Elizabeth Taylor
Topics: Reality, Opportunities
Don’t abuse your friends and expect them to consider it criticism.
—Elizabeth Taylor
Topics: Service, Fame, Mistakes
The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.
—Elizabeth Taylor
Topics: Vice
I’ve been through it all, baby. I’m Mother Courage.
—Elizabeth Taylor
Topics: Bravery, Courage
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