Elizabeth Taylor, an actress, philanthropist, and Hollywood legend, was normally celebrated as a single of the most beautiful girls in the environment.
She passed absent from congestive heart failure at 79 on March 23, 2011, leaving driving a legacy as vibrant as her display screen roles. “Elizabeth is greater than life,” her good friend, songwriter Carol Bayer Sager, when explained to Folks. “She’s the closest issue we have in The usa to royalty.”
Early Everyday living and Job
Born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor on February 27, 1932, in Hampstead, London, she was the daughter of artwork supplier Francis Taylor and previous phase actress Sara.
Her mother’s encouragement led Elizabeth into demonstrate enterprise, setting up ballet classes at age 3. “I hardly ever could kick up my heels like other children there ended up too quite a few restraints,” she wrote in her 1988 memoir “Elizabeth Normally takes Off.”
Her initially film position was in the 1942 comedy “There’s A single Born Just about every Minute” at age 9. MGM recognized her prospective and signed her for 1943’s “Lassie Arrive Dwelling,” adopted by her star-earning change in 1944’s “National Velvet.”
Increase to Stardom
In 1951, Elizabeth turned a main lady, co-starring with Montgomery Clift in “A Position in the Sun.” Her enduring friendships in Hollywood grew to become a hallmark of her vocation.
Taylor married motion picture producer Mike Todd in 1957, describing him as a person of the fantastic loves of her existence. Tragically, Todd died in a airplane crash in 1958, leaving Elizabeth devastated. She channeled her grief into her perform, earning an Oscar nomination for her job in “Cat on a Scorching Tin Roof” afterwards that year.
The Cleopatra Period
“Cleopatra,” produced in 1963, turned notorious for its manufacturing difficulties and Elizabeth’s romance with Richard Burton. Despite the chaos, Taylor manufactured record as the first actor to be paid out $1 million for a purpose, finally earning around $4 million.
Her motivation to AIDS activism attained her the Presidential Citizen’s Medal in 2001 and recognition at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2002.
Afterwards Decades and Legacy
Elizabeth also succeeded as a businesswoman with her White Diamonds fragrance and House of Taylor jewelry line. Despite wellness struggles, she remained energetic, even celebrating at a West Hollywood bar in 2008. Elizabeth Taylor claimed her ultimate farewell in 2011, leaving a lasting effects on Hollywood and philanthropy.