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Classic Film Star Elizabeth Taylor-The First Million Dollar ActressClassic films star Elizabeth Taylor was born in Hampstead, London, and her parents were Americans residing in Britain. When Elizabeth was three years old, she began taking ballet lessons. After the United Kingdom entered World War II, her parents decided to return to the United States to avoid hostilities. They settled in Los Angeles, California.
Taylor appeared in her first motion picture at the age of nine for Universal Studios. They let her contract drop, and she was next signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Her first movie with that MGM was Lassie Come Home (1943), which drew favorable attention. After a couple more movies, the second on loan-out to 20th Century Fox, she 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 $4,000,000 at the box-office, and she was signed to a long-term contract
with MGM. She attended school on the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lot and received a diploma from University High School in Los Angeles on January 26, 1950.
Elizabeth Taylor won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performances in Butterfield 8 (1960) and again for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966). Taylor was nominated for Raintree County (1957), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959).
In 1963, she became the highest paid movie star male or female when she accepted $1,000,000 to play the title role in the lavish production of Cleopatra for 20th Century Fox.
In addition to Elizabeth Taylor being a classic film star and the first million dollar actress, she is also well known for her many marriages. She has been married 8 times to 7 different husbands. Her husbands include:
Hotel heir Conrad Hilton, Jr. (May 6, 1950 - January 29, 1951) (divorced)
Michael Wilding (February 21, 1952 - January 26, 1957) (divorced)
Producer Mike 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 (2nd marriage) (October 10, 1975 - July 29, 1976) (divorced)
Senator John Warner (December 4, 1976 - November 7, 1982) (divorced)
Teamster construction-equipment operator Larry Fortensky (twenty years her junior) (October 6, 1991 - October 31, 1996) (divorced).
She is also well known for devoting 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, ETAF. By 1999, she had helped to raise an estimated $50,000,000 (USD) to fight the disease.
In recent years, classic film Star Elizabeth Taylor, announced that she had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, a terminal condition in which the heart pumps insufficient amounts of blood throughout the body. She has broken her back five times, has 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 is now confined to a wheelchair to get around.
In 2005 she was a vocal supporter of her best friend, Michael Jackson, in his trial in California on charges of sexually abusing a child with cancer. He was ultimately acquitted. In recent years, Taylor has reportedly become closely attached to her pet dog, saying that she goes 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 27th, 2006 that Taylor was close to death. Taylors publicist, Dick Guttman, quickly refuted this. "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 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. Taylor says that she wants to be buried in Switzerland next to her late husband, Richard Burton.
Classic Film Star Elizabeth Taylor has had such an impact on the film industry both with her breakthrough performances and philanthropic efforts.
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