ELIZABETH TAYLOR
(1932 - )
Occupation: Actress
Strikingly beautiful, quintessential movie star of the 1950s and 60s whose onscreen talent has often been overshadowed by her much publicized personal life. Within three years after arriving in the US, Taylor was cast as the young heroine opposite Roddy McDowall in LASSIE COME HOME (1943), which led to a longterm contract with MGM. Before reaching her late teens, she had physically outgrown juvenile parts and was playing young adults. FATHER OF THE BRIDE (1950) and the much-lauded A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951) firmly established her as a major adult star, and over the next decade she developed into one of the most glamorous and highly paid movie performers in the world.
Married numerous times (including twice to her most prominent leading man, Richard Burton, and once each to crooner Eddie Fisher, actor Michael Wilding and producer Michael Todd), Taylor's offscreen persona undoubtedly contributed to her popularity, but somewhat limited her critical reputation. She was nominated three times before winning the first of her two Oscars, for BUTTERFIELD 8 (1960), as a disillusioned, high-class call girl.
Taylor has been particularly adept throughout her career at playing somewhat neurotic beauties and in several ideal roles (CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, 1958, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, 1966) has given full expression to her immense, untrained and unbridled talent.
Taylor has continued to perform in semi-retirement from acting, appearing in occasional TV and movie roles while functioning as a successful entrepreneur (with her own line of perfume and cosmetics) and as one of the leading celebrity activists in the promotion of AIDS awareness and cure research. She is currently married to Larry Fortenski, a construction worker whom she met while they were both recovering from drug-related issues at the Betty Ford Center in California.
Actress 1960 : BUTTERFIELD 8
Actress 1966 : WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award 1992.
1942 THERE'S ONE BORN EVERY MINUTE performer
Biography from Baseline's Encyclopedia of Film
Born: February 27, 1932, London, England
Academy Awards®
Nominated for Actress 1957 : RAINTREE COUNTY
Nominated for Actress 1958 : CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
Nominated for Actress 1959 : SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER
For her work in the fight against AIDS.
Elizabeth Taylor
Filmography from Baseline's Encyclopedia of Film
1943 LASSIE COME HOME performer
1944 JANE EYRE performer
1944 NATIONAL VELVET performer
1946 COURAGE OF LASSIE performer
1947 CYNTHIA performer
1947 LIFE WITH FATHER performer
1948 A DATE WITH JUDY performer
1948 JULIA MISBEHAVES performer
1949 CONSPIRATOR performer
1949 LITTLE WOMEN performer
1950 THE BIG HANGOVER performer
1950 FATHER OF THE BRIDE performer
1951 FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND performer
1951 A PLACE IN THE SUN performer
1952 IVANHOE performer
1952 LOVE IS BETTER THAN EVER performer
1953 THE GIRL WHO HAD EVERYTHING performer
1954 BEAU BRUMMEL performer
1954 ELEPHANT WALK performer
1954 THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS performer
1954 RHAPSODY performer
1956 GIANT performer
1957 RAINTREE COUNTY performer
1958 CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF performer
1959 SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER performer
1960 BUTTERFIELD 8 performer
1963 CLEOPATRA performer
1963 THE V.I.P.S performer
1964 THE GUEST/THE CARETAKER funding
1965 THE SANDPIPER performer
1966 WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? performer
1967 THE COMEDIANS performer
1967 THE COMEDIANS IN AFRICA (short) performer
1967 REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE performer
1967 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW performer, co-producer
1968 BOOM! performer
1968 DR. FAUSTUS performer
1968 SECRET CEREMONY performer
1970 THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN performer
1972 HAMMERSMITH IS OUT performer
1972 X, Y AND ZEE performer
1973 ASH WEDNESDAY performer
1973 NIGHT WATCH performer
1973 UNDER MILK WOOD performer
1974 IDENTIKIT performer
1974 THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! performer
1976 THE BLUE BIRD performer
1976 IT'S SHOWTIME performer
1976 VICTORY AT ENTEBBE performer
1978 A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC performer
1979 WINTER KILLS performer
1980 THE MIRROR CRACK'D performer
1981 GENOCIDE performer
1984 GEORGE STEVENS: A FILMMAKER'S JOURNEY performer
1988 YOUNG TOSCANINI/IL GIOVANE TOSCANINI performer
1994 THE FLINTSTONES performer
