Elizabeth
Taylor was born in London, England, on February 27, 1932.
She has asthma and is wonderful example for our Life
without Limits feature. Although she was born
in England, her parents were American. Her father was
an art dealer from St. Louis, Missouri . Her mother had
been an actress on the stage, but gave up acting when
she married. Her father moved the family to England so
he could open an art gallery in London. Elizabeth
lived in London until the age of seven. In 1939, her
father decided to move the family back to U.S, when it
was becoming apparent that a war in Europe was on the
horizon.
From a very young age Elizabeth was noted
for her beauty, which led her to her first screen test
at Universal Pictures in Los Angeles. Her test impressed
the executives at Universal and Elizabeth signed a contract
with the studio. Her first onscreen appearance was
in the 1942 film There is One Born Every Minute. After
this first step into the acting world, Elizabeth was picked
up by rival studios MGM. Shortly after this move, she appeared
in the film that would make her a star, National Velvet (1944).
She played Velvet Brown opposite Mickey Rourke. The film
was a world smash hit and turned Elizabeth into MGM's top
child star.
In 1958, Elizabeth starred in Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof, which led to a second Oscar nomination
and rave reviews from the critics. She appeared alongside
the legendary James Dean in Giant (1956). In
1959, she appeared in Suddenly Last Summer, which
garnered her third Oscar nomination. However it took
her fourth Oscar nomination for her flawless performance
in Butterfield 9(1960) for Elizabeth to finally win the
coveted award.
In 1963 she starred in Cleopatra,
one of the most expensive productions up to that time.
This was the film where she met her future and fifth husband,
Richard Burton. Their tumultuous relationship would
become an infamous and much talked about part of Elizabeth's
life.
Her finest performance arguably was her
portrayal of the loudmouthed Martha in "Who's afraid
of Virginia Wolf "(1966), from which she won her second
Oscar.
Elizabeth Taylor is a very interesting addition to our “Life
without Limits” section as she is someone who has lived the
stereotypical "Hollywood dream”. As well as having asthma,
Elizabeth has coped with a number of illnesses and health
problems throughout her life, including severe back problems
and a benign brain tumor. She also has a passion for jewelry
and has owned several extremely expensive and well-known
pieces including a 69-carat diamond, which was a gift from
her husband Richard Burton. Taylor is also known for her
friendship with the late Michael Jackson and her AIDS-related
charity work.
|
