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| Elizabeth in 1959 |
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
was born in
Hampstead, London, England, on February 27, 1932. Although she was born an English subject, her parents were Americans from St.Louis, Missouri. Elizabeth lived in London until the age of seven, when they moved back to the US in 1939 to Los Angeles. She literally grew up in the public eye
Her test for executives at Universal Pictures impressed them enough to sign her to a contract at the age of only nine. Her first foray onto the screen was in
"There's One Born Every Minute" (1942), as Gloria Twin.
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| Mickey & Liz - 1944 - National Velvet |
Universal dropped her contract after that one film, but Elizabeth was soon picked up by MGM a year later to star in a prominent role in
"Lassie Come Home"
(1943) as Priscilla co-starring with
Roddy McDowall
, who would become a lifelong friend.
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| Liz and Spencer - 1950 - Father of the Bride |
She continued her movie career for the studio with a loan-out to 20th Century Fox for the character of Helen Burns in a film version of the Charlotte Bronte novel staring in
"Jane Eyre" (1944) (uncredited) with
Orson Welles
.
Returning to England to film "The White Cliffs of Dover"
(1944) as Betsy Kenney,(uncredited) staring with screen legend Irene Dunn and friend Roddy McDowall.
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| Liz, Rock and James - 1956 - Giant |
But it was Taylor's persistence in campaigning for the role of Velvet Brown in MGM's
"National Velvet"
(1944) that skyrocketed Taylor to stardom at the tender age of 12 co-starring with Mickey Rooney and Angela Lansbury. She said "it was the most exciting film I every made". The film would change her life forever.
Taylor was shoved into another animal opus,
"Courage of Lassie"
(1946) the third of seven MGM films featuring a canine star called
Lassie
.
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| Newman and Taylor - 1958 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof |
Her next roles as Mary Skinner in a loan-out to Warner Brothers'
"Life With Father"
(1947), again with Irene Dunn and as Cynthia Bishop in
"Cynthia
" (1947).
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| As Cleopatra - 1963 |
Next Elizabeth starred in
"A Date With Judy"
(1948) playing Carol Pringle with Jane Powell, Carmen Miranda and Xavier Cugat.
"Julia Misbehaves"
(1948) Susan Packett with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Her portrayal as Amy, in the American classic
"Little Women"(1949) with June Allyson and Peter Lawford. In October 1948, she sailed aboard the RMS Queen Mary traveling to England where she would begin filming on
"Conspirator"
(1949), in which she would play Melinda Greyton.
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| Richard & Liz - 1967 - The Taming of the Shrew |
"The Big Hangover"
(1950), as Mary Belney, that paired her with screen idol Van Johnson. And Kay Banks in the romantic comedy
"Father of the Bride"
(1950) alongside Spencer Tracy and the sequel
"Father's Little Dividend"
(1951).
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| Brando and Liz - 1967 - Reflections in a Golden Eye |
But her career officially entered adulthood with George Stevens'
"A Place in the Sun"
(1951), with Montgomery Clift and Shelley Winters. An instant classic, Taylor's performance, still considered one of her best, launched the next part of her career. She had an (uncredited) role in
"Quo Vadis"
(1951).
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| Warren and Liz - 1970 - The Only Game in Town |
She had a cameo as herself in
"Callaway Went Thataway
" (1951). She played
Anastacia (Stacie) Macaboy in
"Love Is Better Than Ever"
(1952), and Rebecca in
"Ivanhoe
"(1952). She played Jean Latimer as
"The Girl Who Had Everything"
(1953) with Fernando Lamas. She played Louise Durant in
"Rhapsody"
(1954) and Ruth Wiley in
"Elephant Walk
"(1954) a role Taylor had been forced by her pregnancy to turn down though the role was written for her. But she replaced Vivien Leigh who had a nervous breakdown during filming. Her next film was as Lady Patricia Belham in
"Beau Brummel"
(1954)
with Stewart Granger and Peter Ustinov. Then as Helen Ellswirth in
"Last Time I Saw Paris"
(1954) with Van Johnson and Walter Pidgeon.
"Giant"
(1956) along side Holloywood legends Rock Hudson and James Dean.
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| Henry and Liz - Ash Wednesday - 1973 |
Her first of Four in a row Academy Award nomination for
"Raintree County"
in 1957. Also Roles in two Tennessee Williams adaptations followed --
"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"
(1958) with Paul Newman and
"Suddenly Last Summer"
(1959), and finally winning for
"BUtterfield 8"

(1960), which co-starred then husband Eddie Fisher. She also had an (uncredited) role in
"Scent of Mystery"
(1960) The Real Sally Kennedy.
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| A Little Night Music - 1977 |
She would play the title role in 20th Century Fox's lavish production of
"Cleopatra"
(1963) with soon to be husband Richard Burton. They would appear together in seven more films
"The V.I.P.s"
(1963),
"The Sandpiper"
(1965),
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966),her second Academy Award
, "The Taming of the Shrew"
(1967),
"Doctor Faustus" 
(1967),
"The Comedians"
{1967} and
"Boom!"
(1968). Taylor also starred in
"Reflections in a Golden Eye"
(1967) with Marlon Brando and "
The Comedians in Africa
"(1967) playing Herself. Lenora in
"Secret Ceremony" 
(1968) opposite Robert Mitchum and Mia Farrow.As Courtesan in
"Anne of the Thousand Days"
(1969)(uncredited).
"The Only Game in Town"
(1970) with Warren Beatty. In the TV Show
"Here's Lucy"
(1970) playing Herself.
"X,Y, and Zee"
(1972) as Zee Blakely with Michael Caine.
"Under Milk Wood"
as Rosie Probert and as Jimmie Jean Jachson in
"Hammersmith is Out"
(1972) a made for TV Movie
"Divorce His, Divorce Hers" (1973)
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| On General Hospital - 1981 |
all again with Richard Burton. In
"Night Watch"
(1973) and
"Ash Wednesday"
(1973) with Henry Fonda. Playing Lise in
"Identikit"
(1974) and
"That's Entertainment!"(1974)

as herself.
"The Blue Bird"
(1976) with Jane Fonda, Ava Gardner and Cicely Tyson and the TV movie
"Victory at Entebbe"
(1976) with Kirk Douglas and Richard Dreyfuss.
"A Little Night Music" 
(1977),
"Return Engagement"
(1978),
"Winter Kills"
(1979) as Lola Comante (uncredited), and The Agathe Christie
"The Mirror Crack'd"
(1980) with Kim Novak and Tony Curtis.
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| Taylor, Maclaine, Collins and Reynolds - 2001 |
She appeared on the TV soap opera's
"General Hospital"
(1981) and
"All My Children"
(1984) and TV show
"Hotel"
(1984) and the TV movie
"Between Friends"
(1983).
The TV movie
"Malice in Wonderland"
(1985)
"There Must Be a Pony" 
(1986),
"Poke Alice
" (1987),
"Sweet Bird of Youth"
(1989) and the TV Mini-Series
"North and South" 
(1985) and
"Young Toscanini"
(1988). She lent her voice to the animated TV series
"The Simpsons"
(1992,93),
"Captain Planet and the Planeteers"
and
"God, the Devil and Bob"
(2000). Appeared in the move
"The Flintstones"
(1994) She appeared on the TV show
"The Nanny"
(1996). Also was in the movie
"These Old Broads"
(2001).
WOW! A TRUE LEGEND.
As I said, She is THE LAST GREAT ACTRESS! She taught ALL on how to be a Movie Star.
Rest in Peace Ms. Taylor, and Thanks for ALL the Memories that will live on forever! |
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