Elizabeth Taylor
| Elizabeth Taylor | ||
 Taylor photographed for Argentinian Magazine in 1947 | ||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor | |
| Born | February 27, 1932 Hampstead, London, England | |
| Died | Mar 23, 2011 - age 78 Los Angeles, United States Congestive heart failure | |
| Occupation | Actress | |
| Spouse(s) | Conrad Hilton, Jr. (1950–1951) Michael Wilding (1952–1957) Mike Todd (1957–1958) Eddie Fisher (1959–1964) Richard Burton (1964–1974, 1975–1976) John Warner (1976–1982) Larry Fortensky (1991–1996) | |
| Parents | Francis Lenn Taylor (deceased) Sara Sothern (deceased) | |
| Nationality | British-American | |
- This article is about a Movie Star
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) (born: ✦February 27, 1932 – †March 23, 2011, also known as Liz Taylor, was an English-American actress. Beginning as a child star, as an adult, she came to be known for her acting talent and beauty and had a much-publicized private life, including eight marriages and several near-death experiences. Taylor was considered one of the great actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age. The American Film Institute named Taylor seventh on its Female Legends list.
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Elizabeth_Taylor ]
2003–2011
In November 2004, Taylor announced that she had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, a progressive condition in which the heart is too weak to pump sufficient blood throughout the body, particularly to the lower extremities: the ankles and feet. She broke her back five times, had both her hips replaced, survived a benign brain tumor operation and skin cancer, and faced life-threatening bouts with pneumonia twice. Towards the end of her life she was reclusive and sometimes failed to make scheduled appearances due to illness or other personal reasons. She used a wheelchair and when asked about it stated that she had osteoporosis and was born with scoliosis.
In 2005, Taylor was a vocal supporter of her friend Michael Jackson in his trial in California on charges of sexually abusing a child. He was acquitted.
On 30 May 2006, Taylor appeared on Larry King Live to refute the claims that she had been ill, and denied the allegations that she was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and was close to death.
In late August 2006, Taylor decided to take a boating trip to help prove that she was not close to death. She also decided to make Christie's auction house the primary place for selling her jewelry, art, clothing, furniture and memorabilia. Six months later, the February 2007 issue of Interview magazine was devoted entirely to Taylor. It celebrated her life, career and her upcoming 75th birthday.
On 5 December 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and California First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Taylor into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.
Taylor was in the news in 2007 for a rumored ninth marriage to her companion Jason Winters, which she dismissed as a rumour. However, she was quoted as saying, "Jason Winters is one of the most wonderful men I've ever known and that's why I love him. He bought us the most beautiful house in Hawaii and we visit it as often as possible," to gossip columnist Liz Smith. Winters accompanied Taylor to Macy's Passport HIV/AIDS 2007 gala, where Taylor was honoured with a humanitarian award. In 2008, Taylor and Winters were spotted celebrating the 4th of July on a yacht in Santa Monica, California. The couple attended the Macy's Passport HIV/AIDS gala again in 2008.
On December 1, 2007, Taylor acted on-stage again, appearing opposite James Earl Jones in a benefit performance of the A. R. Gurney play "Love Letters". The event's goal was to raise $1 million for Taylor's AIDS foundation. Tickets for the show were priced at $2,500, and more than 500 people attended. The event happened to coincide with the 2007 Writers Guild of America strike and, rather than cross the picket line, Taylor requested a "one night dispensation." The Writers Guild agreed not to picket the Paramount Pictures lot that night to allow for the performance.
Other interests
Taylor on a show celebrating her life, late 1981Taylor had a passion for jewelry. She was a client of well-known jewelry designer, Shlomo Moussaieff. Over the years she owned a number of well-known pieces, two of the most talked-about being the 33.19-carat (6.64 g) Krupp Diamond and the 69.42-carat (13.88 g) pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond, which were among many gifts from husband Richard Burton. Taylor also owned the 50-carat (10 g) La Peregrina Pearl, purchased by Burton as a Valentine's Day present in 1969. The pearl was formerly owned by Mary I of England, and Burton sought a portrait of Queen Mary wearing the pearl. Upon the purchase of such a painting, the Burtons discovered that the British National Portrait Gallery did not have an original painting of Mary, so they donated the painting to the Gallery. Her enduring collection of jewelry has been documented in her book My Love Affair with Jewelry (2002) with photographs by the New York photographer John Bigelow Taylor (no relation).
Taylor started designing jewels for The Elizabeth Collection, creating fine jewelry with elegance and flair. The Elizabeth Taylor collection by Piranesi is sold at Christie's. She also launched three perfumes, "Passion", "White Diamonds", and "Black Pearls", which, together, earn an estimated US$200 million in annual sales. In fall 2006, Taylor celebrated the 15th anniversary of her White Diamonds perfume, one of the top 10 best selling fragrances for more than the past decade.
Taylor devoted 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 costar and friend, Rock Hudson. She also created her own AIDS foundation, the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation (ETAF). By 1999, she had helped to raise an estimated US$50 million to fight the disease. In 2006, Taylor commissioned a 37-foot (11 m) "Care Van" equipped with examination tables and X Ray equipment and also donated US$40,000 to the New Orleans Aids task force, a charity designed for the New Orleans population with AIDS and HIV. The donation of the van was made by the Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation and Macy's.
In the early 1980s, Taylor moved to Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, which was her residence until her death. She also owned homes in Palm Springs, London and Hawaii.
Taylor was a supporter of Kabbalah and member of the Kabbalah Centre. She encouraged long-time friend Michael Jackson to wear a red string as protection from the evil-eye during his 2005 trial for molestation, where he was eventually cleared of all charges. On 6 October 1991, Taylor had married construction worker Larry Fortensky at Jackson's Neverland Ranch In 1997, Jackson presented Taylor with the exclusively written-for-her epic song "Elizabeth, I Love You", performed on the day of her 65th birthday celebration.
In October 2007, Taylor won a legal battle, over a Van Gogh painting in her possession, View of the Asylum and Chapel at Saint Remy. The United States Supreme Court refused to reconsider a legal suit filed by four persons claiming that the artwork belonged to one of their Jewish ancestors, regardless of any statute of limitations.
Taylor attended Michael Jackson's private funeral on 3 September 2009.
Elizabeth Taylor was known by many people as the actress with purple eyes due to her deep blue eyes, which made plenty of men fall in love with her. She was undoubtedly one of the most attractive and booked Hollywood stars, and many people say that everything that she touched turned to gold.
In 1963, for instance, she starred as Cleopatra in a movie of the same name, a role which made her richer by $1 million. You might say that cinematographic stars earn even more money nowadays, but during those times, it was considered a record for female movie artists. And the best part of all this is that Elizabeth Taylor knew how to evaluate her worth and she was the one who negotiated her fee for the “Cleopatra” movie. This is real proof that we all need a bit of confidence in our lives!
She was passionate about jewelry, and all the husbands she had bought her incredible rings and necklaces. The celeb used to say that flowers die and chocolate makes her lose her figure, but jewelry remains forever. It seems that all her lovers agreed with her because, by the time of her death in 2011, she was considered to have the most important private jewel collection in the United States.
- More information is available at [ Wikipedia:Elizabeth_Taylor ]
Sources
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