Taylor in 1958
Born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
27 February 1932 (age 78)
Hampstead, London, England, UK
Other names Liz Taylor
Occupation Actress
Years active 1942--2003
Spouse Conrad Hilton Jr. (1950--1951)
Michael Wilding (1952--1957)
Mike Todd (1957--1958)
Eddie Fisher (1959--1964)
Richard Burton (1964--1974)
Richard Burton (1975--1976)
John Warner (1976--1982)
Larry Fortensky (1991--1996)
Children Michael Howard Wilding, born on 6 January 1953 (age 57)
Christopher Edward Wilding, born on 28 February 1955 (age 55)
Elizabeth Frances Todd, born on 6 August 1957 (age 53)
Maria Burton, born on 1 August 1961 (age 49)
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born 27 February 1932), also known as Liz Taylor, is an English-American actress.[1] She is known for her acting talent and beauty, as well as her Hollywood lifestyle, including many marriages. Taylor is considered one of the great actresses of Hollywood's golden age.
The American Film Institute named Taylor seventh on its Female Legends list.
Contents [hide] 1 Early years (1932--1942)
2 Career 2.1 Adolescent star
2.2 Transition into adult roles
2.3 1955--1979
2.4 1980--2003
3 Retirement, 2003--present
4 Other interests
5 Personal life 5.1 Marriages
5.2 Children
5.3 Treatment for alcoholism
6 Filmography
7 List of awards and honours
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links
Early years (1932--1942) Taylor was born in Hampstead, a wealthy district of north-west London, the second child of Francis Lenn Taylor (1897--1968) and Sara Viola Warmbrodt (1895--1994), who were Americans residing in England. Taylor's older brother, Howard Taylor, was born in 1929. Both of her parents were originally from Arkansas City, Kansas. Her father was an art dealer and her mother a former actress whose stage name was 'Sara Sothern'. Sothern retired from the stage when she and Francis Taylor married in 1926 in New York City. Taylor's two first names are in honour of her paternal grandmother, Elizabeth Mary (Rosemond) Taylor. A dual citizen of the UK and the U.S., she was born a British subject through her birth on British soil and an American citizen through her parents.
At the age of three, Taylor began taking ballet lessons with Vaccani. Shortly before the beginning of World War II, her parents decided to return to the United States to avoid hostilities. Her mother took the children first, arriving in New York in April 1939,[2] while her father remained in London to wrap up matters in the art business, arriving in November.[3] They settled in Los Angeles, California, where Sara's family, the Warmbrodts, were then living.
Through Hopper, the Taylors were introduced to Andrea Berens, a wealthy English socialite and also fiancée of Cheever Cowden, chairman and major stockholder of Universal Pictures in Hollywood. Berens insisted that Sara bring Elizabeth to see Cowden, who she was adamant would be taken away by Elizabeth's breathtaking dark beauty; she was born with a mutation that caused double rows of eyelashes, which enhanced her appearance on camera.[4] Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer soon took interest in the British youngster as well but she failed to secure a contract with them after an informal audition with producer John Considine proved that she couldn't sing. However, on 18 September 1941, Universal Pictures signed Elizabeth to a six-month renewable contract at $100 a week.
Taylor appeared in her first motion picture at the age of nine in There's One Born Every Minute, her first and only film for Universal Pictures. Less than six months after she signed with Universal, her contract was reviewed by Edward Muhl, the studio's production chief. Muhl met with Taylor's agent, Myron Selznick (brother of David) and with Cheever Cowden. Muhl challenged Selznick's and Cowden's constant support of Taylor: "She can't sing, she can't dance, she can't perform. What's more, her mother has to be one of the most unbearable women it has been my displeasure to meet."[5] Universal cancelled Taylor's contract just short of her tenth birthday in February 1942. Nevertheless on 15 October 1942, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer signed Taylor to $100 a week for up to three months to appear as Priscilla in Lassie Come Home.
Elizabeth Taylor dies aged 79
gumira69 11 months ago