DameElizabethRosemondTaylor,DBE(born27February1932),alsoknownasLizTaylor,isanEnglish-Americanactress.Sheisknownforheractingtalentandbeauty,aswellasherHollywoodlifestyle,includingmanymarriages.TaylorisconsideredoneofthegreatactressesofHollywood'sgoldenage.TheAmericanFilmInstitutenamedTaylorseventhonitsFemaleLegendslist.

ElizabethRosemondTaylorwasborninLondon,England,onFebruary27,1932.AlthoughshewasbornanEnglishsubject,herparentswereAmericans,artdealersfromSt.Louis,Missouri(herfatherhadgonetoLondontosetupagallery).Hermotherhadbeenanactressonthestage,butgaveupthatvocationwhenshemarried.ElizabethlivedinLondonuntiltheageofseven,whenthefamilyleftfortheUSwhenthecloudsofwarbeganbrewinginEuropein1939.Theysailedwithoutherfather,whostayedbehindtowrapupthelooseendsoftheartbusiness.

ThefamilyrelocatedtoLosAngeles,whereMrs.Taylor'sownfamilyhadmoved.Mr.Taylorfollowednotlongafterward.AfamilyfriendnoticedthestrikinglybeautifullittleElizabethandsuggestedthatshebetakenforascreentest.HertestimpressedexecutivesatUniversalPicturesenoughtosignhertoacontract.HerfirstforayontothescreenwasinThere'soneBornEveryMinute(1942),releasedwhenshewasten.Universaldroppedhercontractafterthatonefilm,butElizabethwassoonpickedupbyMGM.

ThefirstproductionshemadewiththatstudiowasLassieComeHome(1943),andonthestrengthofthatonefilm,MGMsignedherforafullyear.Shehadminusculepartsinhernexttwofilms,TheWhiteCliffsofDover(1944)andJaneEyre(1943)(theformermadewhileshewasonloanto20thCentury-Fox).ThencamethepicturethatmadeElizabethastar:MGM'sNationalVelvet(1944).SheplayedVelvetBrownoppositeMickeyRooney.Thefilmwasasmashhit,grossingover$4million.Elizabethnowhadalong-termcontractwithMGMandwasitstopchildstar.Shemadenofilmsin1945,butreturnedin1946inCourageofLassie(1946).In1947,whenshewas15,shestarredinLifewithFather(1947)withsuchheavyweightsasWilliamPowell,IreneDunneandZasuPitts.

Throughouttherestofthe1940sandintotheearly1950sElizabethappearedinfilmafterfilmwithmostlygoodresults.Herbusiestyearwas1954,withrolesinRhapsody(1954),BeauBrummell(1954),TheLastTimeISawParis(1954)andElephantWalk(1954).Shewas22now,andevenatthatyoungagewasconsideredoneoftheworld'sgreatbeauties.In1955sheappearedinthehitGiant(1956)withJamesDean.

Sadly,Deanneversawthereleaseofthefilm,ashediedinacaraccidentin1955.ThenextyearsawElizabethstarinRaintreeCounty(1957),anoverblownepicmade,partially,inKentucky.Criticscalleditdryasdust.Despitethefilm'sshortcomings,ElizabethwasnominatedforanAcademyAwardforherportrayalofSouthernbelleSusannaDrake.However,onOscarnightthehonorwenttoJoanneWoodwardforTheThreeFacesofEve(1957).In1958ElizabethstarredasMaggiePollittinCatonaHotTinRoof(1958).

ThefilmreceivedravereviewsfromthecriticsandElizabethwasnominatedagainforanAcademyAwardforbestactress,butthistimeshelosttoSusanHaywardinIWanttoLive!(1958).Shewasstillahotcommodityinthefilmworld,though.In1959sheappearedinanothermega-hitandreceivedyetanotherOscarnominationforSuddenly,LastSummer(1959).Onceagain,however,shelostout,thistimetoSimoneSignoretforRoomattheTop(1959).HerOscardroughtendedin1960whenshebroughthomethecovetedstatueforherflawlessperformanceinBUtterfield8(1960)asGloriaWandrous,acallgirlwhoisinvolvedwithamarriedman.Somecriticsblastedthemoviebuttheycouldn'tignoreherperformance.TherewerenomorefilmsforElizabethforthreeyears.SheleftMGMafterhercontractranout,butwoulddoprojectsforthestudiolaterdowntheroad.In1963shestarredinCleopatra(1963),whichwasoneofthemostexpensiveproductionsuptothattime--aswashersalary,awhopping$1,000,000.

Thiswasthefilmwhereshemetherfutureandfifthhusband,RichardBurton(thepreviousfourwereConradHilton,MichaelWilding,MichaelTodd--whodiedinaplanecrash--andEddieFisher).Hernexthandfuloffilmswerelacklusteratbest,especially1963'sTheV.I.P.s(1963),whichwasshreddedbymostcritics.Elizabethwastoreturntofineform,however,withtheroleofMarthainWho'sAfraidofVirginiaWoolf?(1966).Herperformanceastheloudmouthed,shrewish,unkemptMarthawaseasilyherfinesttodate.

ForthisshewouldwinhersecondOscarandonethatwasmorethanwell-deserved,butherfilmsafterwarddidn'tapproachtheintensityofthatone.Sincethenshehasappearedinseveralmovies,boththeatricalandmade-for-television,andanumberofTVprograms.InFebruary1997Elizabethenteredthehospitalfortheremovalofabraintumor.Theoperationwassuccessful.Asforherprivatelife,shedivorcedBurtonin1974,onlytoremarryhimin1975anddivorcehim,permanently,in1976.Shehashadtwohusbandssince,SenatorJohnWarnerandLarryFortensky.