Elizabeth Taylor

She was bridesmaid for Jane Powell for her first marriage. Powell was bridesmaid for Taylor at her first marriage.

(October 1997) Ranked #72 in Empire magazines "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list.

(26 February 1997) Discharged from hospital, but later rushed back in after a suffering a brain seizure. Said to be comfortable.

(20 February 1997) Underwent successful surgery to remove the benign brain tumor.

Has four children and nine grandchildren.

Mother of Christopher Edward Wilding and Michael Wilding Jr.

Her daughter, Liza Todd , with Mike Todd , is a sculptor, who has two sons, Quinn and Rhys, with her husband artist Hap Tivey.

Has appeared solo on the cover of PEOPLE magazine 14 times, second only to Princess Diana (as of 1996).

Liz and Richard Burton appeared together on stage in a 1983 revival of "Private Lives."

Her episode of "Biography" was the highest-rated episode of that series on Arts & Entertainment (thru the end of 1995).

American Film Institute Life Achievement Award.

Liz was a close friend of Montgomery Clift until his death in 1966. They met for the first time when Paramount decided that she had to accompany him to the premiere of The Heiress because they were both to star in the upcoming A Place in the Sun . They liked each other right away. Clift used to call her "Bessie Mae". When he had a car accident a few years later that disfigured him, he had just left a party at Lizs house. It was she who found him first, got into the wreck and removed some teeth from his throat that threatened to choke him.

Her perfumes have been Passion , White Diamonds , Diamonds and Rubies, Diamonds and Emeralds, Diamonds and Sapphires and Black Pearls.

At one point during her life-threatening illness while filming BUtterfield 8 , she was actually pronounced dead.

First actress to earn $1,000,000 for a movie role (in Cleopatra ).

Along with Julie Andrews , she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II on New Years Eve, 1999.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#16).

Mother-in-law of Brooke Palance.

Lives in BelAir house once owned by Frank Sinatra when he was married to first wife, Nancy.

Born at 2:15 AM GMT

Has owned some of the worlds most magnificent jewelry, including the 33-carat "Krupp Diamond", the Duchess of Windsor diamond brooch, the Grand Duchess of Russia emeralds, the "LaPeregina Pearl" (which was a Valentine present to her from Richard Burton ), and the famous pear-shaped 69-carat "Burton-Cartier Diamond" Burton gave her in 1969 (subsequently renamed the "Burton-Taylor Diamond.").

Considered Michael Jackson among her closest friends.

In the early 1970s, she planned to star in the movie version of the hit 1971 Broadway play "Twigs" by George Furth , in which she would have played four characters -- three sisters and their aged, cranky Bronx-Irish mother -- but the project never materialized.

Stepmother of the late Michael Todd Jr. , who was actually her senior by three years.

She was a recipient of the 2002 John F. Kennedy Center Honors.

Admitted in an interview with Barbara Walters in the late 1990s that she would still like to act but, because of her medical problems, no movie company will insure her. In addition to many other medical problems, including a benign brain tumor she had removed, she has broken her back four times. This causes her severe pain when walking or standing for long amounts of time.

She is mentioned in the lyrics of several songs, including some versions of the Frank Sinatra standard "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)", the Allan Sherman song "Oh Boy" (wherein Sherman giggled "oh boy" in reference to "her men"), "My Baby Just Cares for Me" (written by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson , performed by the likes of Eddie Cantor and Nina Simone ) and "Lady Nina" by the rock band Marillion.

The stories of her Oscar win for BUtterfield 8 have grown legendary. It is generally accepted as truth that she won Oscar voters by a vote of sympathy, because of the recent death of her husband, Mike Todd , and her near-fatal illness and emergency tracheotomy to save her life (her scar was very visible on Oscar night). Wisecracker and Rat Pack member Shirley MacLaine , who was favored to win for her role in The Apartment , said afterwards that "I lost out to a tracheotomy."

The premiere of her film Father of the Bride took place two days after her real-life marriage to Conrad Hilton Jr.. The publicity surrounding the event is credited with helping to make the film so successful. The marriage lasted as long as the 3 month European honeymoon. Irreconcilable differences were cited in the divorce court.

She was voted the 11th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Has four children. Two sons with Michael Wilding : Michael Howard (born January 6, 1953) and Christopher Edward (born February 27, 1955). Her daughter with Mike Todd , Elizabeth Frances Todd, called "Liza", was born August 6, 1957. Her daughter, Maria Burton, was born August 1, 1961.

Ranked #7 in the American Film Insitutes list of the 50 Greatest American Screen Legends, the top 25 male and top 25 female.

Although born in England, her parents were actually Americans, who were just working in England. Her ancestry included English (with many colonial American roots going back to the 1600s), as well as Swiss-German (from an immigrant maternal great-grandfather), Northern Irish (Scots-Irish), French, and more distant Dutch, Welsh, and Danish.

Premiere Magazine ranked her as #40 on a list of the Greatest Movie Stars of All Time in their Stars in Our Constellation feature.

Announced in November 2004 she has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but vowed to continue raising funds for AIDS charities and to build a Richard Burton Memorial Theatre in Cardiff, Wales.

Is portrayed by Sherilyn Fenn in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story .

Was unable to give evidence at Michael Jackson s trial due to illness.

She was (along with Marisa Berenson ) co-matron of honor at Liza Minnelli s and David Gest s wedding.

Along with Mark Hamill and Joe Mantegna , she was one of only three actors to play both themselves and a fictional character in "The Simpsons" . She supplied the voice of Maggie Simpson in the Season Four episode "Lisas First Word" and portrayed herself in the Season Four episode "Krusty Gets Kancelled".

She and Richard Burton starred together in 11 movies: Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , The V.I.P.s , Under Milk Wood , The Taming of the Shrew , The Sandpiper , Hammersmith Is Out , Doctor Faustus , Divorce His - Divorce Hers , The Comedians , Cleopatra and Boom . She had an uncredited cameo in Burtons film Anne of the Thousand Days .

In 1969, Richard Burton bought her one of the worlds largest and most beautiful diamonds from the jeweler Cartier after losing an auction for the 69-carat, pear-shaped stone to the jeweler, who won with a $1-million bid. The rough diamond that would yield the prized stone weighed 244 carats and was found in 1966 at South Africas Premier mine. Harry Winston cut and polished the diamond, which was put up for auction in 1969. Burton purchased the diamond from Cartier the next day for $1,069,000 to give to Taylor. The small premium was the result of the publicity Cartier garnered from selling the stone, then called the "Burton-Cartier Diamond," to the then "worlds most famous couple." Ten years later, the twice-divorced-from-Burton Taylor herself auctioned off the "Burton-Taylor Diamond" to fund a hospital in Botswana. The last recorded sale of the Taylor-Burton was in 1979 for nearly $3,000,000 to an anonymous buyer in Saudi Arabia. The ring was the center of the classic "Heres Lucy" episode "Lucy Meets the Burtons," in which Lucy Carter, played by Lucille Ball , gets the famous ring stuck on her finger. The actual ring was used and the episode was the highest rated episode of the very popular series.

Auctioned off her diamond-and-emerald engagement ring from Richard Burton to raise money for an AIDS charity.

Her third husband Mike Todd gave her a 29-carat diamond ring during their marriage, a feat topped by fifth husband Richard Burton when he gave her the 69-carat "Burton-Cartier" diamond. Fourth-husband Eddie Fisher said that a $50,000 diamond could keep Taylor happy for approximately four days.

She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II at the 2000 New Years Honours List for her services to drama.

Writer Charles Bukowski , in his newspaper column (and later book) "Notes of a Dirty Old Man", revealed that he loathed Taylor as an absurd icon of the celebrity-mad, media-besotted American culture that he despised.

1976: Won the title of "Most Memorable Eyebrows" in a magazine poll. The first runner up was Lassie.

Was unable to attend the civil partnership ceremony of her friend Sir Elton John in England due to her illness. (December 2005)

Became friends with Marlon Brando while shooting Reflections in a Golden Eye . Brando agreed to pick up her Best Actress Award for Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? from the New York Film Critics Circle. When Brando made his appearance at the NYFCC Award ceremony at Sardis on January 29, 1967, he berated the critics, querying them as to why they hadnt recognized Liz before. He then flew to Dahomey, Africa, where she was shooting The Comedians with Richard Burton to personally deliver the award, a development Burton thought odd. Several years later Brando socialized with the Burtons, visiting them on their famous yacht the Kalizma, while they plied the Mediterreanean. Brandos ex-wife Anna Kashfi , in her book "Brando for Breakfast" , claimed that Brando and Burton got into a fist fight aboard the yacht, probably over Liz, but nothing of the incident appears in Burtons voluminous diaries. In his diaries, Burton found Brando to be quite intelligent but believed he suffered, like Liz did, from becoming too famous too early in his life and believed their affinity for one another was based on this (both Liz and Marlon would later befriend Michael Jackson , another superstar-cum-legend who had become too famous too soon). Burton recognized Brando as a great actor, but felt he would have been more suited to silent films due to the deficiency in his voice (the famous "mumble"). As a silent film star, Burton believed Brando would have been the greatest motion picture actor ever.

In 2006, she introduced a line of diamond and precious stone jewelry called "House of Taylor". The designs are said to be inspired by certain favorite pieces in her own collection. She actually wrote a book on jewelry and is considered to be an authority on the subject.

Cancelled her appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, prompting renewed fears about her health. The acting legend usually attends an annual charity dinner organized by the American Foundation For AIDS Research (AMFAR), which always coincides with the South of France festival. However, Taylor - who also pulled out in 2004 due to health problems - was replaced by Sharon Stone and Liza Minnelli at the gala. (May 2005)

Underwent radiation therapy in 2002 for basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer.

After her son Michael had renounced his American citizenship for possession of marijuana, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to block his deportation.

Her beloved dog, a Maltese named Sugar, died in 2005. Some months later, she purchased Daisy, one of Sugars descendants.

Her older brother Howard Taylor was born in 1929.

Was a frequent guest at the infamous "Studio 54"

Appeared on "Larry King Live" to refute claims that she had been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease and was close to death. (30 May 2006)

Former stepmother of Carrie Fisher , Todd Fisher , Kate Burton , Jessica Burton, Virginia Warner, John Warner Jr., Mary Warner and Julie Fortensky Henderson.

Godmother of Paris Jackson.

Godmother of Prince Michael.

Announced her retirement from acting in 2003.

In Italy, she was exclusively dubbed until the mid-1950s by Germana Calderini. As she matured, she was dubbed by Fiorella Betti. For two of her most celebrated roles--Leslie Lynnton Benedict in Giant and Catherine Holly in Suddenly, Last Summer --Taylor was dubbed respectively by Micaela Giustiniani and Lydia Simoneschi , the only time either actress lent their voice to her.

Organized "A Commitment to Life", a celebrity event to benefit AIDS research after her Giant co-star Rock Hudson became ill in 1985. The event featured former First Lady Betty Ford , Burt Lancaster , Shirley MacLaine , Sammy Davis Jr. , and Burt Reynolds. More than $1.3 million was raised.

Her AIDS organization AMFAR raised $83 million in the twelve years following its creation in 1985.

Did not attend The 75th Annual Academy Awards due to her opposition to the Iraq war.

In 1963, while the highest paid American business executive earned $650,000 and President John F. Kennedy s salary was $150,000, she received at least $2.4 million.

In a 2007 interview with "Entertainment Tonight" s Mary Hart , Taylor said she had recently telephoned ex-husband Eddie Fisher and spoke to him for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Painful hip replacements in the mid-1990s largely contributed to the demise of her last marriage.

Received $500,000 divorce settlement from Conrad Hilton Jr. , 1951.

Mentioned in Walter Kirn s novel "Thumbsucker".

Inducted into the California Hall of Fame in Sacramento (5 December 2007).

The 1963 Andy Warhol portrait of hers was sold for $ 23,7 million to an anonymous bidder at a Christies auction in New York (14 November 2007).

After the death of husband Mike Todd , she and Todds son sued the company Ayer Lease Plan, Inc. for $5,000,000 charging negligence. They were awarded only $40,000, of which $13,000 went to attorneys fees. The remaining $27,000 went to their daughter, Frances.

In 2006, she donated $500,000 to the New Orleans AIDS Task Force to purchase mobile medical unit for AIDS sufferers in New Orleans.

Taylor and Shirley Jones are the only actresses to win Oscars for playing prostitutes in the same year: Taylor for BUtterfield 8 (Best Actress) and Jones for Elmer Gantry (Best Supporting Actress).

She was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in recognition of her outstanding contribution to film culture.

Her first Oscar nomination for Raintree County marks her first of 4 consecutive nominations, a feat she shares with Jennifer Jones (1943-1946), Thelma Ritter (1950-1953), Marlon Brando (1951-1954) and Al Pacino (1972-1975).

Hospitalized with congestive heart failure and pneumonia in July 2008 and was briefly on a life support machine.

Actively sought the role of Eliza Dolittle in My Fair Lady , but Audrey Hepburn was cast instead.

Has a street named after her in Iowa City, Iowa.

Nominated for the 1981 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for "The Little Foxes" as well as winning a Special Theatre World Award for the same.

Underwent heart surgery in October 2009 to repair a leaky valve.

Was a heavy smoker from ages 18 to 58. She finally quit at her physicians recommendation following a severe bout with pneumonia in 1990.

Returned to work seven months after giving birth to her daughter Liza Todd in order to begin filming Cat on a Hot Tin Roof .

First husband Conrad Hilton Jr. was physically abusive, which was partly caused by a drug problem.

Fourth husband Eddie Fisher was a close friend of her late husband Mike Todd. Fisher left his wife Debbie Reynolds to be with Taylor.

Ex-husband Larry Fortensky underwent five hours of brain surgery and was in a coma for six weeks after falling off a balcony on January 28, 1999. Taylor immediately notified the hospital she would personally guarantee all Fortenskys medical expenses.

Was at one point going to star in Follow Me! with Richard Burton. See the trivia page for the film for more information.

On Monday evening, November 8, 2010, Andy Warhol s "Men in Her Life", a 1962 painting based on an image of Elizabeth Taylor between husbands, was auctioned at Phillips de Pury & Companys new salesroom on Park Avenue in New York City. An unidentified bidder bought it for $63.3 million.

Although Taylor was raised as a Christian Scientist, in 1959, at the age of 27, she converted to Judaism. She denied that her conversion was motivated by her marriages to Mike Todd or Eddie Fisher (both of whom were Jewish), saying that she had always been drawn to Judaism. Her conversion took place at Temple Israel of Hollywood, where she had studied Torah and Jewish history and traditions under Rabbi Max Nussbaum. It is traditional for converts to receive a Hebrew equivalent to their names upon conversion (since they wouldnt have received one shortly after birth, as those born into Judaism would have); Taylors was Elisheba Rachel, Elisheba being the Hebrew for "Elizabeth," and Rachel being the name of Jacobs second wife in the Torah.

Her obituary published in The New York Times was written by theater critic and cultural reporter Mel Gussow, who had died in 2005. The newspapers obituary editor said the piece was "too good to throw away".

Had a tubal ligation at age 25 and a hysterectomy when she was 36.

Delivered all three of her biological children via Caesarean section.

Her biological grandchildren are Leila (b. 1971), Naomi (b. 1974) and Tarquin (b. 1989), via her son Michael Wilding Jr. , Andrew (b. 1984) and Lowell , via her son Christopher Edward Wilding , and Quinn and Rhys (b. 1991), via her daughter Liza Todd. Her adoptive grandchildren are Eliza (b. 1982) and Richard , via her adoptive daughter Maria Burton, and Caleb via Christopher.

Launched 12 perfumes and colognes - Passion 1988, Passion for Men 1989, White Diamonds 1991, Diamonds and Emeralds 1993, Diamonds and Rubies 1993, Diamonds and Sapphires 1993, Black Pearls 1996, Sparkling White Diamonds 1999, Brilliant White Diamonds 2001, Forever Elizabeth 2002, Gardenia 2003 and Violet Eyes 2010.

On March 1, 2013, her fifth (and sixth) husband, Richard Burton , received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was placed next to Elizabeths star at 6336 Hollywood Boulevard.

A casting agent said of her as a 19 year old: "The kid has nothing. Her eyes are too old.".

Despite playing their mother on Giant , Taylor was just 2 years older than Fran Bennett , 4 years older than Dennis Hopper and 9 months younger than Carroll Baker.

Is one of 14 Best Actress Oscar winners to have not accepted their Academy Award in person, Taylors being for Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? . The others are Katharine Hepburn , Claudette Colbert , Joan Crawford , Judy Holliday , Vivien Leigh , Anna Magnani , Ingrid Bergman , Sophia Loren , Anne Bancroft , Patricia Neal , Maggie Smith , Glenda Jackson and Ellen Burstyn.

Was the 53rd actress to receive an Academy Award; she won the Best Actress Oscar for BUtterfield 8 at The 33rd Annual Academy Awards on April 17, 1961.

Credited Montgomery Clift with making her take acting seriously. Taylor was so impressed by Clifts incredible preparation and concentration to play a role that she actively began to seek better parts and give more dynamic performances.

She was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of Carol Ferris (created in 1959). Ferris was created as Green Lantern/Hal Jordans love interest, and eventually she turned into super-heroine Star Sapphire. Taylor was 27 years old at the point of her creation.

Disliked it when people referred to her by the nickname "Liz".

Former neighbor of Julie London.

Taylor and her husband, Mike Todd , had planned for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to be her final film, as she intended to retire from the screen. Todd had made a verbal agreement about this with MGM, but after his death, MGM forced Taylor to make BUtterfield 8 in order to fulfill the terms of her studio contract. As a result, Taylor refused to speak to the director for the entire production, and hated the film.

Michael Jackson s music video "Leave Me Alone" (from his 1987 album Bad) was created as tribute for Elizabeth Taylor, taking several footage of Taylor from her most famous movies, mixing it using the CGI technology that existed in that time.

She had a great and loyal friendship with 1950s actor James Dean , who co-starred with her in Giant . Dean suddenly died in a car accident in Cholame, California in the early fall of 1955, just before the filming of Giant was wrapping up production. It was reported that Taylor felt so distressed and devastated upon hearing the news of her good friends tragic death that she had to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a few days.

Taylor was a major supporter of the state of Israel.

Has appeared in over 1,000 magazine covers around the world.

Appeared on the cover of Life magazine a record 14 times (more than any other movie star), starting when she was just 15 years old.

Daughter Elizabeth "Liza" Frances was born six weeks early in 1957 she weighed 4 lbs 14 oz at birth.

She had over 35 sibling-in-laws, as several of her husbands came from large families.

Close friend of Carole Bayer Sager.

Became a great-grandmother in 1998.

Taylor underwent more than 40 operations during her lifetime and was hospitalized at least 100 times. She reportedly told doctors in 2010 that she didnt want any more life-saving surgeries despite being in daily pain.

Elizabeths ex-husband Larry Fortensky passed away in July 2016 at age 64, having been in a coma since May. The news of Larrys death was confirmed on Facebook and Twitter by relatives, but an official press announcement was not made until April 2017.

Was considered for the role of Alexis on "Dynasty" .

Got her hair done by Carrie White in the 60s/70s. From 1984 until her death, her hairdresser was Jos Eber.

Her final wedding cost an estimated $1.5 million.

Turned down the lead role in Two Mules for Sister Sara because she wanted to shoot in Spain where Richard Burton was filming his latest movie, not in Mexico.

Robert Wagner told in his biography that when Liz Taylor woke up in the morning, it was useless to wait for her to have breakfast, because the time she comes, it was time for dinner.

Eddie Fisher married her 3 hours after divorcing Debbie Reynolds.

Got married all over the world: Beverly Hills, California ; London, England (1952); Acapulco, Mexico ; Las Vegas, Nevada ; Montreal, Canada ; Kasane, Botswana ; Middleburg, Virginia ; Los Olivos, California.

Got divorced all over the world: Los Angeles, California (1951 & 1996); Mexico City, Mexico ; Puerta Vallarta, Mexico ; Sarden, Switzerland ; Port-au-Prince, Haiti ; Wellington, Virginia .

MGMs publicity department announced her separation from Michael Wilding on July 18, 1956. (Theyd been sleeping in separate bedrooms for months.) Taylor and Mike Todd began dating the next day and went public with their relationship in early September.

Debbie Reynolds was Matron of Honor at her wedding to Mike Todd.

Norma Heyman was Matron of Honor at her wedding to Larry Fortensky.

Mara Taylor (her brothers wife) was Matron of Honor at her wedding to Eddie Fisher.

Graduated from University High School in 1950.

Had rhinoplasty in her late teens and a chin implant in her late fifties.

Is one of 16 actresses to have received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for a performance where they acted out a labor and/or birth; hers being for Raintree County . The others in chronological order are Luise Rainer for The Good Earth , Jane Wyman for Johnny Belinda , Eleanor Parker for Caged , Leslie Caron for The L-Shaped Room , Shirley MacLaine for Irma la Douce , Vanessa Redgrave for Isadora , Genevive Bujold for Anne of the Thousand Days , Marsha Mason for Cinderella Liberty , Ann-Margret for Tommy , Ellen Burstyn for Same Time, Next Year , Jessica Lange for Sweet Dreams , Meryl Streep for Evil Angels , Samantha Morton for In America , Ellen Page for Juno , and Gabourey Sidibe for Precious (2009/II) .

Once admitted that without painkillers, shed have no life.

Close friend Colin Farrell read Gerard Manley Hopkins poem "The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo" aloud before Taylor was laid to rest at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale.

In 2002, Taylor acknowledged in print that she had received liposuction in the past "but then it all came back." "It was, like, totally gross" said Taylor of the fat regain.

Got Sharon Tate fired as an extra from The Sandpiper in 1964 because she felt threatened by Tates beauty.

I had a hollow leg. I could drink everyone under the table and not get,drunk. My capacity was terrifying.

Success is a great deodorant. It takes away all your past smells.

Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses.

[2005] Acting is, to me now, artificial. Seeing people suffer is real.

I, along with the critics, have never taken myself very seriously.

I have the emotions of a child in the body of a woman. I was rushed into,womanhood for the movies. It caused me long moments of unhappiness and,doubt.

The ups and downs, the problems and stress, along with all the,happiness, have given me optimism and hope because I am living proof of,survival.

I hate being called "Liz", because it can sound like such a hiss.

[on Cleopatra (1963) ] They had cut out the heart, the essence,the motivations, the very core, and tacked on all those battle scenes.

It should have been about three large people, but it lacked reality and,passion. I found it vulgar.

[on BUtterfield 8 (1960) , for which she won an Oscar] A piece of,shit.

Straight sex, gay sex, bisexual sex, use a condom whoever you are.

[in 1972] I would give up everything I have. I would live in a shack--if,I could give Richard a baby.

I have to be stronger and more appreciative of what I do have.

Every breath you take today should be with someone else in mind.

Never let yourself think beyond your means. . . mental, emotional or any,otherwise.

I fell off my pink cloud with a thud.

It is strange that the years teach us patience; that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting.

I suppose when they reach a certain age some men are afraid to grow up. It seems the older the men get, the younger their new wives get.

Everything makes me nervous - except making films.

Marriage is a great institution.

Success is a great deodorant.