Hollywood has lost one of its legendary stars. An actress renowned for her films, advocacy, fashion and the gossip-worthy details of her personal life, Elizabeth Taylor will be remembered.
As is the norm when a celebrity of her status passes on, details of her 79-year life fill the pages of magazines ranging from Us Weekly to Time. A woman who was once renowned as “the world’s most beautiful”, she first gained national attention in National Velvet when she was 12-years old.
This first film marked the beginning of her career and the beginning of the health problems that would plague her throughout her life. Taylor did her own stunt, falling from a horse, and hurt her back in the process, which would bother her throughout the rest of her life.
Any article about the starlet-turned-legend will of course include her long list of husbands, in particular her affair with Eddie Fisher that caused him to leave then wife Debbie Reynolds, who was previously a good friend of Taylor. Later the two would reconcile their friendship privately.
Another of Taylor’s famous friends included your link: Michael Jackson. The two shared a bond over having grown-up in the spotlight. Taylor was upset when he passed away in Summer 2009.
The death of Rock Hudson also affected Taylor greatly. In part out of his memory, Taylor became involved in advocating for AIDS victims and for research. This work helped to change public opinion about the disease. She was involved in this work until her death.
While Taylor did advocacy work until her death, she left Hollywood earlier. Her last film role was Wilma’s mother in “The Flintstones”, the live-action film based on the popular cartoon in 1994. Another highlight of her late career was providing the voice for Maggie Simpson on “The Simpsons”.
Ironically it was these last two roles that I saw Elizabeth Taylor in, not the movies that made her famous like Cleopatra, for which she recieved a $1 million paycheck. How will you remember ELizabeth Taylor?