Elizabeth Taylor, the violet-eyed film goddess whose sultry screen persona, stormy personal life and enduring fame and glamour made her one of the last of the old-fashioned movie stars and a template for the modern celebrity, died Wednesday at age 79.
She had a remarkable and exhausting personal and professional life. Her marriage to Michael Todd ended tragically when the producer died in a plane crash in 1958. She took up with Fisher, married him, then left him for Burton. Meanwhile, she received several Academy Award nominations and two Oscars.
She was a box-office star cast in numerous "prestige" films, from "Raintree County" with Clift to "Giant," an epic co-starring her friends Hudson and James Dean. Nominations came from a pair of movies adapted from work by Tennessee Williams: "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Suddenly, Last Summer." In "Butterfield 8," released in 1960, she starred with Fisher as a doomed girl-about-town. Taylor never cared much for the film, but her performance at the Oscars wowed the world.
Sympathy for Taylor's widowhood had turned to scorn when she took up with Fisher, who had supposedly been consoling her over the death of Todd. But before the 1961 ceremony, she was hospitalized from a nearly fatal bout with pneumonia and Taylor underwent a tracheotomy. The scar was bandaged when she appeared at the Oscars to accept her best actress trophy for "Butterfield 8."
To a standing ovation, she hobbled to the stage. "I don't really know how to express my great gratitude," she said in an emotional speech. "I guess I will just have to thank you with all my heart." It was one of the most dramatic moments in Academy Awards history.
Greater drama awaited: "Cleopatra." Taylor met Burton while playing the title role in the 1963 epic, in which the brooding, womanizing Welsh actor co-starred as Mark Antony. Their chemistry was not immediate. Taylor found him boorish; Burton mocked her physique. But the love scenes on film continued away from the set and a scandal for the ages was born. Headlines shouted and screamed. Paparazzi snapped and swooned. Their romance created such a sensation that the Vatican denounced the happenings as the "caprices of adult children."To a standing ovation, she hobbled to the stage. "I don't really know how to express my great gratitude," she said in an emotional speech. "I guess I will just have to thank you with all my heart." It was one of the most dramatic moments in Academy Awards history.
The film so exceeded its budget that the producers lost money even though "Cleopatra" was a box-office hit and won four Academy awards. (With its $44 million budget adjusted for inflation, "Cleopatra" remains the most expensive movie ever made.) Taylor's salary per film topped $1 million. "Liz and Dick" became a couple on a first name basis with millions who had never met them.
They were a prolific acting team, even if most of the movies aged no better than their relationship: "The VIPs" (1963), "The Sandpiper" (1965), "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966), "The Taming of the Shrew" (1967), "The Comedians" (1967), "Dr. Faustus" (1967), "Boom!" (1968), "Under Milk Wood" (1971) and "Hammersmith Is Out" (1972).
Still in school at 16, she would dash from the classroom to the movie set where she played passionate love scenes with Robert Taylor in "Conspirator."They were a prolific acting team, even if most of the movies aged no better than their relationship: "The VIPs" (1963), "The Sandpiper" (1965), "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966), "The Taming of the Shrew" (1967), "The Comedians" (1967), "Dr. Faustus" (1967), "Boom!" (1968), "Under Milk Wood" (1971) and "Hammersmith Is Out" (1972).
"I have the emotions of a child in the body of a woman," she once said. "I was rushed into womanhood for the movies. It caused me long moments of unhappiness and doubt."
Soon after her screen presence was established, she began a series of very public romances. Early loves included socialite Bill Pawley, home run slugger Ralph Kiner and football star Glenn Davis.
Then, a roll call of husbands:
- She married Conrad Hilton Jr., son of the hotel magnate, in May 1950 at age 18. The marriage ended in divorce that December.
- When she married British actor Michael Wilding in February 1952, he was 39 to her 19. They had two sons, Michael Jr. and Christopher Edward. That marriage lasted 4 years.
- She married cigar-chomping movie producer Michael Todd, also 20 years her senior, in 1957. They had a daughter, Elizabeth Francis. Todd was killed in a plane crash in 1958.
- The best man at the Taylor-Todd wedding was Fisher. He left his wife Debbie Reynolds to marry Taylor in 1959. She converted to Judaism before the wedding.
- Taylor and Fisher moved to London, where she was making "Cleopatra." She met Burton, who also was married. That union produced her fourth child, Maria.
- After her second marriage to Burton ended, she married John Warner, a former secretary of the Navy, in December 1976. Warner was elected a U.S. senator from Virginia in 1978. They divorced in 1982.
- In October 1991, she married Larry Fortensky, a truck driver and construction worker she met while both were undergoing treatment at the Betty Ford Center in 1988. He was 20 years her junior. The wedding, held at the ranch of Michael Jackson, was a media circus that included the din of helicopter blades, a journalist who parachuted to a spot near the couple and a gossip columnist as official scribe.
But in August 1995, she and Fortensky announced a trial separation; she filed for divorce six months later and the split became final in 1997.
"I was taught by my parents that if you fall in love, if you want to have a love affair, you get married," she once remarked. "I guess I'm very old-fashioned."
Remembering Elizabeth Taylor, "Queen of Hollywood"Elizabeth Taylor's Drama-Driven Life
세기의 미녀(美女)' '전설적 여배우'. 23일 타계한 엘리자베스 테일러에겐 항상 이 말이 앞에 붙었다. 그만큼 사연 많고 굴곡 많은 인생사였지만 테일러만큼 예술과 영화와 인간을 사랑한 여배우도 드물었다.
테일러의 대변인인 샐리 모리슨은 이날 성명을 통해 "리즈(엘리자베스의 애칭) 테일러가 이날 로스앤젤레스(LA) 시더-시나이 병원에서 울혈성 심부전증으로 숨졌다"며 "그의 모든 자녀들이 평화로운 임종을 지켰다"고 발표했다.
리즈의 아름다움은 스크린에서 찬란하게 빛났다. 대표적인 작품 '자이언트'(1956년) '클레오파트라'(1963년) 등에서 마치 빨아들일 듯한 고혹적인 눈빛과 글래머 몸매로 뭇 남성들의 마음을 설레게 한 '세기의 연인'이었다. 테일러는 남성뿐 아니라 여성들의 우상이기도 했다. 서양인으로선 자그마한 키(163㎝)였지만 아름다움과 우아함, 은둔자의 신비 등을 두루 갖추었다.
테일러는 생전 한 인터뷰에서 "내 인생은 다른 사람들과 크게 다른 건 없었다. 다만 엄청 운이 좋았고, 사랑과 아름다운 일들을 겪었다"고 했었다.
1932년 런던에서 출생한 테일러는 1939년 제2차 세계대전 발발 직후 미국으로 이주했다. 전직 배우인 어머니의 영향으로 테일러는 10세 때 영화 '귀로'(1942년)에 처음 출연했고, 소녀 시절 '녹원의 천사' '신부의 아버지'(1950년) '젊은이의 양지'(1951년) 등에서 수려한 외모와 연기력으로 일찌감치 이름을 날렸다. 그는 1963년 후일 자신의 남편이 된 버튼과 호흡을 맞춘 영화 '클레오파트라'에서 미국 영화 역사상 처음으로 단독작품 개런티 100만달러를 넘는 기록을 세웠다.
Life Through Violet Eyes
Elizabeth Taylor
Actress Elizabeth Taylor, circa 1955.
Taylor Signs a Contract With Universal Pictures
The family moves to L.A. in 1939, and two years later, after some finagling from a family friend, she is signed to a $100-a-week contract with Universal, for whom she shoots one picture at the age of 9, There's One Born Every Minute. Her contract is canceled after six months because she can't sing. Pictured: Taylor (left) and her brother, Howard, as children.
Taylor Stars in 'Lassie Come Home'
Taylor, now under a short-term contract with MGM, stars as Priscilla in Lassie Come Home opposite Roddy MacDowall (right). The movie does well, and she gets upgraded to a seven-year contract.
'National Velvet' Makes Elizabeth Taylor a Star
Winning raves for her turn as a young equestrienne in the high-grossing movie, Taylor becomes a genuine star at age 12.
Transitioning to Adult Roles
Though she's only 16 at the time of filming, Taylor takes on the role of a twentysomething debutante who unwittingly marries a communist agent in Conspirator.
Elizabeth Taylor Marries Nicky Hilton
Wearing at $1,500 gown, a gift from MGM, Taylor weds Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr., heir to the hotel fortune. The marriage doesn't last a year, ending in divorce on Jan. 29, 1951.
Taylor Appears in 'A Place in the Sun'
Her turn as a socialite who falls in love with a working man with upper-class aspirations (Montgomery Clift) is critically acclaimed.
Taylor Becomes a Mom
She and Wilding welcome her first son, Michael Howard Wilding.
Taylor Stars Opposite James Dean in 'Giant'
After a series of flops and mediocre successes, Taylor is paired with James Dean in the epic about Texas ranching and oil families.
Taylor Marries Michael Todd
Marriage No. 3 is to English producer Michael Todd.
Taylor Stars in 'Raintree County'
Upon release, the drama opposite her good friend Montgomery Clift (left) earns Taylor her first Academy Award nomination.
A private collector has released the only known picture of the star – then aged 24 – posing nude. It is understood to be the first time the photo has been shown publicly. It was an engagement gift from Miss Taylor to producer Michael Todd, who was her third husband.
Michael Todd Dies
Taylor's third husband, Michael Todd, is killed when his plane, Lucky Liz, crashes in New Mexico. Pictured: Taylor at Todd's funeral, escorted by her brother Howard (right).
'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' Premieres
Taylor wins another Oscar nomination for her role as the taunting wife of Paul Newman's Brick Politt, a high-school star athlete with failed dreams.
'BUtterfield 8' Premieres
Taylor stars in the film about a promiscuous model who falls hard for an executive from the lower class. Taylor herself scorns the movie, saying, "It stinks."
Elizabeth Taylor Wins an Oscar
After speculation in the tabloids that Taylor is near death with her illness, her popularity recovers from the Eddie Fisher scandal. She wins her first Oscar, for Best Actress, for the movie she once disdained,BUtterfield 8. "I lost to a tracheotomy," Oscar rival Shirley MacLaine jokes.
'Cleopatra' Premieres
Late and vastly over budget, the grand epic debuts to a critical drubbing. Despite being the year's highest-grossing film, it still loses $18 million because of its cost, nearly leaving 20th Century Fox bankrupt. Taylor's salary balloons to $7 million (47 million in modern dollars) because of the delays.
Elizabeth Taylor Marries Richard Burton (the First Time)
The two A-listers are the Brangelina of their day. Their marriage lasts a good decade, ending in divorce on June 26, 1974 -- at least the first time round.
Taylor Wins Her Second Oscar
She wins her second, and final, Academy Award, again for Best Actress, for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Burton Buys Taylor La Peregrina Pearl
The actor outbids a prince to buy his wife the tear-shaped pearl, once owned by Queen Mary I (pictured wearing the pearl).
Taylor and Burton Wed Again
The couple give it another go only months after their divorce is finalized.
Taylor Discloses Health Issues
The actress announces she suffers from congestive heart failure. She is rarely seen without her wheelchair anymore.
2005: Taylor Comes Out in Support of Michael Jackson
The actress publicly speaks out on behalf of the pop singer, who is facing charges he molested a young boy.
Rumors of a Possible Ninth Marriage
Websites are abuzz with reports that Taylor is planning to marry musical talent manager Jason Winters, but Taylor quickly debunks the rumors, calling him a good friend. Here: Taylor and Winters (left) in 2007.
Hospitalization
The actress was admitted to Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, suffering new symptoms of congestive heart failure. She has been there now for two months, though her reps say she is stable and improving.
Elizabeth Taylor at Her Sexiest
Elizabeth Taylor at Her Sexiest
It's rare to find a Hollywood actress who combines the terms "legendary," "universally admired," and "sexy," but Elizabeth Taylor -- who passed away on March 23, 2011 -- was one of the rare icons of the screen who pulled it off. And nowhere was it more evident than when she vamping with those smouldering violet eyes of hers -- like in this still from 1958's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Bedroom Eyes in the 1950s
Suddenly in a Bikini in 1959's 'Suddenly Last Summer'
'Giant' and Sexy in 1956
Diamond in the Rough at the 1970 Oscars
Leaning Lovely at Paramount Studios in 1950
Bathing Beauty at Age 15
Frilly and Sexy in the 1950s
Polka Dots Suit Her
Cropped Taylor in 1955
Taking a Breather From Being Sexy in 1965
Taylor rests on the set of The Sandpiper.
Trapped in Her Eyes in the 1960s
Lovely in Lace in 1953
Beauty in a Scarf in 1952
Elizabeth Taylor: Early Years
Elizabeth Taylor Arrives in America
To escape the onset of World War II, London-born Taylor's family moves to Los Angeles in 1939, when she's 7. Two years later, she makes her film debut in the comedy "There's One Born Every Minute."
Elizabeth Taylor and Her Brother
Howard Taylor and his younger sister Elizabeth pose in the late 1930s in a garden in England, their home until the family leaves London for Los Angeles in 1939.
Elizabeth Taylor: Front and Center
Taylor, 6, gets right in front of the camera for a class photo at her primary school in London in 1938
Elizabeth Taylor on the Cover of LIFE, 1947
The actress appears for the first time on the cover of LIFE magazine, on the July 14, 1947, issue. She is the publication's cover girl 12 more times over the years.
Elizabeth Taylor Is Among the 'Little Women'
The 1949 adaptation of the classic Louisa May Alcott novel about the March sisters stars (left to right) Margaret O'Brien, 17-year-old Taylor (as vain sister Amy), Janet Leigh, June Allyson, and Peter Lawford.
Elizabeth Taylor Dates Army Football Star
In 1949, Taylor, 17, shows her affection for boyfriend Glenn Davis (in framed photos), the West Point football star and 1946 Heisman Trophy winner, with a gold football pendant and letter sweater.
Elizabeth Taylor Graduates High School
Taylor, 18, holds her brand new diploma from Hollywood's University High School after graduating in 1950.
Early Color Photos
Elizabeth Taylor: Early Color Photos
From the moment she stepped into the world spotlight at age 11 as the breakout star of Lassie Come Home, Elizabeth Taylor had a noticeable spark that livened up any picture she was in. And audiences noticed -- especially when she was coming to them in vibrant color, violet eyes and all. Here: Taylor in 1945 at about age 13.
Lovely Equestrienne in 1947
Three year earlier, she made waves as a horseriding 14-year-old in National Velvet.
Demure Glance in 1948
Doing Her Knitting in 1950
Tea and Cake in 1950
A New Look for Liz in 1950
Colorful Mother
Taylor embraces her sons Michael (left) and Christopher Wilding on her lap, her children with second husband Michael Wilding, in the 1950s.
Liz in Green in the 1950s
Splendor in the Grass in the 1950s
Roses for a Rose in 1953
White on Red Satin in 1953
Red Sequins in 1953
Leopard in the Water in 1955
Japanese-Style Christmas Circa 1955
Vibrant Eyes, Looking Longingly
Taylor plays Catherine Holly in 1959's Suddenly, Last Summer.
Golden Girl in 1959
Taylor poses with the award she'd just won for her role in the film Suddenly Last Summer in 1959. She won a Golden Globe and a Laurel Award for her turn in the movie, but lost to Simone Signoret for the Oscar.
Making 'Cleopatra'
The Most Expensive Movie Ever
It cost $44 million in 1963, which doesn't sound that massive a sum until you note the previous record was just $15 million, meaning it nearly tripled the standard. (Adjusted for inflation, it would cost roughly $300 million today.) Behold the biggest of the big budget films. Above: Elizabeth Taylor as the Egyptian queen.
The Star and the Sphinx
Taylor on one of the film's massive sets.
Taking a Break
Taylor relaxes in costume behind the cameras during filming in Rome.
The Lady and the Knight
Taylor and Rex Harrison on the set. (Harrison became Sir Rex when he received a knighthood in 1989.)
Another Costume
Taylor shows one of the 60 costumes specially designed by Irene Sharaff for her role as the Egyptian queen.
Unpublished Pics
Elizabeth Taylor: Forever Young
Simply put, Elizabeth Taylor was the biggest star of the LIFE era. She appeared on the magazine's cover a record 14 times, starting when she was just 15 years old, and over the following decades many LIFE photographers -- Paul Schutzer, Peter Stackpole, Allan Grant, and George Silk among them -- captured the astonishingly beautiful movie star as she basked in love, work, motherhood, and the kind of international fame that few entertainers these days can ever hope to achieve. But a magazine only has so many pages -- and several stunning images of the Hollywood icon never actually made it to print. In this gallery, LIFE.com presents the best unpublished photos of Elizabeth Taylor from the magazine's archives, including shots from her very first wedding, from the sets of Giant and Cleopatra, and from her legendary romance with two-time husband Richard Burton. Here, a never-before-published photo by Peter Stackpole that even predates Taylor's first LIFE cover: In 1945, at age 13, the breakout star of National Velvet signs autographs during a charity cricket match at Los Angeles' Gilmore Stadium.
'All America,' 1948
In 1948, Mark Kauffman captured the young actress and her home life. Here, she gazes into the distance while wearing an "All America" sweatshirt; the pin she wears belonged to Glenn Davis, a 1946 Heisman Trophy-winning athlete she was dating at the time.
A Grown-Up Role
Photographer Kauffman captures Elizabeth in a passionate scene opposite Robert Taylor (no relation) in the movie Conspirator.
A Break on the Set of 'Conspirator'
With Montgomery Clift, 1950
During a break in filming A Place in the Sun, Taylor chats with her costar Montgomery Clift on the Paramount lot. The two would remain close friends; she would even save his life in 1956, after he smashed his car into a telephone pole following a party at her house (Taylor removed his shattered teeth from his throat, and kept him from choking).
Her First Wedding, 1950
Just 18 years old, bride Elizabeth Taylor arrives to marry hotel heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton. This was the first of her eight marriages, and for the occasion she wore a gown given to her by MGM.
On the Set of 'Giant,' 1956
In Marfa, Texas, Taylor lassos Giant director George Stevens, as her costars Rock Hudson and James Dean look on. Taylor and Hudson, like Taylor and Clift, would become incredibly close friends, and his death of an AIDS-related illness in 1985 inspired her activism to find a cure for the disease.
Working Mom, 1962
During a break in the filming of Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor ruffles the hair of Liza Todd, her daughter with her third husband, the late Mike Todd. At the time, Taylor was married to Eddie Fisher, but had begun a tempestuous affair with her Cleopatra costar Richard Burton. . .and LIFE photographer Paul Schutzer was there to capture their chemistry on the set.
Chemistry on the Set, 1962
In costume as Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Burton and Taylor share a look on the set. They were the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie of their day, two impossibly gorgeous movie stars whose controversial relationship fascinated the world. They would marry not once, but twice.
Happy Birthday, Dear Liz...
In 1964, on the set of a Broadway production of Hamlet, a surprised Elizabeth Taylor cuts the cake, as Richard Burton (starring in the show) leans in for a kiss and his castmates cheer.
Elizabeth Taylor, the legendary actress, died on March 23, 2011. She was 79.
Taylor married hotel heir Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr. in 1950, but the marriage lasted eight months. Taylor was married eight times to seven husbands. "I am a very committed wife," she once said. "And I should be committed too -- for being married so many times."
Taylor walks with husband Michael Wilding and the first of her four children, Michael Jr., in 1953.
In 1958, Taylor was nominated for best actress for her role in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." As Maggie the Cat, she struggled to keep the affections of her husband, the alcoholic ex-football player Brick (Paul Newman). The year before, Taylor also was nominated for an Oscar for "Raintree Country."
Following Todd's death, his best friend, actor and singer Eddie Fisher, comforted Taylor. The comforting turned into an affair, complete with sensational headlines, which broke up Fisher's marriage to "America's sweetheart," Debbie Reynolds.
In "Suddenly, Last Summer" (1959), Taylor played Catherine Holly, a woman whose cousin dies under unusual circumstances and is institutionalized. Taylor again was nominated for best actress for her role in the Tennessee Williams' drama.
Taylor suffered serious health problems over the years. She had pneumonia several times, including one bout requiring a tracheotomy; multiple back fractures; two hip replacement surgeries; a benign brain tumor; surgery to correct uneven legs; and a heart valve replacement. She spent time in the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment of alcohol and prescription drug addiction.
In 1960, at that point perhaps the most famous actress in the world, Taylor was offered the lead in 20th Century Fox's production of "Cleopatra." Taylor demanded $1 million -- the highest fee by an actress up to that time.
Taylor and Burton, seen in 1967, caused near-riots when they appeared together in public. They divorced in 1974 and remarried the next year. The second attempt lasted only nine months.
In 1967, Taylor attends a social function wearing an elaborate headdress of pearls and fake flowers, a jeweled dress and an emerald necklace.
Taylor holds up a diamond mask for photographers at a fine jewelry auction in 1992 to benefit the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Taylor championed a number of charitable causes and founded the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation after the death of her friend Rock Hudson.
President Bill Clinton presents Taylor with the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001.
Taylor stars with George Sanders, left, and Robert Taylor, right, in "Ivanhoe," released in 1952.
Taylor and Van Johnson work with a dog in a scene from the MGM film "The Big Hangover," released in 1950.
Taylor was hailed, in her prime, as the world's most beautiful and desirable woman.
Taylor will be remembered as sexy, glamorous, tempestuous, fragile, always trailing courtiers, media and fans.
댓글 없음:
댓글 쓰기