Elizabeth Taylor, 1932-2011
She loved men. And diamonds. And we loved her. This morning’s death of legend Dame Elizabeth Taylor is being felt around the world. The world’s most glamorous actress of all time passed away at age 79 of congestive heart failure in Los Angeles early this morning, prompting bloggers and newspeople to begin publishing the many incredible images of the violet-eyed beauty and details of her illustrious career.
The Legacy of Elizabeth Taylor
Over the past three decades much has been published about her many marriages, her incredible personal collections of some of the most magnificent diamond jewelry, her substance abuse problems, her avid activism on the behalf of AIDS sufferers [she helped start the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and established her own AIDS Foundation] and her bizarre friendship with Michael Jackson.
In addition to the aforementioned, she was a savvy businesswoman, creating a collection of fine jewelry (House of Taylor) and several best selling perfumes. But let us not forget, she also was a fine actress.
She’s also been immortalized by some of the most well-known and talented photographers and artists of all time. Here are a few of my favorite images of Liz.
THE PORTRAITS
By Richard Avedon (1964):
By Franceso Scavullo (1964):
By Andy Warhol (1964):
By Philippe Halsmann (1948):
by Frank Worth (1955):
By Norman Parkinson (mid 1950s):
By Angus McBean (1966):
By Burt Glinn (1959):
By Douglas Kirkland (1961):
By William Klein, 1965 cover of Paris Vogue:
By Cecil Beaton (1971):
By Helmut Newton (1986):
More of my favorite images of Liz, only I do not know the photographers:
A few basic stats:
Date of Birth: 27 February 1932, Hampstead, London, England, UK
Date of Death: 23 March 2011, Los Angeles, California, USA
Birth Name: Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor
Nicknames: Liz, Kitten
Height: 5′ 2″ (1.57 m)
HER HUSBANDS & WEDDING PHOTOS
Taylor was married eight times to seven husbands. Here are photos of each of her weddings:
* Conrad “Nicky” Hilton (May 6, 1950 – January 29, 1951) (divorced):
* Michael Wilding (February 21, 1952 – January 26, 1957) (divorced):
* Michael Todd (February 2, 1957 – March 22, 1958) (widowed):
* Eddie Fisher (May 12, 1959 – March 6, 1964) (divorced):
* Richard Burton (March 15, 1964 – June 26, 1974) (divorced):
* Richard Burton (October 10, 1975 – July 29, 1976) (divorced):
* John Warner (December 4, 1976 – November 7, 1982) (divorced):
* Larry Fortensky (October 6, 1991 – October 31, 1996) (divorced):
HER JEWELS:
Liz was bought some of the world’s finest and most expensive jewels from husbands Richard Burton, Michael Todd and Eddie Fisher. Her love affair with gems is well known and her perfumes were named after them as well.
Most famous of her extensive collection are the 33.19 carat Asscher-cut Krupp Diamond, a ring which she wore for many decades:
And the 69.42 carat Taylor-Burton Diamond, which she wore as a pendant on a necklace as well as a ring:
above: The Taylor-Burton diamond necklace consisting of 67 pear-shaped diamonds with the central diamond of 69.42 carats. The necklace was made for Cartier in 1969. Image Courtesy of Oscar Heyman, Inc., New York.
She also wore the enormous pear-shaped Taylor Burton Diamond as a ring:
She has a very extensive collection of diamond tiaras and many emeralds, rubies and more. Many of which can be found in her book, Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair with Jewelry
HER MOVIES:
If you’re going to memorialize her by renting a few of her movies this weekend, I highly recommend the following, which really were her most memorable performances:
• Suddenly, Last Summer
• Butterfield 8
• Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
• The Sandpiper
• Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
• The Taming of the Shrew
Not as great but worth renting for the novelty are:
• Giant
* The Last Time I Saw Paris
* Cleopatra
* Raintree County
* A Place In The Sun
For the kids, you may want to consider:
• National Velvet
• Lassie Come Home
• Father Of The Bride
See her complete filmography here.
Elizabeth Taylor Movies and TV
The world will not be the same without you. Rest in peace, Liz.
images courtesy of Magnum photos, Artnet, LIFE magazine and Getty images