Page 21 - HGS Suburb News 147 - September2021

Elizabeth Taylor S U B U R B

MARIE-CHRISTINE O’CALLAGHAN the same year and had a daughter.
Tragically, only a year later in
lizabeth Rosmond Taylor 1958, Todd died in a plane crash
was born in London in 1932. leaving Taylor devastated. She
E She lived with her American then married Eddie Fisher in 1959
parents at 8 Wildwood Road in the though she later said that she
Suburb. Her mother, Sara, was a only married him because of her
former stage actress and her father, grief over Mike Todd. Taylor and
Francis, an art dealer. Shortly after Fisher divorced in 1964 and she
That Elizabeth Taylor diamond
her birth, Elizabeth was diagnosed married Richard Burton the same
with ‘distichiasis’ a rare medical year. They adopted a daughter,
disorder, also known as ‘double Maria Burton. This marriage was
lashes’. Fortunately, she was lucky tumultuous and they famously FEATURES
enough to suffer none of the divorced and married each other
serious consequences that can be twice, the second of their
associated with the condition. marriages lasting just 9 months.
In 1939, the family moved to Taylor’s last two husbands were
Hollywood and, at the age of ten, John Warner (married in1976) and
Elizabeth made her film debut in finally, Larry Fortensky who she
There’s One Born Every Minute. On married in 1991, divorcing him
the first day of filming someone five years later in 1996.
said: “get that girl off the set – she Elizabeth was raised as a
has too much mascara”. Her eyes Christian Scientist, but converted
became her greatest asset to Judaism in 1959. Although two
because as well as amazing of her husbands – Mike Todd and
lashes, they were a vibrant dark Eddie Fisher – were Jewish, Taylor
blue that appeared to be purple said she did not convert because
when exposed to certain lighting. of them, but had wanted to do so Elizabeth Taylor star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Elizabeth’s breakout role for a long time as she felt “there
came in 1944 when, aged twelve, was comfort and dignity and hope
she starred in National Velvet. She for me in this ancient religion that
would go on to become a [has] survived for four thousand
Hollywood film star and was the years... I feel as if I have been a
first actress to earn $1 million Jew all my life.”
when she starred in Cleopatra. Taylor’s jewellery collection
Taylor won two Academy was vast, it included ‘La Peregrina’,
Awards, the first for Butterfield 8 a pearl whose history spans
(1960) even though she apparently almost 500 years, which Burton
hated the film and on hearing the gave her on Valentine’s Day 1969.
Oscar results declared “I still say it Burton also gifted her a 33.19
stinks”; the second Oscar was for carat diamond ring which came to
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? be known as ‘The Elizabeth Taylor
Taylor married a total of eight Diamond’. After her death, her
times. In 1950, aged seventeen, jewellery collection was auctioned
she married Conrad Hilton Jr. at Christie’s and sold for a record
Metro- Goldwyn- Mayer paid the $115.9 million. The proceeds were
bill for their lavish 600 guest given to The Elizabeth Taylor
wedding. They divorced in 1951. Foundation to benefit AIDS research.
In 1952 she married Michael Taylor was honoured with
Wilding and had two sons with several awards for her philanthropic
him. The couple divorced in 1957 work. She was made a Knight of
and Taylor married Mike Todd in the French Legion d’Honneur in
1987, received the Jean Hersholt
Humanitarian Award in 1993, the
Screen Actors’ Guild Lifetime
Achievement Award for
Humanitarian service in 1997 and
the GLAAD Vanguard Award in
2000. In the same year she
became a Dame Commander of
the Order of the British Empire.
In 2001 she was awarded the
Presidential Citizen Medal.
Elizabeth Taylor died on the
23rd of March 2011. Ever true to
her lifelong reputation she
arranged to be fifteen minutes
Glamour, 60s style
late for her own funeral.

SUBURB NEWS IS PRODUCED AND DELIVERED TO YOU BY RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION VOLUNTEERS 21