From her screen roles to her romances, Elizabeth Taylor lived always in the spotlight.
An enchanting, violet-eyed beauty, Elizabeth was a captivating superstar from childhood. She lived her life in full view of an adoring public, who watched in astonishment as she suffered the heartbreak of eight broken marriages, health problems and recurring treatment for substance abuse. “Her life was a not a private one, but a series of tribulations, serious illnesses, senseless tragedies and lost love,’’ fellow star Paul Newman once said in a moving tribute to Elizabeth before his own death at 83 in 2008.
“What can you say about a legend? On screen her very presence radiated charm.’’ That charm captivated audiences and attracted suitors in a never-ending procession.But the enduring love affair in her life was with film audiences.
To them she could do no wrong. In their eyes, she was more than just a ravishing beauty: she was an extraordinarily talented actress and they were thrilled when she won two Best Actress Oscars, for Butterfield 8 (1960) and Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Wolf (1966) from five nominations in nine years.
Sir Winston Churchill once described her as the film world’s “most classic beauty”. She was the personification of the glamour, style and outrageousness that defined Hollywood stardom when she rose to fame. But as the years passed and fellow legends like Katharine Hepburn and close friends Rock Hudson, James Dean and Montgomery Clift died, she became increasing isolated.
