It was a sad day yesterday, as the world said goodbye to the very last
Hollywood Golden Age Legend.
Elizabeth Taylor, dangerously curvy, fashion icon, died at 79 from heart failure that had her hospital bound many times in the last 7 years. Known for her many (8) marriages, to the likes of Nicky Hilton (Paris's grandfather) and Richard Burton, among others, she stayed very much in the public eye up until her death.
Setting the stage at 12 as a child star in
National Velvet, Elizabeth's violet eyes, and talent transitioned her into great MGM roles as she grew...grew in to a curvacious sex bomb. But MGM had yet to recognize this Golden Age Legend potential. Her first major movie was the original
Father of the Bride in 1950.
She continued making many movies that she was not happy with, but MGM refused to cast her in anything higher. Finally she co-starred in
Giant with James Dean in 1956 and her stardom catapulted. Her next 4 films were repeatedly Academy Award Nominations for Best Actress:
Raintree County,
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
Suddenly, Last Summer, and finally winning for
Butterfied 8.
By the time
Cleopatra rolled around, Elizabeth Taylor was the highest paid actress, signing a one million dollar contract...two million after overtime...in 1960! This is when she began her scandalous infidelity with co-star Richard Burton. Later Burton would become her long time husband, as well as co-star in a total of 8 movies. One in which she received her 2nd Academy Award,
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
Elizabeth Taylor had a passion for jewelry and was known for her fair share of opulence...including the 33.19 carat
Krupp Diamond and the Cartier 69.42 carat
Taylor-Burton Diamond. Oh and did I forget to mention the 50 carat
La Peregrina Pearl Burton gave Taylor for Valentine's Day...that originally belonged to Queen Mary I of England?...yeah. So it made perfect sense when, one of the first celebrity endorsed (and most successful) perfumes, White Diamonds, was born.
Goodbye to the last of Hollywood's Golden Age
Elizabeth Taylor
1932 - 2011
4 comments:
I'm so sad to see another legend gone. RIP Liz.
You probably already know, but did you hear my great news yesterday? Kori xoxo
http://www.blondeepisodes.com/2011/03/wordless-wednesday-and-great-news.html
It is truly sad to see someone so beautiful and talented go. Her footprint will remain in the industry and the world.
Thanks for your comment on my blog! Montreal is a wonderful and unique place. And to answer your question, I work in the publishing industry.
Hope to see you around more often.
:)
She actually started younger than that and was in the little rascals.
They wanted her to take off the mascara in a movie as a child, but she didn't have any on, those were how dark and long her eyelashes were.
She has always been alive for every moment of my life until now and I am 50. A lifetime in movies.
She'll always be an icon!
XoXo
Plami
http://fashion-thrill.blogspot.com/
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