The two-time Oscar winner married eight times, twice to
the Welsh actor Richard Burton, and for many years battled with
substance abuse. One of the original Hollywood couples, Taylor once said
Richard Burton was the only man she would ever marry. "If Richard and I
divorce, I swear I will never marry anyone again. I love him insanely."
Though she did marry again the pair remained close until Burton’s death
in 1984.
Speaking on Wednesday, her son Michael Wilding, said
his mother lived life to the fullest and her legacy would never fade.
Taylor had four children: Michael and Christopher Wilding (whose father
was Taylor's second husband, actor Michael Wilding), Liza Todd (daughter
of Taylor and third husband, the showman Mike Todd) and Maria Burton
(adopted by Taylor and actor Richard Burton, husband number five and
six).
Elizabeth Taylor, who converted to Judaism for her marriages to Mike Todd and Eddie Fisher, followed the dictates of the religion by being buried soon after her death Wednesday. She was laid to rest on Thursday (March 24) at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, Calif. According to USA Today, she was buried in the Great Mausoleum beneath a "soaring marble Michelangelo" and that while she is not buried right next to longtime friend Micheal Jackson, he's close by.
Taylor a colorful life. Here are a few highlights according to the Daily Mail.
- 1932: Born Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor to American parents in London.
- 1939: The Taylors move back to America with young Elizabeth at the onset of World War II.
- 1942: 9-year-old Taylor makes her screen debut in "There's One Born Every Minute."
- 1944: Taylor gets her first big break, starring alongside Mickey Rooney in "National Velvet."
- 1950: Taylor marries hotel magnate Conrad Hilton Jr., the first of her eight marriages. The two divorced less than eight months later.
- 1951: Transitions from child star to member of Hollywood's elite for her role in "A Place in the Sun" co-starring Montgomery Clift.
- 1952: Marries actor Michael Wilding. The couple has two children together.
- 1957: Taylor is nominated for her first Academy Award for her supporting role in "Raintree County," but does not win the Oscar.
- 1958: Stars in "Cat on a Hot Tine Roof" with Paul Newman.
- 1961: Taylor wins her first Oscar for her role in "Butterfield 8" co-starring her then-husband, Eddie Fisher.
- 1963: Becomes Hollywood's best paid actress, signing a $1 million contract for the lead role in "Cleopatra."
- 1964: Marries "Cleopatra" co-star Richard Burton.
- 1966: Stars in one of her most famous films, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" with husband Richard Burton, who she divorced and re-married ten years later.
- 1976: Marries John Warner, a Republican elected senator of Virginia in 1979.
- 1981: Makes her Broadway debut in "The Little Foxes."
- 1983: Checks into the Betty Ford Clinic to recover from alcoholism and an addiction to painkillers.
- 1985: Close friend Rock Hudson dies of AIDS. Taylor becomes co-founder of the American Foundation for AIDS Research,
- 1987: Releases her first perfume, "Passion."
- 1991: Marries Larry Fortensky at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.
- 1999: Queen Elizabeth II names Taylor a Dame of the British Empire.
- 2003: Announces her retirement from acting to focus on AIDS advocacy.
- 2004: Diagnosed with congestive heart failure, which leads to her death at the age of 79.
(Photo courtesy of The Hollywood Archive)
