Today we tell about the film star Elizabeth Taylor.

She made over sixty films during her log

career in Hollywood. She wea famous for her complex private life and eight marriages. Beginning in
the nineteen eighties, she also raised millions oe dollars to support AIDS research.

CLEOPATRA: “Withoutyou, antony, this is not a wold I wandto live in, much less conquer.
Because for me, there would be no love anywhere. Do you want me to die with you? I will. Or doyou
want me to live with you ? whatever you choose.”

That was Elizabeth taylor playing the queen of Egypt in the nineteen sixty-there movie
“Cleopatra.” She earned over one millions dollars for her work in this movie. At the time, this was
the most money ever paid to an actor for a single film. It was also one of the most costly movies ever
made. “Cleopatra” was a larger-than-life movie for a larger-than-life acretress.

Elizabeth rosemund taylor was born in nineteen thirty-two american parents living in
london. Her father francis was an art dealer. Her mother sara had worked as astage actressbefore
harmarriage. The taylors left england in nineteen thirty-nine and moved to southern california.
Elizabeth’s beauty soon caught the attention of movie studio officials.

She made her first movie, “there’s one born every minute,” at the age of ten. This was
followed a year later by “lassie come home.” But it was the nineteen forty-four film, “national
velvet” that made her a star.

Twelve-year-old elizabeth taylor starred as velvet brown, a girl living in a village in england.
She saves a horse and trains him for a important race, which she wins.

During the nineteen forties elizabeth taylor played many rolesin movies about families. Not
all child actors in hollywood were successful later playing adult roles. But taylor easily went from
playing children to playing teenagers and adultsin in nineteen fifty, she played the bride in the
popular film “father of the bride.”

That was also the year of her first marriage, to the wealthy businessman cobrad “nicky”
hilton. But their marriage anded in divorce the next year. Speaking after her first divorce, taylor
reportedly said that she had been able to fit in the clothing of a sexy woman since she was fourteen
years old. She said her troubles started because she had a woman’s body and a child’s emotions

Elizabeth taylor would quickly become as famous for her private life as she was for her
acting career. The media often wrote about her many marriage and love affairs. In nineteen fifty-
two she married the british actor michael wilding, with whom she had two sons.

Five years later they divorced, and she married the film producer mike todd. The couple had
one daughter, liza. Mike todd died in nineteen fifty-eight in a plane crash. One of his close friends
was the singer eddie fisher. He was married to a good friend of elizabeth taylor, the popular actress
debbie reynolds. Eddie fister left his wife in order to marry elizabeth taylor. Many people were
shocked and angered by this behavior.

Elizabeth taylor once said that during the first part of her career, she did not make a huge
effort as an actress. She said this changed in nineteen fifty-one with the movie “a place in the sun.”
It tells a tragic story about a young man andhis relationship with two women. Here is a famous scene
with her co-star, montgomery clift.

GEORGE: “I am the happiest person in the world”

ANGELA: “the second happiest.”

GEORGE: “oh, angela, if I could only tell you how much I love you, if I could only tell you all.”

ANGELA: “tell mama, tell mama all.”

Critis praised elizabeth taylor for the depth she brought to this movie. She expressed both
innocence and intense sensuality. She began to receive wide praise for her fine and expressive
acting. And, she began to receive richer, more interesting roles.

One of these was in the movie “giant” with rock hudson ang james dean. It tells the story of
a wealthy cattly rencher in texas and his family.

JETT: “I guess you’re about the best looking gal we’ve seen around here in a long time, I
think. Prettiest I think I’ve seen down here.”

LESLIE: “why thank yiuu, jett. That’s a very nice compliment. And I’m going to tell my
husband I’ve met with your approval.”

The movie was a big success. James dean did not live to see the movie completed. He died in
a car accident in nineteen firty-five before the movie was released the next year. Elizabeth taylor
received academy award nominations for several films she made starting in the late nineteen fifties.
The first was for the nineteen fifty-seven movie “rainttree county.”

The next year she starred in a film version of the tennessee williams play, “cat on a hot
tinroof.” She plays a beautiful wife who is having marriage trouble. Her alcoholic husband is played
by paul newman. Many critics consider this one of her best movies.

MAGGIE : “oh brick! How long does this have to go on, this punishment ? haven’t I served
my term ? can’t I apply for a pardon?”

BRICK: “lately, that finising school voice of yours sounds like you running upstairs to tell
someone the house is on fire.”

MAGGIE: “ is it any wonder? You know whant I feel like? I feel all the time like a cat on a hot
tin roof.”

BRICK: “then jump off the roof, maggie, jump off it. Now cats jump off roofs and they land
uninjured. Do it. Jump.”

MAGGIE: “jump where! Into what?”

Taylor’s third academy award nomination was for another movie based on a tennessee
williams play called “ suddenly last summer.”
 In nineteen sixty, it was her turn to win. She received her first academy award for her work
in “ butterfield 8”. Her second academy award for acting came six years later for her role in “who’s
afraid of virginia woolf?” she starred in this movie opposite her husband at the time, the welsh actor
richard burton.

MARTHA : “in fact, he was sort of a flop. a great big, fat flop.”

GEORGE : “stop it, martha.”

MARTHA : “I hope that was an empty bottle, george. You can’t afford to waste good liquor.
Not on your salary. Not on an associate professor’s salary.”

The movie was based on a play by edward albee. For this role, elizabeth taylor gained a great
deal of weight in order to look the part of the aging wife of a college professor. “who’s afraid of
virginia woolf?” received great praise. But it was taylor’s first movie with burton that had made
histoty.

“ cleopatra” received a gread deal of attenion for bringing elizabeth taylor and richard
burton. Bolt stars were merried to other people at the time. But they begen a widely publicized love
affair while filming the movie. Burton and taylor would eventually marry and divorce each other
twice . they made many movie together and led a live of extreme fame and wealth.

Taylor later said she ramained madly in love with burton for his entire life. She said she
would have married him a third time had he not died unexpectedly in nineteen eighty-four.

Elizabeth taylor’s last two marriages also ended in divorce. She was married to senator john
warner of virginia and, later, to a builder named larry fortensky.

BARBARA KLEIN: throughout her life, elizabeth taylor faced many health pronlems. She
nearly died twice of pneumonia. She had back, hip, heart and weight problems. In the nineteen
eighties, she battled drug and alcohol abuse. She entered a medical canter for treatment and was
very open with the public about her struggles.

She spent much of her time working on her charity and businees projects. She gave her
name to saveral hugely successful perfumes.

In nineteen eighty-five, she helped create amFAR, the american foudation for AIDS
research. She did this during a period when many people believed those infected with the disease
were immoral and few recognized its danger. Reports say helped raise over a hundred million dollars
for AIDS foundation. The organization helps people around the world who are living with AIDS.

Elizabeth taylor died of heart failure in two thousand elaven at the age of seventy-nine. AIDS
researcher mathilde krim told USA tody that the actress was always know for her beauty, success
and jewelry. But she said elizabeth taylor was also a woman of exreme intelligence, independence,
courage and a deep concrn for others.