Elizabeth Taylor

She walked down the aisle eight times with seven husbands. Conrad ‘Nicky’ Hilton was the first and was followed by Michael Wilding, Mike Todd, Eddie Fisher, Richard Burton, whom she married twice, John Warner and Larry Fortensky.

Despite her extravagant list of husbands, she had affairs and extra marital relations with important men and eminent personalities including Glenn Davis, Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra, Henry Kissinger, and Malcolm Forbes.

She was blessed with three children, including two sons and one daughter and an adopted girl child Maria.

Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in London to American parents Francis Lenn Taylor and Sara Sothern. Both of them were art dealers in London. At the outbreak of World War II, they returned to US along with young Elizabeth.

While her mother was an actress before her marriage, young Elizabeth started training herself at ballet when she was just three. She even gave a recital for Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

Her charismatic face, breathtaking beauty and attractive looks made Hollywood as the ultimate destination. Following the advice of several people, she applied for a screen test.

Interestingly, the Hollywood giants, Universal and MGM both were willing to place her under contract due to her angelic looks and striking appeal. However, Universal edged past MGM and secured her by offering a seven year contract without even waiting for a screen test!

At the age of nine, she started filming for her debut motion picture, ‘There’s One Born Every Minute’, which released in 1942. Her contract with Universal studio was broken as she was fired after the film.

She then gave a screen test for the MGM. Passing the same, she was offered a long term contract with the studio. Her first film under the MGM banner was the 1943 release, ‘Lassie Come Home’. The film was received exceptionally well at the box office.

Next, she was featured as Helen Burns in the remake of the Charlotte Bront� novel ‘Jane Eyre’. In 1943, she starred in the MGM production, ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’.

While her earlier films were a success, the real breakthrough came with, ‘National Velvet’, which released in 1944. Cast opposite Mickey Rooney and Angela Lansbury, the film garnered immense success grossing about $4 million.

The success of ‘National Velvet’ led her being the natural choice for the 1946 animal film, ‘Courage of Lassie‘. The movie replicated the success story.

Her first major breakthrough on the big screen was with the movie ‘National Velvet’. The film was widely appreciated and grossed about US$4 million at the box office.

Her films with Burton, ‘Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’, ‘The V.I.P.s’, ‘The Sandpiper’ and ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, were box-office blockbusters. They garnered immense positive reviews and amassed about US $200 million at the box office.