melissa molinaro: ELIZABETH TAYLOR

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

ELIZABETH TAYLOR - HOLLYWOOD ICON

Elizabeth Taylor passed away earlier today at Cedars Sinai due to Congestive Heart Failure. She has been hospitalized for this problem over a month. Diagnosis since 2004 where heart can't pump enough blood to the other organs and the heart has to work a lot harder. Elizabeth Taylor is considered as one of the greatest actresses of the Hollywood Golden Age and ranks #7 on the Female Legends List from the American Film Institute.

Born with a mutation that caused her to have double rows of eyelashes, she had a striking dark beauty. She began her acting career following her mother's footsteps when she first signed with Universal Pictures. After her contract was shortly cancelled, she was signed to MGM. Her role as Velvet Brown in National Velvet propelled her to fame at the tender age of 12.

Her golden years for acting came in the years of 1954-1959. She became the highest paid actress for her role as Cleopatra with a paycheck of $1 million in 1960. With her roles in many Hollywood films, Elizabeth Taylor won 2 Academy Awards for her performances in Butterfield 8 in 1960 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1966.

Receiving treatment for alcoholism in the 1980s, Elizabeth Taylor faced many health problems throughout her life. In addition to being diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure in 2004, she broke her back 5 times, had both her hips replaced, survived a benign brain tumor and skin cancer operation, and also survived pneumonia twice. Toward her later years, she cancelled many appearances due to osteoporosis amongst her many health problems and scoliosis that she was born with.

Elizabeth Taylor designed jewels for The Elizabeth Collection sold at Christie's since she had a passion of jewelry. She also began her own perfume line launching 3 different fragrances "Passion", "Black Pearls", and "White Diamonds", her most popular.

Her main charity was to AIDS work. Not only did she help start the American Foundation for AIDS Research, but created her own charity called the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

Though always in the tabloids regarding her personal life which included 8 marriages to 7 husbands which almost all led to divorce, Elizabeth Taylor is truly a Hollywood icon.

Elizabeth Taylor died peacefully with family around her: 4 children, 10 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. A private funeral will be held later this week. Any contributions can be made to the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation. Her publicist is working on a public memorial service for many of her fans.