Elizabeth Taylor: The Woman Who Had A Passion For Life
Most people know her for her “violet eyes”, or her eight marriages, yet don’t take the time to appreciate her contribution and inspiration to more than just young women. In Elizabeth Taylor’s 60 year career, she was able to attract many people’s attention and become an inspiration to a countless number of people through having starred in over 50 films, having been a nominee of five Academy Awards for Best Actress and awarded two, and devoting her time outside of acting to raising awareness for research in AIDS. Taylor was an actress and humanitarian. She was also a daughter, a sister, a wife, and mother. Learning about Elizabeth Taylor’s career and life allows us to create an insight …show more content…
Taylor’s passion for life led her to believe that she could express herself in any way she wanted. “At the time she wanted only to be a dutiful wife, free to express her newfound self ” (Papa 73). Despite the young age of 18, Taylor’s first marriage was with Conrad Hilton, which barely lasted seven months due to Hilton’s alcohol habit. They divorced in 1951, and the next year, Taylor met Michael Wilding through filming the movie, Ivanhoe. During their 5 years of marriage, they had 2 kids, and Taylor starred in eight films. The two divorced in 1957, because of their age difference and Taylor met Michael Todd through filming another movie. Their marriage didn’t last long when Todd was killed in a plane crash in 1958. Her fourth marriage was with Crooner Fisher, a friend of Todd’s. They fell in love with each other when Fisher flew out to LA to comfort Taylor in her grief after Todd’s sudden death. Taylor divorced Fisher in 1964 because of his marriage with Debbie Reynolds who had been Taylor’s maid of honor at her previous marriage. When the public learned about the affair, hate bombarded the newspapers and magazines. She told the public,“Nobody tells me who to love or not to love, who to be seen with and who not to be seen with” (Papa 79). Through filming the movie, Cleopatra, Taylor …show more content…
Although Taylor had been fighting the stigma attached to AIDS, it wasn’t until 1985 when her close friend, Rock Hudson had died from AIDS, her work began in earnest. She said, “I kept seeing all these news reports on this new disease and kept asking myself why no one was doing anything. And then I realized I wasn’t doing anything to help” (Papa 212). After realizing her own inactivity, Taylor formed the American Foundation for AIDS Research with Dr. Mathilde Krim. Because of her fame on film, Taylor quickly brought forth media attention, and she discovered that her fame finally was put to good use. In 1991, Taylor created the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to educate the public about AIDS and conduct research to develop a cure. Like everything else in her life, she was passionate about her cause. Over the years, millions of dollars were raised for charity. Though Taylor dedicated most of her life to acting, and was awarded two Academy Awards, she wanted to be most remembered for her charity
Most people know her for her “violet eyes”, or her eight marriages, yet don’t take the time to appreciate her contribution and inspiration to more than just young women. In Elizabeth Taylor’s 60 year career, she was able to attract many people’s attention and become an inspiration to a countless number of people through having starred in over 50 films, having been a nominee of five Academy Awards for Best Actress and awarded two, and devoting her time outside of acting to raising awareness for research in AIDS. Taylor was an actress and humanitarian. She was also a daughter, a sister, a wife, and mother. Learning about Elizabeth Taylor’s career and life allows us to create an insight …show more content…
Taylor’s passion for life led her to believe that she could express herself in any way she wanted. “At the time she wanted only to be a dutiful wife, free to express her newfound self ” (Papa 73). Despite the young age of 18, Taylor’s first marriage was with Conrad Hilton, which barely lasted seven months due to Hilton’s alcohol habit. They divorced in 1951, and the next year, Taylor met Michael Wilding through filming the movie, Ivanhoe. During their 5 years of marriage, they had 2 kids, and Taylor starred in eight films. The two divorced in 1957, because of their age difference and Taylor met Michael Todd through filming another movie. Their marriage didn’t last long when Todd was killed in a plane crash in 1958. Her fourth marriage was with Crooner Fisher, a friend of Todd’s. They fell in love with each other when Fisher flew out to LA to comfort Taylor in her grief after Todd’s sudden death. Taylor divorced Fisher in 1964 because of his marriage with Debbie Reynolds who had been Taylor’s maid of honor at her previous marriage. When the public learned about the affair, hate bombarded the newspapers and magazines. She told the public,“Nobody tells me who to love or not to love, who to be seen with and who not to be seen with” (Papa 79). Through filming the movie, Cleopatra, Taylor …show more content…
Although Taylor had been fighting the stigma attached to AIDS, it wasn’t until 1985 when her close friend, Rock Hudson had died from AIDS, her work began in earnest. She said, “I kept seeing all these news reports on this new disease and kept asking myself why no one was doing anything. And then I realized I wasn’t doing anything to help” (Papa 212). After realizing her own inactivity, Taylor formed the American Foundation for AIDS Research with Dr. Mathilde Krim. Because of her fame on film, Taylor quickly brought forth media attention, and she discovered that her fame finally was put to good use. In 1991, Taylor created the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to educate the public about AIDS and conduct research to develop a cure. Like everything else in her life, she was passionate about her cause. Over the years, millions of dollars were raised for charity. Though Taylor dedicated most of her life to acting, and was awarded two Academy Awards, she wanted to be most remembered for her charity