Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor was born in London, England, in 1932
and moved to Los Angeles with her family in 1939.

Taylor appeared with Ann Revere in the film "National Velvet" in 1944,
two years after she made her film debut at the age of 10.
The film was a smash hit and made Taylor MGM's top child star.

Eleven-year-old Elizabeth Taylor with Lassie around the time of her performance
in the 1943 film "Lassie Comes Home," in Los Angeles.

Elizabeth Taylor arrives at a Hollywood movie premiere Dec. 21, 1949,
with Ralph Kiner, then the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder and the Major League's
home run king. Kiner was Taylor's second big-name athlete boyfriend.

Elizabeth Taylor and Conrad Hilton Jr., known as Nicky, on the steps of the Church
of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, Calif., after their wedding ceremony on May 6, 1950.

Elizabeth Taylor and husband Conrad Hilton Jr. during their honeymoon
in Paris, May 31, 1950.
The actress and the hotel-fortune heir were divorced less than a year later,
in February of 1951.

Elizabeth Taylor at the premiere of "The Lady with the Lamp"
at the Warner Theater in London, Sept. 22, 1951.

Elizabeth Taylor and husband, British actor Michael Wilding, were married
from Feb. 21, 1952, to Jan. 30, 1957. They had two children.

Elizabeth Taylor on the balcony of the Grand Hotel
in Stockholm, Sweden, in this Sept. 25, 1953.

Elizabeth Taylor is dancing with film producer Mike Todd
at a party in Greenwich, Conn., on Dec. 9, 1956.
Todd later became the next - and third - husband of Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor with husband Mike Todd, whom she married Feb. 2, 1957.
Taylor was widowed when Todd, a well-known producer, died in a plane crash
on March 22, 1958. They had one child.

In 1951, she starred in "A Palace in the Sun" with close friend Montgomery Clift.
The two would later share the silver screen in 1957's "Raintree Country,"
which earned Taylor her fist Oscar nomination, and 1959's "Suddenly, Last Summer."

In a 1957 photo, Elizabeth Taylor is shown in costume
for her character in the film "Raintree County."

In a 1958 photo, Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in a scene
from the movie "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof."

Elizabeth Taylor and singer Eddie Fisher apply for a marriage license in Las Vegas,
May, 12, 1959. Fisher left his wife, actress and singer Debbie Reynolds, to marry Taylor.
They divorced March 6, 1964.

Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher after their wedding ceremony
at Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas, May 12, 1959.

Elizabeth Taylor and her fourth husband, Eddie Fisher, teamed up for the 1960 film
"BUtterfiled 8." Taylor, seen here with Fisher at a press conference, on May 26, 1959,
in London, won her first Best Actress Oscar for her role as Gloria Wandrous.

In a 1961 Elizabeth Taylor in a scene from "BUtterfield 8."
She won her first Academy Award, for best actress in a leading role,
for her performance as Gloria Wandrous in the film.

Elizabeth Taylor with her Oscar at a presentation party
after being named Best Actress for her role in "BUtterfield 8"
on April 21, 1961, in Santa Monica, Calif.

In a 1961 Elizabeth Taylor and Rex Harrison in a scene from "Cleopatra."

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in a motor launch, Jun 15, 1962,
in the small town Porto d'Ischia, on the isle of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples, Italy.

Martin Landau, second from left, playing the part of the general, and Elizabeth Taylor,
playing the title role of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, during filming of the movie
"Cleopatra" on location off the Isle of Ischia, Italy, on June 16, 1962.

Elizabeth Taylor met her fifth husband, Welsh actor Richard Burton, while on the set
of the 1963 film "Cleopatra." The two went on to costar in 11 movies together,
including "The V.I.P.s" (1963), "The Sandpiper," (1965), "Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?
(1966 and pictured), "Doctor Faustus" (1967) and "Under Milk Wood" (1972).

Earl Mountbatten of Burma presented Elizabeth Taylor with the Oscar
she won for her performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" at the 20th
Annual British Film Academy Awards ceremony in London, April 24, 1967.

Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, who is wearing a Cartier diamond of almost 70 carats,
arrive at Hotel Hermitage for the Scorpion Ball in Monaco on Nov. 15, 1969.
Taylor and Burton eventually were married in March 1964.

Elizabeth Taylor attended a charity ball in Monaco, Nov. 17, 1969.
Making its debut was the famous 69.42 carat, pear-shaped diamond
that Taylor was wearing as a pendant. It was a present from her husband, Richard Burton.
Initially, the diamond was bought by Paris jeweler Cartier at an auction and he
named it "Cartier." Burton bought it the next day and renamed it "Taylor-Burton."

In "The Only Game in Town" (1970), Warren Beatty portrays a compulsive gambler and
pianist who falls in love with a Las Vegas chorus line dancer, played by Elizabeth Taylor.