Elizabeth Taylor, 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1965

Elizabeth Taylor, screen door, 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, 1965
Originally uploaded by Bob Willoughby

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, DBE (born 27 February 1932), also known as Liz Taylor, is an English-born American actress, sayeth Wikipedia. Known for her acting skills and beauty, as well as her Hollywood lifestyle, including many marriages, Taylor is considered one of the great actresses of Hollywood's golden years, as well as a larger-than-life celebrity.

Taylor appeared in her first motion picture at the age of nine in There's One Born Every Minute. The role of Velvet Brown in MGM's National Velvet skyrocketed Taylor to stardom at the tender age of 12. Taylor's character, Velvet Brown, is a young girl who trains her beloved horse to win the Grand National. National Velvet, which also costarred beloved American favorite Mickey Rooney and English newcomer Angela Lansbury, became an overwhelming success upon its release in December 1944 and altered Taylor's life forever.

Her reputation as a bankable adolescent star and nickname of "One-Shot Liz" (referring to her ability to shoot a scene in one take) promised her a full and bright career with Metro. Taylor's portrayal as Amy, in the American classic Little Women (1949) would prove to be her last adolescent role.

A Place in the Sun (1949) became the pivotal performance of Taylor's career as critics acclaimed it as a classic, a reputation it sustained throughout the next 50 years of cinema history.

Taylor was nominated for Academy Awards for her starring roles in the following films: Raintree County (1957) opposite Montgomery Clift; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) opposite Paul Newman; and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) with Montgomery Clift.

In 1963, Taylor became the highest paid movie star up until that time when she accepted US$1 million to play the title role in the lavish production of Cleopatra for 20th Century Fox. It was during the filming of that movie that she worked for the first time with future husband Richard Burton, who played Mark Antony.

Taylor won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performances in BUtterfield 8 (1960), which costarred then husband Eddie Fisher, and again for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), which costarred then husband Richard Burton and the Supporting Actress Oscar winner, Sandy Dennis.

Taylor was in the news recently for a rumoured ninth marriage to her constant companion Jason Winters.

Taylor has a passion for jewelry. She is a client of well-known jewelry designer, Shlomo Moussaieff. Over the years she has owned a number of well known pieces, two of the most talked about being the 33.19 carats (6.64 g) Krupp Diamond and the 69.42 carats (13.88 g) pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond, which were among many gifts from husband Richard Burton. Taylor also owns the 50 carats (10 g) La Peregrina Pearl, purchased by Burton as a Valentine's Day present in 1969. The pearl was formerly owned by Mary I of England.

Taylor has devoted much time and energy to AIDS-related charities and fundraising. She helped start the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) after the death of her former costar and friend, Rock Hudson. By 1999, she had helped to raise an estimated US$50 million to fight the disease.