Elizabeth Taylor is an icon when it comes to classic Hollywood movies. Even after her death, she has continued to be an important name in the entertainment industry, and her legacy has continued to inspire people to this day. Taylor was a well-versed actress, dedicated businesswoman, and heartfelt humanitarian. She grew up quickly while working in the film industry, as much of her life was broadcast to the public eye. Taylor quickly found stardom due to her extreme perseverance and tenacity, as well as her unique and gorgeous looks.
Although some people in the industry were not too fond of the rising star, Taylor continued to make waves in the land where people’s dreams come true. Her unique look caused her to appear much older than other child stars she was competing against at the time, which hurt her career at first, but ultimately helped the star when it came time to land more critical and challenging roles later on.
Taylor is no longer with us today, but her legacy has continued to live on through countless works in the entertainment industry and, most importantly, through her family. Taylor was a mother of four, and her family has since grown to include plenty of grandchildren and even great-grandchildren. Even though her whole family is absolutely beautiful, one granddaughter, in particular, looks incredibly like Taylor. Laela Wilding, daughter of Taylor’s son Michael Wilding, Jr., is the perfect reincarnation of the late iconic movie star. Through her own work with Taylor’s foundation and her stunning good looks, Laela has helped carry on her grandmother’s legacy.
Moving To California
Elizabeth Taylor (circa 1955), (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Taylor was born on Feb. 27, 1932, in the Hampstead Garden Suburb of London, England. She was granted dual British-American citizenship as her parents were citizens of the United States, originally from Arkansas City, Kansas. Her father, Francis Lenn Taylor, was an art dealer, while her mother, Sara Sothern, was a retired stage actress. The family had moved to London in 1929 to open a new art gallery on Bond Street in the West End of London. The area is notorious for its prestigious and high-end fashion retailers. Also this year, Taylor’s parents welcomed their first child into the world, a son named Howard.
During Taylor’s childhood, the family continued to live in London and surrounded themselves with notable people, including Augustus John and Laura Knight, who were artists. Another one of their family friends, Colonel Victor Cazalet, played an important role in Taylor’s life, as he was her unofficial godfather and had a strong influence on the young girl.
Taylor and her family decided to return to the United States in 1939 due to the fear of impending war in Europe. Sara and the children left before Francis and moved in with Sara’s father in Pasadena, California, in April that year. Francis joined them many months later, in December that same year. Although he had to leave his art gallery in London behind, he was able to open a new one in Los Angeles, California, in 1940. Shortly after, the family was able to live in their own home in Beverly Hills.
Early Career
Elizabeth Taylor (1963), (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
With the art gallery came great connections for the family as they met many people who worked in the film industry. One of Cazalets’ friends, gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, had endorsed the art gallery, which led to its extreme popularity among the elite in Los Angeles. Taylor had also had stunningly good looks, and her most unique feature was the color of her eyes. They were a shade of blue that almost appeared violet and were rimmed by dark double eyelashes. Taylor had been born with her notable feature as the look of her eyes was caused by a genetic mutation. This, along with the growing connection to the film industry, led Taylor to audition for both Universal Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) in 1941. She later signed a contract with Universal Pictures.
Her contract started shortly afterward in April 1941, and she was cast in a small role in “There’s One Born Every Minute,” which was later released in 1942. Unfortunately, Taylor was unable to land any other roles, leading to her contract being terminated after only one year. She did not have the same look as other child stars during that time, such as Shirley Temple and Judy Garland, which ultimately led to her not being cast.
Lucky for Taylor, her family continued to have strong connections with other powerful people in the film industry, and she was given the opportunity to audition for “Lassie Come Home,” a movie produced by MGM. The small role was perfect for Taylor as it required a child actress with an English accent. Taylor not only landed the role, but she signed a new seven-year contract with MGM in January 1943.
Entering Adulthood
Elizabeth Taylor (Bettmann/Contributor/Getty images)
Although it seemed like everything was working out for Taylor, it was only a matter of time until other events transpired. The young actress obtained roles easily, but it seemed like the studio always had an issue with her, from her height to the shape of her eyebrows, to even her own name. Despite this, Taylor stayed true to herself and was extremely successful while doing so. She starred in “National Velvet,” which easily became a box-office hit following its release on Christmas 1944. After this, MGM offered Taylor a new seven-year contract, and she immediately went back to work and joined the cast of the 1946 movie “Courage of Lassie.”
Even though Taylor was a teenager, she began being compared to female adult actresses. She began partaking in photoshoots that made her appear like a typical teenage girl, and she began taking on more challenging and more provocative roles in movies. For example, she played a teenager who seduced her peer’s date to a high school dance in the musical “A Date With Judy.”
In 1950, Taylor officially made the transition to adult roles when she turned 18. Despite the thriller “Conspirator” not being released until 1950, Taylor was actually 16 during the time it was filmed. Taylor continued to land more mature roles throughout the 1950s, including “Father of the Bride,” where Taylor played a bride preparing for her wedding. Around this time, Taylor actually got married to hotel-chain heir Conrad Hilton, Jr., and MGM organized their wedding as an event used to promote ” Father of the Bride.” The film was extremely successful following its release, and its popular sequel came out just ten months later.
Love Affair With Richard Burton
Elizabeth Taylor (Bettmann/Contributor/Getty images)
Taylor finally started receiving recognition for her work and was nominated for a number of awards, starting with her films in the 1950s and leading up until the end of her career. The star was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Academy Awards in 1958 through 1961 and won her first-ever Oscar in 1961 for “BUtterfield 8.”
Also during this year, Taylor was given the leading role in “Cleopatra” alongside Richard Burton. The two began a love affair with one another, despite both being married to other people at the time, causing a scandal. Despite this, the two continued their romance and were later married in 1964. They became a power couple in Hollywood and were cast together in 11 films, including “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”
The couple’s relationship surpassed their time together, as it has continued to inspire the arts today, including the 2012 TV movie “Liz and Dick,” the 2013 TV movie “Burton and Taylor,” and some lyrics of the 2017 Taylor Swift song “…Ready for It?” However, Taylor and Burton’s relationship was incredibly rocky, and they divorced in 1974, remarried in 1975, and divorced for good in 1976.
Even though the couple was incredibly iconic, it wasn’t a complete surprise when they had broken up for good as Taylor’s romances seemed to be fleeting based on the fact that she was married to a total of seven men over the course of her life. Taylor was still able to start her own family, as she had four children, Liza Todd, Maria Burton, Michael Wilding, Jr., and Christopher Edward Wilding.
Honoring Her Career
Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images)
Unfortunately for Taylor, while her relationship with Burton was very up and down, her professional life was the same. She had struggled to continue her successful career during the late 1960s and during the 1970s. Taylor’s looks had always been a big reason as to why she received so many roles over the years, but the public had grown tired of her as she continued to age and look less like the ideal Hollywood star. Even when Taylor was able to land herself a role in a movie or television show, it usually wasn’t very successful.
Taylor’s career hit a similar stride during the 1980s, although the star was recognized for much of her early work through honorary awards. She won the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 1985 and the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement, presented by President Gerald R. Ford. During the 1980s, Taylor also began her work as a humanitarian and did her part to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic.
Taylor chaired the AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Commitment to Life fundraiser in 1985, which was also around the time that one of her personal friends, actor Rock Hudson, had died from the condition. This pushed Taylor even more to work to help end the epidemic, thus creating and co-founding The Foundation for AIDS Research. Taylor later established her own organization in 1991 called the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF), which today continues to provide direct care and support to the most vulnerable patients.
The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
Elizabeth Taylor (1986), (Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection/Getty Images)
According to the foundation’s official website, the public embraced Taylor’s activism, and she received many awards and honors in recognition of all her hard work. She was given the Legion d’honneur by France and the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bill Clinton. Queen Elizabeth II also named Taylor a Dame of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2000.
Even after Taylor’s death, the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation has continued to help others who are living with HIV and AIDS. The foundation has continued to carry her original voice and message onward to one day fulfill its mission in the fight for social justice, human rights, and an AIDS-free world, according to a message from ETAF.
Taylor struggled with many health problems over the course of her life. She was born with scoliosis and broke her back in 1944, although the injury went undetected for several years despite her back pain and problems. Taylor also had a few serious bouts of pneumonia in 1961, 1990, and again in 2000. She also suffered a brain tumor in 1997 and was treated for skin cancer in 2002.
Not only did she suffer from physical illnesses, but Taylor also battled an addiction to alcohol and prescription painkillers and tranquilizers and was treated at the Betty Ford Center for one month. The icon’s health issues continued on, and she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2004. Taylor died on Mar. 23, 2011, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 79.
Her Gorgeous Granddaughter
Elizabeth Taylor (1991), (Frederic REGLAIN/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images)
Even though Taylor is no longer with us, her legacy has continued to live on not only through many works in Hollywood but also through her children and grandchildren. Born in 1971, Laela was Taylor’s first grandchild. She grew up in Northern California and was fortunate enough to spend plenty of quality time with her grandmother, including most holidays and the occasional Sunday, according to The List. “She was very artistic,” Laela said about Taylor. “She had a great eye.” Along with this, Taylor also helped Laela learn the ins and outs of fashion and overall styling, including how to properly do her makeup. “She once said to me, ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it,'” Laela said.
Today, the 50-year-old woman lives with her family and works as a graphic designer in Portland, Oregon. Inspired by her late grandmother, Laela has involved herself with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and serves on the board of directors. There, she works with a team to help provide care, housing, and other vital services to HIV+ people who are struggling financially, according to ETAF. “We didn’t experience her as a movie star,” Laela explained to Town and Country. “She became impassioned about activism, and I can’t think of anything more inspiring than our grandmother’s compassion and determination for other people.”
Taylor’s vision continues to live on today with the help of her grandchildren. “We are determined to support the legacy of our grandmother and let the world know the foundation is thriving,” Laela said. Along with this, Laela herself looks stunningly similar to her late grandmother as she is just as beautiful and captivating as Taylor was. With her heart, determination, and similarly beautiful looks, Laela has continued to share Taylor’s legacy with the rest of the world.
Finn McMurray, Laela Wilding, Caleb Wilding (2014), (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Naomi Wilding, Laela Wilding (2021), (Amy Sussman/Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images)
What do you think about Elizabeth Taylor’s career? Do you think her granddaughter, Laela, looks just like her? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends, too!
Please scroll below for more stories 🙂
