Elizabeth Taylor was a former child star who started acting in the early 1940s at age ten, after signing a contract with Universal Studios.
The Hollywood star’s debut film was “One Born Every Minute” (1942). After that, she had a more prominent role when she appeared in “Lassie Come Home” (1943).
However, the leading lady rose to superstardom with her stint in the movie “National Velvet” (1944). The film became a significant success raking in $4 million at the time.
Taylor later starred in more notable films, including “Butterfield 8” (1960) and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?” (1965). The British native won Academy Awards for both.
How It Began & Her Health Struggles
Taylor was born to art-dealing parents in London, England, on February 27, 1932. She and her family uprooted to the United States soon after World War II began and settled in Los Angeles.
Shortly after arriving in California, a family friend suggested the couple take their daughter to a screen test. Young Taylor took after her mother, who had worked as an actress before getting married.
The future superstar started dancing at three years old, giving royal siblings Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret a recital.
Taylor’s acting career spanned over 60 years, with another memorable role in the 1944 movie, “The White Cliffs of Dover.”
As a rising star, Taylor injured herself at age twelve when she filmed “National Velvet.” She was thrown off a horse and sustained a back injury.
It later turned out that her backside was not the main issue, but scoliosis, otherwise known as a curvature in her spine. Taylor was born with the condition, causing the pain in her back that she had dealt with her entire life.
British-born star Elizabeth Taylor poses on January 1, 1945 | Source: Getty Images
It was not the last time Taylor got injured while on set. In 1953, a rusty splinter embedded in her eye while working on the film, “Elephant Walk.”
As a result, showbiz’s most popular star — 21 years old at the time – had to undergo surgery to remove it.
Several years later, Taylor encountered another health issue; this time, it was a near-fatal bout of pneumonia. In 1961, she was severely sick with pneumonia and went under the knife again for an emergency tracheotomy.
Taylor candidly talked about the near-death experience in a 2006 interview with television host, Larry King, saying doctors did the best they could to keep her alive:
“I was pronounced dead four times, so they could give me anything, just to see if they could make me breathe.”
The “Cleopatra” star experienced yet another near-fatal bout with pneumonia in 1990 and spent three months in the hospital. She endured another mild case in 2000.
With consistent health woes, Taylor developed a severe respiratory infection in 1992. Regrettably, her physician at the time, Michael Roth, MD, advised her to cancel multiple appearances she was scheduled to have.
He released a statement that read: “Due to the recurrence of a severe upper respiratory tract infection with spiking fevers verging on pneumonia, and in view of her health in the past, I have asked Miss Taylor to cancel all obligations for the next few weeks.”
Taylor suffered another health setback in 1994 when she required two hip replacements, one that year and another the following year.
Taylor continued to experience more life-threatening health issues throughout her adulthood. In 1997, she suffered a seizure, leading doctors to detect and remove a benign brain tumor.
Following the surgery, she posed bald for the cover of Life magazine, hopeful for the future. “The ups and downs, the problems and stress, along with the happiness, have given me optimism and hope because I am living proof of survival. I’ve come through things that would have felled an ox,” said the “The Flintstones” star.
Elizabeth Taylor and her first husband hotelier Conrad Hilton pose after their wedding on May 13, 1950 in Hollywood | Source: Getty Images
Taylor had another health scare with the disease in June 2002 when she underwent radiation therapy for basal cell carcinoma. Three months later, her physician, Ronald Thompson, declared, “There’s no evidence of any residual disease.”
The “Giant” star also underwent spinal surgery in 2004 to repair seven compression fractures in her spine. At the time, Taylor joked that people must have been asking themselves whether she was “still alive” or not. Speaking about her never-ending health troubles in 2004, she said:
“My body’s a real mess.”
However, because she kept on fighting for survival every time she faced a health issue, she overcame every one of them.
At some point, the media speculated that she was being treated for early Alzheimer’s, but she rubbished the claims in May 2006.
In addition to her many problematic medical woes, Taylor, who struggled with substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol, checked into rehab at the Betty Ford Center twice—in 1983 and 1988.
Taylor’s Marriages
But Taylor’s health was not the only thing making headlines throughout her existence. Her love life often made news, having married eight times in her lifetime..
She first wed at 18 to hotel heir Conrad “Nicky” Hilton Jr. in 1950. Their marriage lasted less than a year, and they divorced in 1951, but she did not remain single for too long.
A year later, in 1952, she tied the knot for the second time with English actor Michael Wilding. The couple welcomed two sons, Michael Jr., born in 1953, and Christopher, who arrived two years later in 1955. However, they split in 1957.
Again, Taylor moved on quickly from the breakup and married her third husband, producer Mike Todd, in 1957. The two had one child, daughter Liza, whom they welcomed that same year. Sadly, Todd tragically died in a plane crash a year later.
Still in mourning, Taylor walked down the aisle for the fourth time with her late husband’s close friend, Eddie Fisher, in 1959. But their marriage caused controversy as Fisher left his wife, actress Debbie Reynolds, who was also a dear pal to Taylor. The couple divorced in 1964,
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on the film set of “The Sandpiper” on December 1, 1965 | Source: Getty Images
Taylor wed for the fifth time with her co-star, Richard Burton, in 1964. The duo had a passionate marriage that had its troubles, leading to their divorce in 1974.
After going their separate ways, Taylor and Burton reunited and remarried in Botswana in 1975. But their rekindled romance didn’t last long; they were divorced less than a year later. Burton died on August 5, 1984.