They don’t make Hollywood icons like Elizabeth Taylor anymore. She was beautiful, alluring, talented, philanthropic and had an undeniable mystery and air that captivated millions.
When I was a little girl, I couldn’t possibly wrap my head around what it meant to be a Hollywood icon.
Elizabeth Taylor, born in London in 1932, stepped onto the Hollywood scene at the tender age of 12 and became just that. Watching her, I learned all movies stars should be glamourous, have tons of brilliant jewelry and a beautiful husband, or in Dame Taylor’s case, husbands.
I used to sneak and spritz my mother’s White Diamonds and pretend to be Elizabeth Taylor in all her full-browed glory.
As I grew older, her business acumen became more of an inspiration; she was one of the first celebrities to create a fragrance. A pioneer, Elizabeth Taylor was never afraid of venturing into new territory. “I feel very adventurous, there are so many doors to be opened, and I’m not afraid to look behind them,” she said.
On the big screen, Liz was mesmerizing. Movies like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Then Suddenly, Last Summer and Cleopatra (where she met her great love Richard Burton) taught me the importance of glamour, grace and style in a woman.
She not only commanded the cameras but Richard Burton’s heart. Yes, her love life was as riveting and entertaining as any of her memorable films. Her and Richard were Carrie and Big before Sex in The City! They were married and divorced twice!
It was her great love Richard Burton that summed up Ms. Taylor’s life the best. “She was gorgeous. She was lavish. She was a dark largesse. She was, in short, too bloody much.”
But in all her beauty and decadence, she never failed to show compassion and concern toward people. She was a brilliant philanthropist, using her fame to spread AIDS awareness after losing her dear friend, Rock Hudson. She founded both the American Foundation for AIDS Research and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation which donated millions to educating and treating the disease.
Her endeavors were diverse (jewelry lines, fragrances, acting, philanthropy, lasting love) but what united them all was her unbridled passion for living a full life. “I’ve always admitted that I’m ruled by my passions,” she said.
We should all be so brave to live that way.
Rest in peace, Elizabeth Taylor.
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