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February 27,
1932 |
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor is born in London, England, to American parents. Her father, Francis Taylor, is an art dealer and her mother, Sara, a former actress.
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1939 |
With World War II on the horizon in Europe, the Taylor family heads to the United States and settles in Southern California.
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1942 |
A beautiful child, Taylor makes her film debut in "There's One Born Every Minute."
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1944 |
Now an MGM contract player, the 12-year-old actress becomes a star in "National Velvet."
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1950 |
Taylor's marriage to Nicky Hilton, heir to the Hilton Hotel fortune, coincides with the release of "Father of the Bride." They divorce the following year.
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1951 |
The actress tackles her first serious adult dramatic role in George Stevens' "A Place in the Sun." Co-star Montgomery Clift becomes a close friend.
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1952 |
The star marries actor Michael Wilding. They have two children, Michael and Christopher. Taylor and Wilding divorce in 1956.
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1956 |
Taylor's years as a major box-office attraction begin with "Giant," opposite Rock Hudson and James Dean.
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1957 |
Taylor marries producer Mike Todd. They have a daughter, Liza.
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1957 |
The star receives a best actress Oscar nomination as a Southern belle in "Raintree County."
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1958 |
Husband Todd dies in a crash of his plane, The Lucky Liz.
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1958 |
The newly widowed Taylor finishes the filming of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," earning another best actress nomination. Maggie the Cat is the first of several Tennessee Williams heroines for Taylor.
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1958 |
The distraught star turns to singer Eddie Fisher for comfort after her husband's death. There's only one problem -- Fisher is married to Debbie Reynolds. The public is outraged.
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1959 |
The actress converts to Judaism and marries Fisher.
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1959 |
"Suddenly, Last Summer" earns Taylor her third best actress Oscar nomination.
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1960 |
The star completes her MGM contract playing a call girl in "Butterfield 8."
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1960 |
20th Century Fox pays Taylor an unprecedented $1 million for "Cleopatra."
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1961 |
Filming of "Cleopatra" is halted in London when the actress catches pneumonia and almost dies. A month after a tracheotomy, Taylor wins her first best actress Oscar for "Butterfield 8," a movie she hates.
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1962 |
Romantic sparks fly with "Cleopatra" co-star Richard Burton, who plays Marc Antony. The paparazzi cover the scandal in minute detail, and even the Vatican condemns the stars' affair.
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1963 |
"Cleopatra" is released to savage reviews. At $40 million, the epic is the most expensive movie ever made up until that time.
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1964 |
Taylor divorces Fisher and marries Burton in Canada. They adopt a daughter, Maria.
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1966 |
Taylor surprises critics and fans with her portrayal of Martha, the bitter, middle-aged wife of a college professor in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" At the peak of her career, she earns a second best actress Oscar and the New York Film Critics Award.
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1974 |
The "Battling Burtons" call it quits the first time. They remarry in 1975, only to divorce again the following year.
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1976 |
After the Burton divorce, Taylor moves to Virginia horse country, where she meets and marries Virginia politician John Warner. She campaigns vigorously for Warner, who is elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978. The marriage ends in 1982.
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1981 |
Taylor makes her Broadway debut as Regina Giddens in a revival of Lillian Hellman's "The Little Foxes."
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1983 |
Taylor and Burton are briefly reunited onstage in an unsuccessful production of Noel Coward's "Private Lives."
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1983 |
The actress enters the Betty Ford Center for the first time to battle her addictions to alcohol and pills.
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1984 |
Richard Burton dies at age 58.
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1985 |
Taylor's good friend and former co-star Rock Hudson dies of AIDS. Using her fame as a strong voice in the fight against the deadly disease, the actress becomes the founding national chairman of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR).
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1987 |
The star becomes a successful entrepreneur in the perfume industry when she launches Elizabeth Taylor's Passion.
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1991 |
At 59, Taylor marries for the eighth time in a ceremony at Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch. New husband Larry Fortensky, 39, is a construction worker the star met during a stay at the Betty Ford Center. They divorce in 1996.
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1992 |
Taylor receives a third Oscar when she is presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in recognition for her work with AIDS.
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1993 |
The American Film Institute honors the star with its Lifetime Achievement Award.
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1997 |
Taylor undergoes surgery for a benign brain tumor.
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2000 |
The leading lady officially becomes a dame when Britain's Queen Elizabeth honors her with the female equivalent of knighthood.
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2002 |
Taylor achieves another landmark -- she turns 70.
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Melissa Etheridge
