Elizabeth Taylor -- Ten Best Known Movies Of A Hollywood Actress And Screen Legend

Fans are remembering Elizabeth Taylor and her legacy on screen and in life. The legendary actress died March 23, 2011, after being hospitalized since February with congestive heart failure. She was 79. According to a publicist, Taylor died at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, with her family by her side.

Taylor was an English-born American actress who rose to fame as a doll-faced child star, transitioning beautifully into adult roles. One of Hollywood’s striking beauties, the violet-eyed Taylor was a compelling actress with more than 50 films to her credit.

Nominated five times for a Best Actress Oscar, she received two Academy Awards in the 1960s, one for BUtterfield 8 and another for Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

Without a doubt, Taylor’s most famous role was that of a beautiful and glamorous movie star. She was a natural magnet for publicity. Her very publicized private life included eight marriages, several near-death experiences, and decades of social activism.

Taylor was one of the first celebrities to champion the cause of AIDS awareness and research, for which she earned a Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1993 Academy Awards.

This hub highlights ten of Elizabeth Taylor’s most popular films.

What is your favorite performance? Cast your vote in the poll below, or tell us about it in the comments section.

National Velvet is a family film based on a 1935 novel by Enid Bagnold, a British author and playwright.

Although Elizabeth Taylor appeared in other films prior to National Velvet, this 1944 movie launched her acting career, boosting her to stardom at age 12.

The story centers on a young girl who saves a gifted horse from the knacker's yard and, with the help of a former jockey, trains it for England's Grand National steeplechase.

Directed by Clarence Brown, this Oscar-winning classic also stars Donald Crisp and Mickey Rooney.

In 2003, the Library of Congress selected National Velvet for preservation in the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic value.

Father Of The Bride is a romantic comedy about a man coping with the emotional pain of his daughter's marriage engagement--and with the financial and organizational chaos involved in planning the wedding.

Nominated for three Academy Awards, this 1950 film stars Elizabeth Taylor in one of her first adult roles. Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett are her co-stars. Vincente Minnelli directed the film.

Father Of The Bride was followed by a 1951 sequel, Father's Little Dividend, which also starred Taylor. The movie spawned a television series in the early 1960s.

In the 1990s, Steve Martin and Diane Keaton starred in a popular remake of the film, as well as the sequel.

A Place In The Sun is a romantic drama based on An American Tragedy, a novel by Theodore Dreiser.

The 1951 film centers on a young blue collar worker who becomes involved with two women--one works in her rich uncle's factory, and the other is a beautiful socialite.

Directed by George Stevens, the film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift, and Shelley Winters. The highly-acclaimed movie won six Academy Awards.

In 1991, the Library of Congress chose A Place In The Sun for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Ivanhoe is a 1952 historical drama based on a classic novel by Sir Walter Scott, the popular Scottish novelist, playwright, and poet.

The story centers on Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a knight of King Richard the Lionheart, and the two women who love him--beautiful Lady Rowena and a young Jewish girl named Rebecca.

Nominated for three Oscars, Ivanhoe is the first film in an unofficial trilogy directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Robert Taylor.

This classic romantic drama features Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Fontaine as the leading ladies.

Giant is an Oscar-winning western directed by George Stevens. The 1956 film is based on a novel by Edna Ferber, an American novelist, playwright, and short story writer.

Critics describe Giant as a "sprawling epic" that portrays the life of a Texas cattle rancher, his family, and his business associates.

The film stars Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean, who was killed in a car accident before the film was released. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, it won for Best Director.

In 2005, the Libary of Congress selected Giant for preservation in the National Film Registry for the film's significance in American history and culture.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is a sizzling movie based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tennessee Williams, a popular American writer.

The 1958 film focuses on the strained marriage of an alcoholic ex-football player and his beautiful and desirable wife.

The man's reunion with his wealthy father, who is dying of cancer, brings a flood of memories and revelations for the family.

Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, and Burl Ives star in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. This Oscar-nominated film is known as one of the most brilliant film adaptations of a play ever produced.

BUtterfield 8 is based on a 1935 novel by American writer John O'Hara. The author is said to have based his work on the real-life story of Starr Faithful, a Depression-era flapper.

The unusual title for this 1960 film comes from old telephone exchange names in North America. At that time, people often referred to telephone exchanges by letter instead of number. BUtterfield 8 was the exchange for Manhattan's ritzy neighborhoods on the Upper East Side.

The movie's focus is a fashionable Manhattan beauty who is part model, part call-girl. Elizabeth Taylor received her first "Best Actress" Oscar for her performance.

Directed by Daniel Mann, BUtterfield 8 also stars Laurence Harvey and Eddie Fisher.

Cleopatra is an extravagant 1963 biographical drama. The epic movie chronicles the triumphs and tragedies of Egypt's Nile Queen, and her attempts to resist Roman imperialism.

The movie was a critical failure, and it nearly bankrupted Twentieth Century Fox due to elaborate sets, costumes, and props. But it was a hit with movie viewers, and it won four Academy Awards.

Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Rex Harrison have starring roles in Cleopatra. Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed the film.

The movie earned Taylor a Guinness World Record title, which she held for more than three decades--most costume changes in a film. The record number was 65.

Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? earned Elizabeth Taylor her second Oscar for Best Actress. The 1966 drama is based on a play by American playwright Edward Albee.

Set on a New England college campus, the story examines the volatile marriage of a bitter, aging couple--an associate professor and his alcoholic wife, who happens to be the college president's daughter.

Mike Nichols directed the film, which stars Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Sandy Dennis, and George Segal. All four actors were nominated for Academy Awards.

In fact, the movie received nominations for every eligible category at the Academy Awards--13 in all. The film won five Oscars, and critics count it among the best 100 movies of the last century.

The Taming Of The Shrew is a 1967 romantic comedy based on a William Shakespeare play. It is the tale of one very strong-willed couple--a fortune-hunting scoundrel and his wealthy, shrewish wife.

The movie is very entertaining, and the sets and costumes are spectacular. Franco Zeffirelli directed the film, which received two Oscar nominations.

Originally planned as a vehicle for Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, The Taming Of The Shrew stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Incidentally, Taylor and Burton contributed more than one million dollars to the production. Instead of receiving a salary, they chose to take a percentage of the film's profits.

© Annette Smith. All rights reserved.

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