Dame Elizabeth Taylor, born February 27, 1932 was one of the last ever classical Hollywood stars. Her roles in films Giant, Cat on a hot tin roof, Cleopatra and Who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf but to name a few, gave her the iconic status that resulted in inevitable stardom. Today she is remembered by many as one of the world’s most iconic women on the tenth anniversary of her passing.
Not only was Taylor a remarkable actress, described by film critic Peter Bradshaw as ‘sultry and queenly at the same time’, but she was also an active humanitarian. During the mid 80s when the AIDS epidemic was rife within society Elizabeth Taylor was one of the first celebrities to use her platform to spread awareness on the critical situation. She was a co-founder of amfAR who continue to be one of the world’s leading non-profit organisations dedicated to AIDs research today as well as also founding The Elizabeth Taylor AIDs foundation. That being said it is no mystery why she was beloved by millions.
Similarly in the 80s after the early death of her divorcee husband Richard Burton, Taylor was in mourning. This was followed by a change in direction for her career as she began building a perfume empire from the ground up. She was once again the first celebrity to create and sell her own collection of fragrances making herself a pioneer and entrepreneur. Later claims stated that Taylor made more money from this business than throughout her entire acting career.
A further asset to Elizabeth Taylor’s name and brand is her insanely extensive jewellery collection which has become almost as iconic as her selling for 115.9 million dollars which is a world record sum for a personal jewellery collection. All the proceeds from the auction went straight to the Elizabeth Taylor Foundation which as previously mentioned fights against AIDs and HIV. The highest selling item was the gorgeous La Peregrina, a natural pearl, diamond, ruby and cultured pearl necklace by Cartier. The pearl was found by a slave on the Gulf of Panama in the 1500s and belonged to King Philip II of Spain making it worth the 11.8 million dollars it was sold for at the auction. Other items included the Taj Mahal ruby and gold chain with a table cut diamond by Cartier (8.81 million dollars), an emerald and diamond pendant brooch by Bvlgari (6.57 million dollars) and the famous renamed Elizabeth Taylor Diamond in the form of a ring gifted to her by husband Richard Burton (8.8 million dollars).
Elizabeth Taylor passed on the 23rd of March 2011 aged 79. She will forever be known as an icon and inspiration all around the world for her successful career as an actress, business woman, humanitarian and fashion phenomenon.
