She began her career as a child actress in the early s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the s. She then became the world's highest-paid movie star in the s, remaining a well-known public figure for the rest of her life. In , the American Film Institute ranked her seventh on its greatest female screen legends list.
Born in London to socially prominent American parents, Taylor moved with her family to Los Angeles in at the age of 7. She made her acting debut with a minor role in the Universal Pictures film There's One Born Every Minute , but the studio ended her contract after a year.
She was then signed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and became a popular teen star after appearing in National Velvet She transitioned to mature roles in the s, when she starred in the comedy Father of the Bride and received critical acclaim for her performance in the drama A Place in the Sun Despite being one of MGM 's most bankable stars, Taylor wished to end her career in the early s.
She resented the studio's control and disliked many of the films to which she was assigned. She began receiving more enjoyable roles in the mids, beginning with the epic drama Giant , and starred in several critically and commercially successful films in the following years. During the production of the film Cleopatra in , Taylor and co-star Richard Burton began an extramarital affair, which caused a scandal. Despite public disapproval, they continued their relationship and were married in Dubbed "Liz and Dick" by the media, they starred in 11 films together, including The V.
Taylor received the best reviews of her career for Woolf , winning her second Academy Award and several other awards for her performance. She and Burton divorced in but reconciled soon after, remarrying in The second marriage ended in divorce in Taylor's acting career began to decline in the late s, although she continued starring in films until the mids, after which she focused on supporting the career of her sixth husband, United States Senator John Warner.
