As one of the most talked-about figures, Elizabeth Taylor has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.
What Was Elizabeth Taylor's Net Worth?
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born on February 27, 1932, in London, England. She was the daughter of socially prominent parents from the US: art dealer Francis Lenn Taylor and retired stage actress Sara Sothern. In 1939, due to fear of war breaking out in Europe, she and her family relocated to Los Angeles, where Taylor attended Hawthorne School. While in California, young Elizabeth garnered attention for her violet eyes and thick, dark eyelashes and was encouraged by the family's industry friends to audition for films. In early 1941, Taylor auditioned for both MGM and Universal Pictures and ended up being offered contracts from both.
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The peak of Taylor's critical success came in the latter half of the 1950s and early 1960s. This is when she starred alongsideJames DeanandRock Hudsonin the 1956 western epic "Giant." The following year, Elizabeth was reunited with former costar Montgomery Clift for MGM's Civil War drama "Raintree Country." Playing a mentally disturbed Southern belle, the actress received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Three more consecutive nominations followed, for 1958's "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," 1959's "Suddenly, Last Summer," costarringKatharine Hepburnand Montgomery Clift, and 1960's "Butterfield 8," in which she played a high-class sex worker. The latter film was a wild commercial success and earned Taylor her first Oscar.
In 1942, Elizabeth made her acting debut with a small role in "There's One Born Every Minute," after which her contract with Universal was terminated. Another opportunity came later that year when Taylor was able to audition for a minor part in MGM's "Lassie Come Home." She was given a three-month trial contract, which was extended into a standard seven-year contract in early 1943. The actress fully broke out the next year when, at the age of twelve, she was cast in the horse-racing drama "National Velvet." The film was a box-office smash upon its release on Christmas in 1944, and by the time Elizabeth turned fifteen, she was being compared to older Hollywood stars such asLana TurnerandAva Gardner. Prominent films from Taylor's teenage years included 1947's "Life with Father," 1948's high school-themed musical "A Date with Judy," and the 1948 romantic comedy "Julia Misbehaves." The final adolescent role for Elizabeth came with the 1949 adaptation of "Little Women."
Dame Elizabeth Taylor was a British-American actress who had a net worth of $600 million at the time of her death. Elizabeth Taylor was a fashion icon, humanitarian, and one of the most famous Hollywood stars of the 1950s and 1960s. She began as a child actress in the early '40s, continued to lead a successful and award-winning career on screen throughout the '60s, and remained a prominent public figure until her death in 2011. Beyond the limelight, Taylor was known for her eventful personal life, which included a lavish jet-setting lifestyle, eight marriages, multiple illnesses, and many philanthropic pursuits.
Upon finishing her MGM contract, Elizabeth starred in 20th Century Fox's massive-budget "Cleopatra," which became the biggest film of 1963. Appearing alongside future husbandRichard Burton, with whom she was having an extramarital affair behind the scenes, Taylor became the first actress to be paid $1 million for her role. Taylor and Burton subsequently appeared together in "The V.I.P.s" and continued to work as costars throughout the 1960s as a super-couple. The apogee of their collaborations came with 1966's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," an adaptation of the Edward Albee play in which they played a bitter, bickering married couple. Taylor's performance became the most critically acclaimed of her career and earned her a second Oscar for Best Actress.
As an adult, Taylor began branching out to more mature roles, such as the wife of a suspected Soviet spy in 1949's "Conspirator," and as a bride-to-be preparing for her wedding in 1950's "Father of the Bride." Her greatest critical acclaim yet, however, came with "A Place in the Sun" in 1951, in which she played a pampered socialite opposite stars Montgomery Clift andShelley Winters. The film was a hit, garnering six Oscars. Elizabeth followed this with a number of successes for MGM, including 1952's "Love is Better Than Ever" and "Ivanhoe," and 1954's "The Last Time I Saw Paris," a romantic drama withVan Johnson.
Career Decline and Retirement
Adult Roles and Critical Triumphs
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In summary, the total wealth of Elizabeth Taylor reflects strategic moves.
Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.