© Getty Images

Elizabeth Taylor (1932–2011) - Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor was born in London, England.  

© Getty Images

Dual British-American citizenship - She gained dual British-American citizenship at birth, as her parents, Francis Lenn Taylor and Sara Sothern (pictured with their then 15-year-old daughter), were United States citizens.

© Public Domain

Return to America - The family left Europe for America in 1939. The young Elizabeth, blessed with a stunning natural beauty, was encouraged to audition for films.

© Getty Images

Early career and teenage stardom - Elizabeth Taylor made her film debut at age 10 in 'There's One Born Every Minute' (1942). She's pictured with fellow child actor Carl Switzer.

© NL Beeld

'National Velvet' (1944) - Taylor was cast in her first starring role at age 12, when she appeared in 'National Velvet' (1944).

© NL Beeld

'National Velvet' (1944) - She plays a horse-loving girl, Velvet Brown, who trains a gelding for the Grand National race, a prestigious horse race run in England. She's pictured here in a scene with co-star Mickey Rooney.

© Public Domain

'National Velvet' (1944) - The film was a commercial success, won two Oscars, and was nominated for three others.

© Public Domain

Flying high - On a flying visit to London in 1948 and finding time to feed the pigeons in Trafalgar Square.

© Getty Images

Transition to adult roles - Maturing quickly, the actress made the transition to adult roles in 1950 when she turned 18, appearing in films such as 'Conspirator' (1949), 'Father of the Bride' (1950, pictured with Spencer Tracy), and 'A Place in the Sun' (1951).

© Public Domain

First marriage - In May 1950, Elizabeth Taylor married hotel-chain heir Conrad Hilton, Jr., in a highly publicized ceremony. She divorced him in January 1951 after only nine months of marriage, which caused a public scandal that reflected negatively on her.

© Getty Images

Further success at MGM - Taylor enjoyed continued success with films like  'Ivanhoe' (1952) and 'The Last Time I Saw Paris' (1954). She's pictured in the latter film with co-star Van Johnson.

© Public Domain

Bankable star - By the mid-1950s, Taylor had become one of Hollywood's most successful stars.

© Getty Images

Second marriage - Taylor married Michael Wilding, her second husband, in 1952. The couple are pictured in 1955 with their sons Michael Jr. (left) and newborn Christopher in Los Angeles, California.

© Getty Images

Hollywood beauty -

As if to complement her stunning looks, the British-American actress enjoyed a run of several critically and commercially successful films, beginning with 'Giant' (1956).

© Getty Images

'Giant' (1956) - Starring Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean, this epic Western drama marked a change of direction for the actress, who yearned for more interesting roles.

© Public Domain

'Giant' (1956) - The film was a huge commercial and critical success. However, the accolades were marred by Dean's death in a car accident only days after completing filming.

© NL Beeld

Model looks - The actress was always happy to flaunt her youth and beauty in numerous publicity photo shoots throughout the 1950s.

© Getty Images

'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (1958) - Taylor considered her role as Maggie "the Cat" in this adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play as a career high point.

© Public Domain

'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (1958) - Her performance garnered Taylor her second Academy Award Best Actress nomination (her first was for 1957's 'Raintree Country').

© NL Beeld

'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof' (1958) -

The film co-starred Paul Newman and Burl Ives. Despite both Tennessee Williams and Paul Newman reportedly being unhappy with the screenplay, the movie was a hit with audiences and critics alike.

© NL Beeld

Third marriage - After divorcing Wilding, Taylor married Mike Todd—her third husband—in 1957.

© Getty Images

Growing family - Taylor and Todd with their newborn, Elizabeth Frances Todd, and Taylor's two sons from her marriage with Michael Wilding.

© Public Domain

Tempestuous relationship - Taylor's relationships were subject to intense media attention throughout her adult life and her marriage to Todd was no exception, as exemplified by a 1957 issue of gossip magazine Confidential.

© Public Domain

Tragedy - Mike Todd was killed in 1958 along with three others when his private plane "the Liz" crashed in New Mexico. The accident occurred while Taylor was filming 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.'

© Getty Images

Scandal and fourth marriage -

During the production of 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,' Taylor had embarked on an affair with singer Eddie Fisher, who was married at the time to actress Debbie Reynolds. The liaison caused a lot of gossip in Hollywood and changed the actress' public image from a grieving widow to a "homewrecker." Taylor and Fisher were married in 1959.

© Getty Images

'Suddenly, Last Summer' (1959) -

While Taylor's next film dealt with mental illness, childhood traumas, and homosexuality, her sex appeal was heavily promoted by the producers.

© Getty Images

'Suddenly, Last Summer' (1959) -

The film co-starred Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift. Both Taylor and Hepburn received Academy nods for Best Actress, and Taylor subsequently won her first Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance.

© Getty Images

'Butterfield 8' (1960) - Her next film was a drama about a high-class prostitute, a theme not lost on its audience, and despised by Taylor for the same reason.

© Public Domain

'BUtterfield 8' (1960) -

However, the actress excelled as Gloria Wandrous, the upmarket call girl—a "torrid, stinging role" described one critic.

© Getty Images

First Oscar win -

Her performance in 'BUtterfield 8' won Taylor the Academy Award for Best Actress.

© Getty Images

'Cleopatra' (1963) - This epic historical drama was the highest-grossing film of 1963, yet achieved more notoriety for production issues and considerable cost overruns.

© Public Domain

'Cleopatra' (1963) - However, despite changes in director and cast, a change of filming locale, and lack of a firm shooting script, the film is best remembered for Elizabeth Taylor and...

© NL Beeld

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton - ...the personal scandal surrounding her and co-star Richard Burton.

© NL Beeld

Adulterous affair -

The two actors met while filming 'Cleopatra' and began an adulterous affair. The subsequent gossip made headlines around the world.

© Getty Images

"Most Talked About Movie Ever Made" - The extramarital dalliance with Burton, plus the fact Taylor became the first actress to be paid US$1 million for a role, made 'Cleopatra' the "Most Talked About Movie Ever Made," according to Life magazine.

© NL Beeld

'The V.I.P.s' (1963) - Cynical producers eager to cash in on the scandal cast the couple in 'The V.I.P.s,' where Taylor plays a famous model attempting to leave her husband for a lover. The film was a box-office smash.

© NL Beeld

Fifth marriage: the celebrity couple - On March 15, 1964, Elizabeth Taylor wed Richard Burton. For the next decade or so, they were the world's most well-known and talked-about celebrity couple.

© Getty Images

'The Sandpiper' (1965) - The super-couple were to appear in 11 films together (10 theatrical films and one TV movie). 'The Sandpiper' received largely negative reviews, but was a box-office hit.

© Public Domain

'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' (1966) -

Their next project together featured the most critically acclaimed performance of Taylor's career. She won her second Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Martha, one half of a middle-aged couple in a volatile marriage.

© NL Beeld

Second Oscar for 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' (1966) - Richard Burton, George Segal, and Sandy Dennis were each nominated for an Oscar, with only Dennis picking up an award for Best Supporting Actress. Burton, however, did take home a BAFTA Award.

© Getty Images

'The Taming of the Shrew' (1967) - Taylor and Burton appeared as Shakespeare's Kate and Petruchio in this lavish Franco Zeffirelli-directed production. She was BAFTA nominated for Best Actress for her performance.

© Getty Images

Career decline - By the late 1960s, Taylor's star quality was beginning to dampen. Films such as 'Secret Ceremony' (1968) and 'The Only Game in Town' (1970) were received poorly.

© NL Beeld

TV appearance - Liz and Richard making a guest appearance on Lucille Ball's sitcom 'Here's Lucy' in 1974.

© Public Domain

Support for Jewish and Israeli causes - Though raised as a Christian Scientist, Taylor converted to Judaism in 1959. She subsequently became an active supporter of Jewish and Zionist causes. She's pictured here in 1971 with Liza Minnelli and socialite Marie-Hélène de Rothschild at a show given on behalf of the United and Social Jewish Fund.

© Getty Images

'Under Milk Wood' (1972) -

She appeared once again with Richard Burton in this film, shot mostly in Wales. Co-stars included Peter O'Toole (pictured). A financial flop, the production, beautifully shot and spoken, has since garnered cult status.

© NL Beeld

'Divorce His, Divorce Hers' (1973) - The ironically titled movie was the last time Burton and Taylor acted onscreen together.

© Public Domain

Divorce and remarriage to Burton - In 1974, Taylor divorced Burton, only to tie the knot with him again the following year. The couple are pictured arriving at Heathrow Airport in London, en route from South Africa in November 1975. A month earlier, they had married each other for the second time in Botswana.

© Getty Images

'The Blue Bird' (1976) - An American-Soviet children's fantasy film directed by George Cukor, 'The Blue Bird' typified the kind of films Taylor was now appearing in—critical failures and box-office flops.

© NL Beeld

Sixth marriage - In 1976, Taylor and Burton parted company for good. In November 1978, Taylor married for the sixth time, to Republican politician John Warner.

© Getty Images

Bored, lonely, and depressed - Taylor concentrated on working for Warner's electoral campaign. However, once her husband had been elected to the Senate, she quickly bored of being a politician's wife in Washington, D.C.—and of Warner himself. They divorced in 1982.

© NL Beeld

Seventh marriage -

By the early 1980s, Taylor, becoming increasingly addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol, checked herself into the Betty Ford Center. It was here in 1988 that she met construction worker Larry Fortensky. They married in 1991.

© Getty Images

Friendship with Michael Jackson - Taylor's marriage to Fortensky took place at good friend Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The wedding was again subject to intense media scrutiny.

© NL Beeld

A fragrant celebrity -

Commonplace now, but Taylor was the first celebrity to create her own collection of fragrances. In fact, it's believed she earned more money through the fragrance collection than during her entire acting career.

© Getty Images

HIV/AIDS activism - She sold photographs of her wedding to People magazine for US$1 million, which she used to start her AIDS foundation.

© Getty Images

HIV/AIDS activism - Taylor was one of the first celebrities to embrace HIV/AIDS activism. She helped raise more than US$270 million for the cause. She's pictured in 2001 with Elton John at 'The Concert...20 Years With AIDS' in Los Angeles to benefit the singer's own AIDS foundation.

© Getty Images

Kennedy Center Honors - In 2002, Taylor, together with James Earl Jones, James Levine, Chita Rivera, and Paul Simon, were honored at the White House by President George W. Bush.

© Getty Images

Ill health - Plagued with ill health in later life, Taylor struggled with bouts of pneumonia, underwent surgery for a benign brain tumor, and was successfully treated for skin cancer. She used a wheelchair to combat severe back problems.

© NL Beeld

Death - Diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2004, her public appearances became increasingly rare. Hospitalized in early 2011, she died on March 23 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

© Getty Images

The world mourns a Hollywood star -

Taylor's flower-festooned star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the days following her death.

See also: Before selfies: A nostalgic journey into the Golden Age of celebrity autographs

© Getty Images