Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most renowned actors from the golden age of Hollywood, having amassed an impressive list of accolades over her illustrious career. Taylor made her big-screen debut in 1942’s There’s One Born Every Minute when she was just 10 years old, and from then on, she slowly but surely swept Tinseltown by showcasing both her dramatic and humorous skills in a number of iconic movies. With iconic appearances in films like Father of the Bride, Giant, and Cat in a Hot Tin Roof, the actress rose to fame and established herself as a top box office draw.
Taylor received numerous honours throughout her successful film career, including two Oscars and a Golden Globe. She appeared onscreen alongside renowned actors including James Dean, Rock Hudson, Katharine Hepburn, and Paul Newman. Six decades into her career, she is still regarded as a beloved icon of popular culture. These are some of the best films starring Elizabeth Taylor.
A Place in the Sun
Elizabeth Taylor gave one of her early breakthrough performances as an affluent socialite who unwittingly finds herself in a dangerous love triangle in the 1951 drama A Place in the Sun. The part allowed Taylor to display her exceptional acting talent. Taylor said the role was the first time she had been challenged to become a character and not just portray herself on screen, and it had fantastic results. She appeared opposite Montgomery Clift and Shelley Winters.
The compelling drama won six Academy Awards thanks to the trio’s strong performances, further solidifying the actress as a dominant Hollywood force. She gave “a subtle, sympathetic performance, and one in which her passionate and genuine affection avoids the sadness endemic to adolescent love as it occasionally comes to the film,” according to The New York Times.
BUtterfield 8
When Taylor portrayed a Manhattan high-class call girl who becomes involved in a risky love affair in the 1960 drama BUtterfield 8, alongside Laurence Harvey and her future husband Eddie Fisher, she won her first Oscar Award.
Taylor was contractually had to appear in the movie, but the New York Times reported that she ended up being its most acclaimed feature “We have the dated, tired narrative of the glittered-but-tarnished prostitute who believes she has at last found the bright spot in her life in Mr. Right. It ought to be a bomb, by the numbers. Let us assure you that it is not a disaster; all we can say is that Miss Taylor adds a certain intrigue to the picture.”
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The 1958 drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which was based on Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, tells the tale of dysfunctional married couple Maggie and Brick Pollitt (Taylor and Paul Newman), who travel to a Mississippi plantation to celebrate the birthday of their acrimonious family patriarch (Burl Ives). Taylor’s known affair with Eddie Fisher and the death of her husband Mike Todd in a plane crash both made headlines during the film’s development, which made the studio concerned about how well the adaptation would do.
While the incident damaged Taylor’s reputation, it had little effect on her box office performance; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was the third highest-grossing movie of the year, and the actress rose to the position of second-most lucrative celebrity in the movie industry. Taylor received nominations for both an Academy Award and a BAFTA for her spectacular portrayal of the feisty Maggie.
Cleopatra
The infamous 1963 epic historical drama Cleopatra, which starred Richard Burton as the Roman general Mark Antony and Elizabeth Taylor as the title character, tells the story of the Egyptian queen’s rise to power but was dogged by numerous scandals, production issues, including the affair between its two internationally renowned leads, and a ballooning budget. When Taylor became the first movie celebrity to receive $1 million for a cameo role, she created history. Yet, the extramarital connection between the actress and Burton overshadowed the ground-breaking accomplishment.
Despite taking many years to recoup its expenditures and nearly forcing Fox into bankruptcy due to excessive spending, Cleopatra was named the “Most Talked About Movie Ever Produced” and went on to become the year’s biggest box office success. The drama, however, went on to win four Academy Awards and is now one of Taylor’s best-known and most recognisable works.
Father of the Bride
In the 1950 comedy Father of the Bride, Taylor co-starred with the legendary Spencer Tracy in the hilarious tale of a doting father’s difficulties to let his beloved daughter go as her planned nuptials draw closer and closer, with unforeseen obstacles and hilarity occurring.
The beautiful and lovable film featured the actress’ lighter side, and its resounding success with audiences and reviewers alike helped pave the way for the similarly buzzed-about sequel Father’s Little Dividend, in which the whole original ensemble reprised their roles. The classic ’50s film Father of the Bride is still revered today. It has inspired numerous remakes, including the one with Steve Martin in 1991 and the most recent one with Andy Garcia in 2022.
Giant
The critically praised 1956 epic Western Giant starred Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean and followed newlyweds Leslie and Bick as they adapted to married life on their expansive Texas ranch but found their union challenged by the advent of an opposing cowboy.
Taylor was particularly chosen by Hudson over Grace Kelly to play his wife in the gripping drama; the two would go on to develop a close friendship following the movie’s release. Giant, which served as Dean’s final motion picture because the actor tragically passed away in a vehicle accident just days after the film’s completion, was praised by reviewers and viewers alike for its gripping performances and innovative narrative.
Suddenly, Last Summer
The 1959 Southern Gothic mystery was adapted from the Tennessee Williams play of the same name. A young New Orleans lady (Taylor) is institutionalised against her will after seeing her cousin’s tragic death while on vacation. She then must contend with her cunning aunt (Katharine Hepburn), who wants to conceal the tragedy and have her lobotomized.
It was Taylor’s first project after leaving MGM, and for her portrayal of the traumatised socialite, she won her first Golden Globe Award and received an Oscar nomination. She used her star power and box office appeal to cast her close friend Montgomery Clift, who was going through personal and professional difficulties as a result of a car accident in 1956.
The Taming of the Shrew
Taylor and Richard Burton, her on-again, off-again boyfriend and fellow movie star, teamed up for one of their many films, the 1967 period rom-com The Taming of the Shrew. The legendary couple brought Shakespeare’s well-known play to life by displaying the relationship between the independent pair.
Burton had previously performed Shakespeare, but Taylor had never done so and was very anxious to play Katherina Minola. Taylor’s commitment helped make The Taming of the Shrew a critical and economic success when she gained confidence in the character throughout shooting and asked director Franco Zeffirelli if she could reshoot her first day scenes and use her newly honed talents.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?
The 1966 drama Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?, which chronicled the explosive and illuminating arguments and revelations shared between a bitter couple over the course of a painful evening, is widely regarded as one of Elizabeth Taylor’s most prestigious and memorable performances. The legendary actress once again teamed up with Richard Burton. Taylor fully discarded her dazzling Hollywood persona for the role, portraying the frumpy, alcohol-loving Martha based on the Edward Albee play of the same name by gaining weight, donning a wig, and applying makeup to make her look older and more aged.
The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics and was one of just two to be nominated for an Academy Award in every category, winning five of them, including Best Actress for Taylor. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? was hailed as innovative for its treatment of mature themes and blunt language; The New York Times praised Taylor’s performance as “the strongest work of her career, sustained and urgent.”
