Screen legend Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor died early this morning of congestive heart failure. The two time Oscar winner is perhaps as well known for her multiple marriages and AIDS activism as she is for the remarkable range of roles she played during her six-decades-long acting career. And who can forget those violet eyes? Elizabeth Taylor’s reign as queen of Hollywood saw many milestones; she became the highest paid actress with her million dollar contract to play the lead role in Cleopatra, she paved the way for AIDS activism, and the press’ breathless coverage of her turbulent love life, including eight marriages and her battles with alcoholism, ushered in a new era of celebrity journalism. Her beauty was also legendary. Richard Burton the man she married twice wrote upon meeting her that she was “beautiful beyond the dreams of pornography.” Critic James Agee described her appearance in her first starring role as Velvet Brown in National Velvet as so “rapturously beautiful. I hardly know or care if she can act or not.” Larry calls on FilmWeek critics and AIDS pioneer Dr. Michael Gottlieb to reminisce and to discuss her legacy.
Guests:
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor
Wade Major, film critic for KPCC and boxoffice.com
Dr. Michael Gottlieb, an HIV physician practicing in Los Angeles