PAGING RYAN MURPHY!

Remembering Elizabeth Taylor, the Original Angelina Jolie

Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and Debbie Reynolds may all have re-entered the public consciousness lately, but one star looms large above them all, and that’s Liz, who died six years ago today. We pause to remember the last classic Hollywood movie star.


Animation by Biel Parklee.

No one played the role of great actress, fabulous celebrity, and selfless humanitarian with the dexterity of Elizabeth Taylor, who died on this day in 2011. (Angelina Jolie might come close, but Liz is still Queen.) There’s never been anyone whose performances so intensely riveted us, along with her personal life (eight marriages to seven guys, for starters) and her good works, too. It was Liz who became one of the first public figures to recognize AIDS when her friend Rock Hudson was tragically felled by the illness. She then cofounded amfAR in 1985 and started the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation six years later.

A child star in the 1940s, Liz grew up so dramatically, she sizzled up ‘50s cinema in a variety of negligees and nighties while wielding lipstick and a pout. In 1958, she petulantly begged Paul Newman to make love to her in the simmering adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Gay references to Newman’s character were excised on the journey to the screen, but they weren’t needed; what other excuse could there be for him to not want to screw Liz Taylor?

And who was Liz mounting in real life? The very same year, she was romancing (straight) crooner Eddie Fisher, stealing him away from America’s sweetheart Debbie Reynolds, who died in December, in the original version of the Brad-Jennifer-Angelina trilogy. That was the gossip story of the decade and reached a bittersweet conclusion years later when Liz and Debbie buried the hatchet when it came to Eddie, becoming friends out of a mutual loathing of the man (whom I loved, especially when he’d come to my New York nightclub parties in the ‘90s and sing “Oh, Mein Papa”. By then, he had a new wife, whom I worried for.)

“My Elizabeth”: An Intimate Photo Memoir of Elizabeth Taylor

Dangling from her forehead was the famous Taj Mahal diamond pendant, a gift from Richard Burton.

Elizabeth at the tomb of Sa’adi, Shiraz, Iran, May 1976.

Elizabeth with hookah at teahouse, Shiraz, May 1976.

At Shah Abbas Hotel, Isfahan, Iran.

Elizabeth at the tomb of Hafiz, Shiraz, Iran.

Elizabeth putting on lipstick in her dressing room on the set of A Little Night Music, Vienna, Austria, August 1976.

Elizabeth and Sugar, Bel Air.

This rhinestone beaded jacket was designed for Elizabeth by Gianni Versace in 1992. It’s embroidered with faces of Elizabeth in some of her most famous roles, both on and off the screen.

Elizabeth at the Lincoln Memorial.

Elizabeth enjoying time off from work, Cannes, 1993.

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Starring in the unspeakably lavish Cleopatra (a movie Jolie once tried to remake) opposite her two-time husband Richard Burton, Liz sported a 1960s version of ancient Egyptian makeup as she was carried through spectacular set pieces while nasally intoning orders in what vaguely sounded like a Bronx-by-way-of-British accent. It was fabulous! And the film made tons of money, even though it cost even more. (My dad contributed to the film’s gross. When my parents took me to see it, he bought me a Cleopatra ring in the lobby, seeming to tacitly acknowledge that I was a burgeoning gay. Thank you, dad. Thank you, Liz.)

She and the drunk, sexy Burton had a sort of can’t-live-with-each-other-can’t-live-without-each-other attraction, a dynamic that was brilliantly worked out in another adaptation—1966’s searing marital tragicomedy Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Liz won the Oscar for letting herself go and diving into the role of the earthy, flirty harridan who belittles her husband while clinging to a drink and a fantasy child (meanwhile, Jolie and soon to be ex-husband Brad Pitt paired up for their own meta commentary on marriage, By the Sea, and shortly after they announced their divorce).

Domestic Bliss: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at Home

On her: Vintage dress from the Attic, Las Vegas; Mikimoto earrings. On him: Jil Sander cotton suit and leather belt; Alexander McQueen cotton shirt. Timex watch; Polo Ralph Lauren socks; Kenneth Cole shoes.

Steven Klein

On her: Yves Saint Laurent embroidered astrakhan and wool cape. David Yurman ring; Harry Winston wedding band. On him: Original Penguin cotton poplin shorts. Vintage shirt from the Attic, Las Vegas; Cartier wedding band; Persol sunglasses.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Narciso Rodriguez wool and silk crepe dress. Ciner earrings; Lee Angel brooch. On him: Thom Browne wool pants and silk tie; Trussardi cotton shirt.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Luisa Beccaria silk satin dress. Harry Winston earrings; D&G shoes. On him: Thom Browne wool suit.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Luisa Beccaria silk satin dress. Harry Winston earrings; D&G shoes. On him: Thom Browne wool suit.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Alberta Ferretti silk chiffon dress. La Perla silk bra. On him: Thom Browne wool pants. Dsquared belt.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

Eres black lace-trimmed silk jersey slip.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Alexander McQueen mohair sweater and silk dress. Cynthia Wolff earrings. On him: Alexander McQueen cotton shirt.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Vintage white dress from The Attic, Las Vegas; LaCrasia gloves; Christian Roth sunglasses; Van Cleef & Arpels watch from Kenshire Galleries; Miriam Haskell earrings; Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Original Penguin’s mulicolored cotton jersey sweater, at Original Penguin, New York, www.originalpenguin.com; Thom Browne’s gray wool trousers, at Bergdorf Goodman and Feffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles. Makins hat; Omega watch from Aaron Faber Gallery.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Vintage gown from The Attic, Las Vegas; Harry Winston wedding band.On him: Vintage shirt from House of Style, Las Vegas; Makins hat; Polo Ralph Lauren socks; Versace shoes.

John Currin’s Healthcare Worker, 2003, ink and gouache on prepared paper, from the collection of Rosette Delug, courtesy of Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles.

Beauty Note: Simmer down with Estee Lauder After-Sun Rehydrator for the Body, a cooling treatment that not only soothes skin but also prolongs a tan.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Vintage white dress from The Attic, Las Vegas; LaCrasia gloves; Christian Roth sunglasses; Van Cleef & Arpels watch from Kenshire Galleries; Miriam Haskell earrings; Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Original Penguin’s mulicolored cotton jersey sweater, at Original Penguin, New York, www.originalpenguin.com; Thom Browne’s gray wool trousers, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles. Makins hat; Omega watch from Aaron Faber Gallery.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Alberta Ferretti’s silk chiffon dress, at Maxfield, Los Angeles; Mix, Houston. On him: Thom Browne’s wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles, DSquared belt.

Beauty Note: A swipe of winged eyeliner manages to look seductive every time. Dior Style Liner packs a sexy, retro punch.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

White vintage Gottex swimsuit from The Attic, Las Vegas.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Cartier earrings. On him: Vintage hat.

Beauty Note: Capture a great hair moment with L’Oreal Studio Line Fast-Forward Hairspray, which freezes styles in place without any stickiness.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Cartier earrings. On him: Vintage hat.

Beauty Note: Capture a great hair moment with L’Oreal Studio Line Fast-Forward Hairspray, which freezes styles in place without any stickiness.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

Trussardi’s gray plaid wool pants, www.trussardi.com. Makins hat.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Miu Miu’s cotton slip, at select Miu Miu stores, 888.977.1900. On him: Burberry London’s wook pants, at select Bloomingdale’s stores; Burberry, New York and Los Angeles, 800.284.8480. Vintage shirt from House of Style, Las Vegas; Omega watch from Aaron Faber Gallery.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Vintage dress from The Attic, Las Vegas; Mikimoto earrings. On him: Jil Sander’s cotton suit and leather belt, at Jil Sander, New York, 800.704.7317; Alexander McQueen’s cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York. Timex watch; Polo Ralph Lauren socks; Kenneth Cole shoes.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Vintage dress from The Attic, Las Vegas; Mikimoto earrings. On him: Jil Sander’s cotton suit and leather belt, at Jil Sander, New York, 800.704.7317; Alexander McQueen’s cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York. Timex watch; Polo Ralph Lauren socks; Kenneth Cole shoes.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Alberta Ferretti’s silk chiffon dress, at Maxfield, Los Angeles; Mix, Houston. On him: Thom Browne’s wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles, DSquared belt.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Giambattista Valli ostrich feather and silk velvet and tulle dress. Christian Louboutin shoes. J. Medel’s mink coat. Harry Winston earrings. On him: Alexander McQueen wool suit; Dior Homme cotton shirt. Dior Homme shoes. DSquared tie.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Giambattista Valli ostrich feather and silk velvet and tulle dress. Christian Louboutin shoes. J. Medel’s mink coat. Harry Winston earrings. On him: Alexander McQueen wool suit; Dior Homme cotton shirt. Dior Homme shoes. DSquared tie.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Michael Kors’s cream silk charmeuse blouse, at Saks Fifth Avenue; Bergdorf Goodman and Michael Kors, New York; Ralph Lauren’s black wool skirt, at Bergdorf Goodman, New York; select Ralph Lauren stores, runway.polo.com. Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Alexander McQueen’s white cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York; Thom Browne’s gray wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Michael Kors’s cream silk charmeuse blouse, at Saks Fifth Avenue; Bergdorf Goodman and Michael Kors, New York; Ralph Lauren’s black wool skirt, at Bergdorf Goodman, New York; select Ralph Lauren stores, runway.polo.com. Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Alexander McQueen’s white cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York; Thom Browne’s gray wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Michael Kors’s cream silk charmeuse blouse, at Saks Fifth Avenue; Bergdorf Goodman and Michael Kors, New York; Ralph Lauren’s black wool skirt, at Bergdorf Goodman, New York; select Ralph Lauren stores, runway.polo.com. Christian Louboutin shoes. On him: Alexander McQueen’s white cotton shirt, at Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Alexander McQueen, New York; Thom Browne’s gray wool pants, at Bergdorf Goodman and Jeffrey, New York; Ron Herman, Los Angeles.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

On her: Narciso Rodriguez wool and silk crepe dress. Ciner earrings; Lee Angel brooch. On him: Thom Browne wool pants and silk tie; Trussardi cotton shirt.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005
Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

Alberta Ferretti’s silk chiffon dress, at Maxfield, Los Angeles; Mix, Houston.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

Vilebrequin’s multicolored polyamide canvas swimming trunks, at Vilebrequin, New York, www.vilebrequin.com.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005

Eres’s black lace-trimmed silk jersey slip, at Eres, New York, Palm Beach and Los Angeles, 800.340.6004, www.eresparis.com.

Photography by Steven Klein July 2005
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By then, her much older peers during the so-called Golden Age of Hollywood, the likes of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, who are so memorably being revived on TV these days in Ryan Murphy’s Feud, were over the hill after their brief resurgence for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? The hagsploitation that film introduced to cinema would to some extent come to define Liz’s professional work in her twilight years.

Since she clicked so miraculously as a braying shrew in Woolf (a part playwright Edward Albee once wanted Davis for), Liz followed that with an endless array of similar roles, albeit in far lesser films. She was barely tame-able in The Taming of the Shrew (1967), was shrilly bonkers in Secret Ceremony and Boom! (’68), and overbearing in the swinging London adultery tale X, Y, and Zee (1971). For years, I’ve hosted a movie club that revels exclusively in good/bad flicks, and we adore this phase of Liz’s career, when her sheer magnetism eclipsed all the misfiring dialogue in movies that she gamely pretended were Oscar winners.

Liz eventually battled alcoholism and also a brain tumor, but was valiant, even as she appeared giddily messy on awards shows more than once. There was the Tony Awards where she said “Jimmy Needleheimer” instead of Jimmy Nederlander. And who can forget the Golden Globes in 2001, when she started opening the “Best Picture, Drama” envelope before reading the nominees? Producer Dick Clark rushed out in a panic, to set her straight, as Liz gurgled “Hellooooo!”, a moment that was later parodied by Molly Shannon in Saturday Night Live.

Liz didn’t even seem to know the name of the award—she called it “the Golden Glow”—and she covered her gaffes by joking, “I’m new at this.” She was so adorable about it, you had to love her even more, especially since she was gleefully pointing up the ritualized silliness of the whole thing while bringing it some much needed spontaneity. Thankfully, Warren Beatty would later rescue Liz from awards show infamy with his and Faye Dunaway’s befuddled appearance at the 2017 Oscars.

We didn’t know everything about Liz, despite her life having been treated as an open book by the media (and herself). Frank Langella’s 2012 memoir, Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women As I Knew Them, shed more light by revealing an older Liz who was lonely and desperately wanted a new husband to move to the country with.

Can you imagine Liz Taylor having to beg a man to romance her? This was shades of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but for real! The woman had so much heart (to go with that heaving bosom) and, to this day, remains the epitome of actor/celebrity/perfume hawker/activist/peacemaker. I’d like to see Angelina try that, perhaps in a Ryan Murphy anthology.

The Best Celebrity Engagement Rings, From Elizabeth Taylor’s Massive Sapphire to Meghan Markle’s Cluster of Diamonds

Elizabeth Taylor with her wedding ring, a massive sapphire encircled with two rows of diamonds. Photo by New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images.

Jennifer Lopez flashes her engagement ring to Ben Affleck in 2003. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

Grace Kelly shows off her engagement ring to Jimmy Stewart on the set of Rear Window. Photo by John Kobal Foundation/Getty Images.

Lady Diana Spencer, pre-Princess Di. Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images.

Victoria Beckham in 2007. Photo by Tony Barson/WireImage.

Beyoncé reveals her engagement ring at the U.S. Open in 2011. Photo by Getty Images.

Anne Hathaway’s ring is on display at the Iron Lady premiere in 2011. Photo by Getty Images.

At the Women in the World Summit in 2013, Angelina Jolie shows off her engagement ring with Brad Pitt. Photo by Getty Images.

Olivia Wilde at the premiere of Drinking Buddies in Hollywood, California, August 2013. Photo by Getty Images.

Scarlett Johansson’s high-wattage engagement ring glitters at the Don Jon premiere in 2013. Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic.

Kim Kardashian offers a glimpse of her engagement ring to Kanye West in 2013. Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic.

Chrissy Teigen got engaged shortly before the Billboard Music Awards in 2015. Photo by Getty Images.

Allison Williams’s engagement ring, at a Girls screening in 2014. Photo by Getty Images.

Taylor Kinney proposed to Lady Gaga with a heart-shaped diamond, which she showed off at a screening of American Horror Story: Hotel in Los Angeles, California, October 2015. Photo by Getty Images.

Another royal—here, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in 2015—with another decadent engagement ring. Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images.

Jennifer Connelly boasted an art deco-inspired ring from husband Paul Bettany in 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

Julianne Hough does double duty with an engagement ring and a midi-ring twist at the NHL All-Star Party in Pasadena, California, January 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

Amal Clooney at the premiere of Hail, Caesar! in Los Angeles, California, February 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

Kate Upton made sure her ring got its share of the spotlight at the Met Gala in May 2016. Photo by Getty Images.

Ditto for Ciara, who showed off a ring from Russell Wilson. Photo by Getty Images.

A close up of the engagement ring given to Meghan Markle before she became the Duchess of Sussex. Markle and Prince Harry posed for photos after announcing their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017 in London, England. Find out everything we know about the ring here.

Chris Jackson

Paris Hilton announced her engagement to Chris Zylka at the start of 2018. Photograph by Michael Beckert for W Magazine.

Victoria’s Secret model Devon Windsor announced her engagement to her boyfriend Johnny Dex via Instagram, and showed off her ring on June 24th, 2018. Photo courtesy of Instagram.

A close up of pop star Ariana Grande’s engagement ring, given to her by comedian Pete Davidson. Find out more about the ring here. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Model Izabel Goulart announced her engagement to soccer player, Kevin Trapp on July 5th, 2018 via instagram. Photo courtesy of Instagram.

Hailey Baldwin’s engagement to Justin Bieber was confirmed on July 9th. Hailey is seen here stepping out wearing her new engagement ring. Photo courtesy of Instagram.

Karlie Kloss announced her engagement to boyfriend, Joshua Kushner, on July 24th. Her ring was later revealed in a selfie on her Instagram story. Photo courtesy of Instagram.

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