Born on February 27, 1932 in Hampstead, England, Elizabeth Taylor entered a world far removed from the glitter of Hollywood. Her parents, American expatriates Francis Lenn Taylor and Sara Sothern, soon returned to the United States, landing in Los Angeles in 1939 after a brief stop in New York. Even as a toddler, Taylor was immersed in the performing arts, beginning ballet lessons at the age of three and delivering her first recital the same year. The family’s relocation coincided with Francis opening an art gallery that showcased British works, a venture that inadvertently situated the Taylors within the social circles of Los Angeles’ affluent entertainment elite.
While the gallery introduced the Taylors to wealth and prestige, it was Sara Sothern’s ambition that truly steered her daughter toward stardom. A former actress whose own career had been curtailed by marriage, Sothern viewed Elizabeth as the conduit for the dreams she could not pursue herself. She meticulously placed her daughter in schools attended by children of studio executives and cultivated relationships that would later translate into screen opportunities. As a result, a chance encounter with the fiancée of a high-ranking Universal Pictures executive at the gallery led to Taylor’s first film contract.
Hollywood debut and breakthrough roles
At the tender age of ten, Taylor appeared in There’s One Born Every Minute, a Universal production that also featured Carl Switzer of “Our Gang” fame. The movie failed to impress, and the studio declined to renew her option, dismissing her as a child whose “eyes are too old” and who lacked a youthful visage. Undeterred, Sothern leveraged her husband’s connections to secure a minor part for Taylor in MGM’s Lassie Come Home, a film that enjoyed significant box-office success and paved the way for larger opportunities.
The pivotal moment arrived in 1944 when a twelve-year-old Taylor was cast as Velvet Brown in National Velvet, opposite Mickey Rooney and Angela Lansbury. Released in December 1944, the picture amassed nearly 6 million dollars worldwide, becoming one of MGM’s top earners of the era. The role earned Taylor a new contract with the studio, though she later expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment she received from studio head Louis B. Mayer. During this period, her father’s jealousy manifested in physical abuse, leaving her with a lifelong jaw condition known as TMJ, a scar she later described as stemming from his feeling of emasculation.
Raintree County and the first Oscar nomination
By the late 1950s, Taylor’s reputation had evolved from child prodigy to serious actress. In 1957 she co-starred with Montgomery Clift in Edward Dmytryk’s romantic drama Raintree County. The production was marred by Clift’s escalating alcoholism; halfway through filming, he crashed his car after a party hosted by Taylor and her husband Michael Wilding, halting production for weeks. Despite the turmoil, the film was completed and garnered four Academy Award nominations, including Taylor’s inaugural nod for Best Actress. This recognition marked a turning point, cementing her status as a leading lady capable of critical acclaim.
Beyond the accolades, Taylor’s personal life reflected the strict moral code instilled by her mother. Sara, a devout Christian with an interest in Judaism, insisted that her daughter remain a virgin until marriage, a belief Taylor echoed in the famous line, “Nothing comes off until the ring goes on.” Prior to her first marriage to Conrad “Nicky” Hilton in 1950, Sothern even hired a physician to verify and, allegedly, to open Taylor’s hymen, illustrating the extent of her mother’s control.
Later reflections reveal the emotional toll of her early career. In a 1997 interview on 20/20, Taylor described her childhood as “lonely” and confessed a longing to reclaim the innocence of a “little girl again.” The earnings from her juvenile contracts were largely spent by her parents, leaving her with a sense of exploitation that haunted her throughout her adult life. Yet, her perseverance through these challenges laid the groundwork for a legacy that would span decades, influencing generations of performers.
