Elizabeth Taylor: 40 Rarely Seen Photos

Although Elizabeth Taylor is known for her breathtaking beauty, she was a versatile actress who took her career seriously. She made films in several genres, a good deal of now regarded as classics. She was a family-oriented mother with many talents. Furthermore, she cared deeply about certain social issues and used her celebrity status to promote awareness about them.

About her six marriages, she once commented, “I think I ended up being the scarlet woman partly because of my rather puritanical upbringing and beliefs … I couldn’t just have a romance; it had to be marriage.” She handled the sensationalism with grace and dignity.

1. A Childhood In England

She was born in 1932 outside of London in Hampstead Garden of American parents. She poses here with her brother Howard (born earlier in 1932) and their golden retriever. As you’ll notice in this photo and many others that follow, she lived her entire life with the cherished companionship of at least one dog.

This pleasant scene shows how her special beauty was apparent even at age five. Those distinctive eyebrows seem to be a family trait that was later to be inherited by some of her children, as you’ll see in future photographs. In the next one you will see her favorite pets.

2. Enjoying Time With Her Dogs

Her early life in London was spent around artists and politicians and the tenets of Christian Science. Her family left England in 1939 for California, aware of the growing risk of a major war in Europe, in part due to the urging of Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy.

It’s apparent how much she loved caring for her dogs. This scene shows her together with her dog Amy at bath time. A few years after this photo was taken, she would make her movie debut with a bit part in There’s One Born Every Minute made by Universal Pictures. Her career was only beginning.

3. Elizabeth With King Charles

King Charles was Elizabeth’s co-star – named The Pie – in National Velvet. The studio noticed how she and the horse formed a close bond, so when the picture was finished at last, they gave her King Charles as a gift. If you are skilled at reading equine body language, then you can clearly see that the horse is very comfortable with her, as if on the same mental wave length.

They remained together all of his life. An avid animal lover since early childhood, Elizabeth’s many animal companions played a major role throughout her life, and she enjoyed being with them as often as she could.

4. A Sailor Asks For Her Autograph

To better integrate her daughter into American society, Elizabeth’s mother took the advice of Beverly Hills friends and arranged some auditions for a few movie parts.

Her screen presence attracted the attention of film audiences and producers quickly, and it didn’t take long for them to fall in love with her. Lassie Comes Home and National Velvet were two of several films that showcased her ability to make an impact on her viewers.

In this photo, a sailor asks her for an autograph. Even though the 13-year-old’s adult beauty was emerging, her face shows the unbridled delight of a teenager.

5. Elizabeth And Her Family Of Pets

Say hello to Twinkle, Monty, and Spot! The dogs in her life loved her as much as she loved them. You’ll notice that her pets always appear healthy with glossy coats and a relaxed, confident demeanor. As sultry as the young actress was becoming, some of her exuberance and energy was freely might well have sprung from being surrounded by so many happy animals.

She grew up not only with dogs but also horses, and learned to ride while she was very young. The studio even published some of the stories she wrote about the adventures of her chipmunk Nibbles.

6. Elizabeth With Her Mother Fixing Food For A Barbecue

Unlike some celebrities who were known to insist on glamorously staged photo ops while surrounded by other rich and famous people, Elizabeth seemed to enjoy sharing her everyday life with her fans. The studios generally controlled the life and schedule of child stars, ensuring that they kept up with singing and dancing classes as well as constant rehearsing.

Elizabeth herself was down to earth, quite happy to be photographed wearing comfy clothes with friends and family in the kitchen and other casual settings. No caviar here: she and her mom are making hamburgers and hot dogs. She was just a normal person.

7. Liz After A Visit Across The Pond

Elizabeth always enjoyed being around water and had many photos shot in beach settings. Here she and her poodle Teeny appear aboard the S.S. Mary as they leave Southampton, England after a visit home. Teeny is obviously as well-travelled as her famous mistress, judging by her level of relaxation.

Most “animal people” do know that pets are sensitive to human emotions. Maybe you’ve seen TV commercials with actors pretending to be doting pet owners, but look closely: often the well-trained animal body is stiff, focused intensely on the trainer beyond the view of the camera lens. None of that here.

8. Another One Of Liz’s Many Talents

Raised around artists back in London, Elizabeth absorbed a love of visual arts from early on. In addition to painting and design, she enjoyed jewelry and fashion all of her life.

Here the actress is seen in the summer of 1947 painting on the hood of a car. It was a staged scene, of course. As she herself would probably have told you, splayed across the hood of a shining car in the wind is not the way that most artists choose to paint. Just the fact that she would do it shows what a bold young lady she was!

9. Taking A Break At The Beach

Here’s Elizabeth back on the beach after completing the filming of Life With Father. It must have been especially relaxing for her because the grueling war was over at last. The reason her family fled England in the first place was to escape the destruction they knew was coming.

The strange prints in the surrounding sand are a bit confusing, but she nevertheless looks very pretty. We don’t see much beachwear like that today, but we know how fashions evolve and revolve through time. This is not the last picture of Elizabeth at the sea that you will see, as this was one of her favorite places.

10. Date With A Successful Football Player

For a time, Elizabeth dated Heisman Trophy winner Glenn Davis. In the U.S. Army, he was on leave when she met him at the end of World War II. He must have found it refreshing to spend time with such a bright-faced young actress.

The studio that was managing Elizabeth’s career had to take into account that she appeared older than her age, so they were careful choosing not only her acting roles but how she came across in her “normal” everyday life. Do you think the theater audience sitting around her had any idea what her future would hold?

11. Look At Those Dimples

Back in London, she poses here in Trafalgar Square in 1948 where she has fun feeding the pigeons. Her smile was totally sincere because she was happy being home and with any kind of critters. Always up for a photo shoot with any kind of animal.

Because her parents were American-born, but she was born in England, she had dual citizenship and was very comfortable traveling back and forth. She dated and married men from the United States as well as the United Kingdom. It was a very modern and global way of life, and she was a very modern woman.

12. Giving Fans A Glimpse Of Glamour

Here Elizabeth lets her fans see a bit of a star’s life as she poses with a vanity table filled with perfume bottles. By carefully staging a variety of photo ops behind the scenes, the movie studios whetted the fans’ appetites with such tantalizing peeks.

This photo foreshadows the future. Elizabeth later launched her own successful fragrance empire. She actually worked with several chemists to achieve over 16 unique sensual and sophisticated fragrance blends that won numerous awards. As she said, “Always give your heart and make the world a more beautiful place.” You might remember “Passion” and “White Diamonds.”

13. How Celebrity Teenagers Attend School

The world struggled to find ways to heal from the pain and destruction of the Second World War, and Elizabeth was able to provide a much-needed escape.

Regardless of the public’s growing desire to see more of the young star, she still needed to do what all young people do: go to school. Most of her education took place on the movie set with private tutors, as you can see here. Her life was very busy. The studio made sure she adhered to educational requirements, but also gained skills that would be needed during the making of all kinds of films.

14. A Hot Dog And A Dog Dog

It’s amazing how Elizabeth can look glamorous while cooking a hot dog at a relaxed outdoor barbecue, but she carries it off quite well. As she often liked doing, she posed in casual jeans and a sweater instead of “movie star” clothes. And what kind of natural setting would it be without a pet dog?

Note to Americans: the garment she’s wearing on top would be referred to as a “cardigan” or a “jumper” back home in England. Reportedly, she could switch easily between English and American accents. Although she started her life in England, her parents were both American.

15. A Day At The Beach With A Fellow Celebrity

Fans love to see different celebrities together. Here, famed actor friend Marshall Thompson poses with her as he demonstrates the proper use of a shotgun at the beach. They were good friends who shared several common interests. He is reported by at least one source to be the one who gave Elizabeth her very first off-screen kiss.

A shotgun at the beach? Part of being a serious actor or actress is learning a number of varied skills in order to appear comfortable in any given role at the time. In the next slide, we reveal one of Elizabeth Taylor’s beauty secrets.

16. Skin Care Secrets Of A Star

Some appeal of a female celebrity has always been related to her natural beauty. Elizabeth was no exception, and posed for more than one photo op during her career to showcase her clean, healthy skin. Although she very deliberately used gems and jewelry to set off her face and fashion, she also took good care of her face.

Tim Mendelson, a former personal assistant who knew her well, divulged that she often preferred brands sold at the drug store over high-end formulas, using products such as Jergens in her daily routine. He commented that “she put cream on, but she didn’t use fancy brands.”

17. A Love That Was Not Meant To Be

Like most teenagers, Elizabeth enjoyed spending time with other young people, and she usually had a beau in the wings. It was a delicate task for a studio to transition a beloved a child star to more mature roles as the young person grew up, so they carefully publicized expected teenage behavior to accustom the fans to the idea.

Here she poses next to a portrait of her then-boyfriend Glenn Davis while reading one of his love letters from overseas. A major downside of stardom has always been the unending loss of privacy from the public hungry for personal details.

18. Her Art Talent Included Applying Her Own Makeup

From the early days of her long career, Elizabeth extended her art skills to putting on her own makeup as opposed to sitting passively while beauty technicians of various kinds buzzed around her like worker bees tending to their queen. Here she puts on lipstick just the way she likes.

Although she used a wide variety of makeup products, she never wore false eyelashes. Born with a genetic mutation producing a double row of lashes, she didn’t need to add more. She did use other eye makeup, though, and her iconic Cleopatra look changed makeup history all over the world.

19. Ready To Marry While Still A Teen

In 1949, she was only 17 when she became engaged to William D. Pawley, Jr., an Army Air Force veteran more than ten years her senior. Due to her adult appearance and a rapidly growing professional career, her companions were often older than she was.

In this photo, they’re seen enjoying the pool together at his home in Miami, Florida. On the picture, he gives the appearance of a strong man with a strong personality. Do you catch some slight resemblance to the future love of her life, Welshman Richard Burton? You will see him in some of the following pages.

20. Curled Up And Comfy

In another relaxed candid shot, Elizabeth poses comfortably at home on her sofa to read the newspaper. She didn’t try to portray herself as part of the rich and famous elite at this tender age, even though her burgeoning career was unstoppable, launching her there. Rather, she shows herself just as she is.

It’s hard to remember that she’s still a teenager in this shot, although child stars are forced to grow up fast. Sources divulge that her childhood was difficult not only due to the demands of the studio, but also due to family conflicts that she hoped to keep private.

21. Making A Difficult Choice

Before they got married, her fiancé William intended for his bride to give up her career and become a homemaker, so she broke things off the same year they’d become engaged. In this photo, Elizabeth, wearing barely any makeup, relaxes with a friend at the beach.

Women were pretty much expected to go along with their husbands instead of making independent decisions for themselves. In the culture of the military, especially, wives were expected to promote their husbands’ careers instead of creating their own. Even though the public had a ravenous appetite for Hollywood glamour, strong women still paid a price.

22. Elizabeth And Her Flowers

By now you may have noticed that many of Liz’s photographs show her involved with art in many different ways, sometimes painting, other times sewing or working on different other kinds of things. She also loved flowers and often incorporated floral patterns in her clothing and home decor.

Here she works preserved flowers into a hair piece by stitching them in. Not surprisingly, she often wore flowers in her thick hair, both on and off-screen. How might have she felt knowing that in 1986 a lush, fragrant hybrid tea rose would be named after her in honor of her memory?

23. Elizabeth Finally Ties The Knot

A year after breaking her engagement with the military man, she found herself in hooked up with young Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, Jr., the famous hotel heir. They got married in the spring of 1950 in Beverly Hills. Their wedding turned out to be great publicity for her soon-to-be-released movie, Father of the Bride, so MGM paid for the whole celebration. Here they seem very relaxed together.

It’s not surprising that he bears a bit of resemblance to Samantha’s husband from Bewitched because he was most certainly bewitched by his magical bride. In the next page, you will learn what happened to the couple.

24. Launching A New Life That Immediately Comes Crashing Down

Most couples have hopes for a long and happy marriage, but it often moves in unplanned directions. Liz and Conrad’s union began to break down very quickly, going beyond the usual newlywed bumps in the road because of his excessive drinking. After a two-week honeymoon, she filed for divorce as soon as they returned home from Europe.

This photo shows her seeking solace at the beach, the environment that never failed to provide her with comfort when she needed to heal. Her sadness and disappointment are apparent in her face. In her memoir she called it “disillusionment rude and brutal.”

25. Elizabeth Finds Her Inner Strength And Blossoms Again

It’s no surprise that her next romantic interest was a man who gave her perhaps what she needed most at that time: an easy, simple, quiet life. Michael Wilding was a gentle British actor who understood the acting life, unlike her former two boyfriends. He wasn’t too bossy, he wasn’t too juvenile, but seemed to be a rational man.

In this 1950 photo, Elizabeth appears to have recovered from the interlude of abuse she endured during her brief first marriage. She carries herself as a sophisticated, polished, and strong woman. In the following page, you will see that she also recovered her fantasy.

27. Back To Her Silly Self

Nicky Hilton might have stifled her spirit for a short period of time, but it didn’t take long for the resilient Elizabeth to regain her sense of fun when the relationship ended. His wealth couldn’t buy him peace of mind, and he continued drinking and gambling during the remainder of his short life.

She shows her silliness with a bit of defiance in this down-to-earth picture as she mugs for the camera with her hair styled in wild shampoo points. According to her many friends, she always had a sense of humor and was a fun person to be around.

28. Elizabeth Finds Peace And Healing And Babies

Unlike the grand affair that had surrounded her ritzy and highly publicized wedding to Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, Elizabeth and Michael Wilding wed in a low-key event together held in London in February 1952. Together, they started a family, possibly having two children together. Elizabeth was very happy to be starting this new phase of her life.

It was just the kind of relationship she needed to get back on her feet emotionally. He’d started out as a commercial artist and began designing movie sets. Then he “caught the acting bug” and ended up taking roles in several musicals before moving on to more serious roles.

29. Her New Husband Understands Her Pretty Well

When the couple returned together to Los Angeles, Elizabeth’s new husband presented her with a very special gift that he knew would capture her heart: a puppy. What better way to heal and start a new life?

In this photo, you can see by her face that a dachshund pup meant more than a box of candy ever could. Twenty years older than she was, his maturity was a welcome contrast to her former partner. In addition to acting, they enjoyed other common interests that included art and dogs. They looked like a couple that was definitely meant to be.

30. Back To Work

In this shot, she’s back to work making her 17th film, The Girl Who Had Everything, which came out in 1953. She looks cute in this perky shirtwaist dress.

By now she had begun smoking, a habit that she struggled with the rest of her adult life, and could never really get rid of, even after many years. When it became socially acceptable for women to smoke in public, it was regarded as sophisticated and sexy. Unfortunately, its health risks were still unknown at that time. Many celebrities who began smoking in their youth later succumbed to conditions caused by long-term smoking.

31. At Last Liz Becomes A Mother

Making movies didn’t stop the couple from beginning their family. Born in 1953, their first child was a boy whom they named Michael Wilding, Jr., after his famous father. After years of holding dogs, Elizabeth was well-practiced in holding cute babies. Giving birth to their son was an especially meaningful event because reportedly Nicky Hilton, in one of his alcoholic rages, once hit Elizabeth so hard that she miscarried.

Their son grew up learning about the acting life and he himself eventually went into the industry. And yes, he did inherit his mother’s dark and elegantly arched eyebrows, you can immediatley notice.

32. New Pixie Hair Style

Motherhood might have inspired Elizabeth to trim her luxurious hair, but it didn’t stop her from rejoining the workforce, this time as a working mom. She was back making movies the year after baby Michael’s birth, The Last Time I Saw Paris.

Elizabeth’s passion for art of all kinds manifested itself yet another way by the use of her hair as a frame for her strikingly beautiful eyes and incredible jewelry collection. Instead of settling for a single signature style, she enjoyed experimenting with a variety of coiffures and headgear throughout her life. She was very creative and like to try new things out.

33. Taking A Quick But Much-Needed Rest

Elizabeth was an accomplished woman who could do it all. But not without a break. Here she takes a rest during the filming of Giant, leaning against the door of her dressing room trailer with a cigarette.

Throughout her career she worked in movies with a variety of intense and memorable storylines alongside a variety of intense and memorable actors and actresses. However, critics agreed that as her life experiences enriched her as a person, the depth and complexity of her acting skills became more notable. First singled out for her beauty, she proved herself a film artist of consummate skill.

34. Recharging With Friends At The Beach

Here the camera captures a candid moment at the beach with some friends, enjoying the sun as usual. Her life was good and motherhood added much to her life, but yet more changes lay ahead.

Oftentimes it’s difficult to see what’s happening around us while it’s going on, but later on in retrospect, things usually seem clearer. A progression of photos from the past is especially revealing. The changes in people’s facial expressions tell a story as they evolve over time. In the next pages, wou will learn more about Liz and Michael’s couple and how they ended up going their separate ways.

35. Liz and Michael Part Ways

Michael Wilding was good for Liz at a time when she needed someone. Sadly, while some relationships are necessary and therapeutic, they’re not always meant to last for a lifetime. After five years together, the couple decided to end the marriage in 1957. It was rumored by some that he felt some insecurity as an actor that her career was rapidly outshining his.

She always cherished their two sons, Michael Howard, Jr., and Christopher Edward, who went on to live successful lives and sharing many of her values. She was proud to see them grow and become happy adults that would then too found their families.

36. Elizabeth’s Third Marriage

There was an accomplished Jewish theater and film producer named Mike Todd, well known for his award-winning production Around the World in 80 Days, among many other show business endeavors. He was the only one of Elizabeth’s husbands whom she never divorced. His intense personality was very different to that of Michael Wilding, and Liz found him exciting.

They married in Acapulco in 1957, the third marriage for both of them. Later that year, Elizabeth Frances (Liza) was born. She was the third child of Elizabeth, and she was very happy to have a daughter, after having had two sons already.

37. The Third Time’s The Charm

In this photo the couple poses together during their honeymoon in Mexico. The wedding ceremony was actually performed by the mayor of Acapulco. People who knew Liz agreed that she and Mike shared a special spark, perhaps for the first time in her history of relationships. She was always looking not only for love, as we all need, but also for someone who could understand and share her many passions. It seemed that he was eager and able to provide both.

Many have commented how much he and Richard Burton resembled each other not only in physical appearance but in their personalities, and, of course, their appreciation of Elizabeth.

38. A Special Child Born Out Of A Special Love

Here you can see Elizabeth’s first daughter and third child along with Mike Todd in 1957. It was known that she was pregnant when they married, but it seemed to be an expression of her desire for the love of family.

For whatever reason, she’s ready to grow her hair out long again. And she looks good. It might be a sign that she is entering a new phase of her life and that she is ready to experience new things. Keep reading, as we will be telling more about the relationship between Liz and her husband as the years go by.

39. Besotted With Each Other

They seemed very happy together in a tempestuous kind of way. By all accounts, Mike Todd was a high-energy man enamored with life. According to Kirk Douglas’s wife Anne, Mike was never as “besotted with any woman as he was with Elizabeth.” They shared good times together, and he wooed her endlessly, even more than he did before they were married.

He even named his new twin-engine Lockheed Lodestar plane “The Lucky Liz” after his bride. He was a skillful pilot who looked forward to an adventure-filled life of soaring high with both his lady Liz and the Lucky Liz.

40. A Devastating Tragedy

In March 1958, he decided to fly The Lucky Liz to New Mexico along with some other professionals in the film industry. Elizabeth and Kirk Douglas were originally scheduled to fly along with him, but the plans were rearranged at the last minute. Overloaded with fuel and beset with icy conditions, the plane went down in spite of Mike’s skill. Everyone aboard was killed.

His sudden death was one of the hardest things by far that Elizabeth had ever suffered. Here she seeks comfort at the beach as she tries to make sense of her loss. It was a very hard period of time.

41. Someone To Lean On

It’s human nature for people to lean on others during times of severe personal crisis, and Liz was no exception. Although her old friend Eddie Fisher was married to songstress Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth turned to him for comfort.

Debbie Reynolds and Liz had become friends after meeting at MGM many years before. Debbie was Matron of Honor when Liz married Mike Todd, and Eddie Fisher served as Best Man. When Mike was killed, Eddie Fisher separated from his wife Debbie to console Elizabeth.

Daughter Carrie Fisher later commented that her father “rushed to her side, gradually moving to her front.” Liz and Eddie married a year later.

42. Again At The Beach

Elizabeth never stopped working making movies. Perhaps it was her channeled emotions that made some of her later films so captivating.

Here she is in a publicity pose for Suddenly, Last Summer, that also starred Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift. She and Monty, as she called him, met early in her career and quickly became friends after they got to know each other.

He was already a skilled performer while she was very new to the type of acting, so she was an avid student who learned much from him. They remained close friends all their lives, supporting each other through more than one tragedy.

43. Catching Some Sunshine On Set During A Break

In 1960 Elizabeth was still as popular as ever as a star, but by now was reviled as a person by the public and press because she was seen as a “homewrecker.” She eventually developed a thick skin to survive the ongoing attacks against her personal life.

Here she poses in a green dress that sets off her remarkable eyes, in a way echoing the role of Scarlett O’Hara defiantly making her debut as a widow, clad in green velvet draperies, re-entering society in spite of society’s opinion of her. Have you seen this movie? It is iconic for her career!

44. 1961: An Academy Award For Surviving Life

As time went by, the quality of Elizabeth’s acting took on an added intensity as she experienced more of the best and the worst of what life deals out. Here she accepts an Academy Award for being Best Actress in Butterfield 8.

It’s clear that most experienced actors and actresses build their careers not upon pretending but on distilling what they’ve lived through as well as witnesses in real life.

The epic film Cleopatra was filmed in Rome to provide verisimilitude as well as ambience. Her husband Eddie Fisher and the children flew there, so the family could spend time together. Here, Liz meets them at the Rome Airport. You can see that the magnificent Liz eyebrows are hereditary!

45. Always Time For Fun With Her Family

No matter what developed in her life, Elizabeth never lost her love for family. The photographs always come across as genuinely warm and happy instead of staged marketing opportunities. Here she and her son Michael are seen at the circus in bumper cars. Michael is growing into a handsome young man.

As we already know, Liz was an artist and took pride in her makeup skills. It must have been fun for her to learn to use her abilities to apply her own makeup for the dazzling role of Cleopatra. Here she works with a smooth hand while her two boys look on with the family dogs.

It’s very probable that the cat eye makeup so popular today became a “thing” because of Elizabeth Taylor back in the early 1960s. The stye itself dates back thousands of years – the proof can be seen on Egyptian temple paintings – but it never took over the world until Liz became Cleopatra!

46. Art Imitates Life, But Life Imitates Art

This photo shows Elizabeth and her husband Eddie Fisher, cozily comfortable while chatting with Richard Burton on set. Could Eddie have known at the time how much Burton reminded her in appearance and personality of her deceased, beloved soulmate Mike Todd? Ever ready for Hollywood scandal and already primed by Liz and Eddie’s affair, the press didn’t miss the steaming chemistry between the film’s two costars.

Liz and Burton were unable to restrain themselves very long, and it was no surprise that the press caught on immediately. When the two vacationed together in Italy, the publicity exploded. Because Richard Burton was himself married at the time, the Vatican actually condemned the two and even attempted to prevent them from re-entry into Italy.

But Liz and Burton were an unstoppable force, as it soon became apparent.

47. Another Baby Girl Joins The Family

Early in their marriage, Liz and Eddie had been working on arrangements to adopt a child from Germany because she was no longer able to have children since a hysterectomy accompanying the birth of her last child.

Although the marriage between Elizabeth and Eddie Fisher finally broke up, she still very much wanted to claim their little girl, so Richard helped push the adoption through. In 1962 Maria Burton became part of Elizabeth’s precious family.

Two years later, Liz and Burton tied the knot. The press made much of the fact that it was the fifth wedding for her, but they hypocritically ignored the promiscuous behavior of hundreds of other celebrities who never even tried to celebrate a union of shared love.

48. The Beach Becomes Home, Sort Of

As much as Elizabeth had always loved the water, it’s not surprising that Burton moved the whole family moved onto his yacht in Sardinia, Italy. It wasn’t that Liz needed drama, but she thrived on her passion for life in all of its manifestations. A vibrant and complex man himself, Burton responded to her in a way that no one since Mike Todd had.

Although she’s now gone, her children and grandchildren continue to work together as a family to keep her memory alive, most notably by being active in charity work supporting her special causes. The one nearest to her heart was helping people suffering from AIDS. She had many close friends both in and out of the film industry who were members of the LGBTQ community, including many who lost their lives to AIDS.

49. A Natural Shot If There Ever Was One

No glamorous pretenses here! In a California recording studio, Liz focuses on the job at hand without a second thought toward the photographer, the mark of a true artist while working. It is unknown what she was working on in the shot.

In accordance with a lifetime of quietly being herself, sometimes she dressed in high glamour, and other times she unabashedly dressed down in what was comfortable. No apologies. And none were needed.

Her enduring love of flowers and style is clear as the cameras catch Liz leaving Heathrow Airport in London. She styles giant gold hoop earrings that set off her remarkable eyes.

50. Liz And Liza Out And About

Here Elizabeth sports white-hot pants and floral boots as she and her daughter Liza spend the day together one day in 1971. Conscientious about health, she took care of herself and kept her trim figure most of her life until her health problems finally caught up with her.

Liza was Elizabeth’s last naturally-born child and had to be delivered via C-section because of complications during the birth. Liza inherited her mother’s eyebrows and her art talent as well, and now works as an accomplished sculptor. The interest in art must have been inspired from her mother from a very young age.

51. A Different Kind Of Family Scene

A new baby blesses the family! Laela Wilding was Elizabeth’s first grandchild. In this 1973 photo, the baby is the star along with her grandmother Liz and husband Richard together in Gstaad, Switzerland. And yes, she has her grandmother’s eyebrows.

Laela also inherited Elizabeth’s passion about AIDS and is active with an organization that strives to help low-income people who are HIV+ to receive assistance with healthcare and other services. It was very important for her to bring forth her mother’s legacy. Not surprisingly, Laela works as a graphic artist. Artistic talents are really running in the family, thanks to Elizabeth!

52. Turbulence And Love And Turbulence And Love And Turbulence

Although it was clear that Liz and Burton shared an intense love, that love was accompanied by unbridled turbulence. They both tried hard to make it work, but ultimately decided to divorce. It wasn’t long before they reunited because they couldn’t live without each other, and they remarried the same year. However, the following year they divorced for the final time.

They shared a connection for the rest of their lives. When Burton died, Elizabeth chose not to attend his very publicized funeral attended by throngs of people. She went later to his grave, alone. Keep reading to learn more about her life after this event.

53. Liz Becomes Lonely In Her Newest Role

Soon after her divorce from the fiery Welshman, Elizabeth married Virginia Congressman John Warner. As Liz told Larry King, “I thought we would get married, live on the farm, raise horses … I thought it would all be very famish, and jobbey, and horsey, and I could have animals …” It was something that she would have loved.

However, part of her role as an eminent politician’s wife was to avoid outshining her husband, so she was instructed to dress conservatively. As she confessed to Harper’s Bazaar later, “I ended up in a tweed suit. Me. Little tweed suits. What I won’t do for love.”

54. Looking For Love Again

Although the two cared for each other, the marriage didn’t turn out as she expected; they knew they weren’t the love of each other’s lives. To cope with the growing loneliness, she began eating to fill the void. She gained weight as she felt increasingly worthless.

Although Warner helped her rediscover herself, she knew they didn’t have a life to share because he’d “married the Senate.” They divorced in 1982 but remained close friends the rest of their lives.

In this photograph, Elizabeth visits New York City’s Pedigree Pet Shop (but was strong enough to avoid impulse buying). Next is another rare photograph.

55. One Last Time

To battle her problems with drinking, drugs, and overeating, Elizabeth checked into the Betty Ford Center. Meeting a construction worker named Larry Fortensk, they dated for three years before marrying at her friend Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.

Friends attending included celebrities Liza Minelli, Eddie Murphy, Pia Zadora, Quincy Jones, Merv Griffin, and Nancy Reagan. Her son Michael Wilding, Jr., and Michael Jackson escorted her down the aisle. Their wedding toast consisted of mineral water. It was said that they made a prenup agreement that the groom would get $1 million if the marriage lasted five years, which it did, but no longer.