“I call upon you to draw from the depths of your being to prove that we are a human race. To prove that our love outweighs our need to hate. That our compassion is more compelling than our need to blame. That our sensitivity to those in need is stronger than our greed. That our ability to reason overcomes our fear and that at the end of each of our lives, we can look back and be proud that we have treated others with the kindness, dignity, and respect that every human being deserves.”
- Elizabeth Taylor upon receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, 1993 Oscar Ceremony
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011, was born to American parents residing in England. Shortly before World War II, the family returned to the United States, settling in Los Angeles. Her father was an art dealer whose business brought him into contact with members of the Hollywood elite. Though her mother, a former stage actress, initially balked at allowing young Taylor to enter the film industry, an introduction to the chairman of Universal Pictures led to a screen test. In 1942 Taylor made her first film, There’s One Born Every Minute. Though Universal soon dropped her, MGM Studios signed her to a contract and cast her in Lassie Come Home (1943), followed by a star-making performance in National Velvet (1944).
By the early 1980s, Elizabeth Taylor was famous worldwide. Known for her legendary acting career, as well as her extraordinary beauty and glamorous lifestyle, she could always command an audience. It was apparent that when Elizabeth spoke, people listened.
In 1999, the American Film Institute named her the seventh-greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood.
Compelled by radical compassion and bolstered by moral courage, Elizabeth Taylor became the first globally recognized celebrity HIV and AIDS activist.
As ignorance, fear, and prejudice fueled the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic, Elizabeth could not remain quiet. She used her massive celebrity platform to speak truth to power, exposing the injustice of society’s response to the disease. Her unyielding conviction and passion raised hundreds of millions of dollars, changed the hearts and minds of a generation, and saved countless lives.
In 1985, Elizabeth chaired AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Commitment to Life fundraiser. At the same time, the disease struck close to home as her dear friend Rock Hudson died of AIDS. So began her tireless commitment to ending the epidemic. Also in 1985, Ryan White, a 13-year-old hemophiliac with AIDS was barred from attending his Indiana school, and President Reagan mentions AIDS publicly for the first time since the CDC used the name in 1982.
In 1986 Taylor testified before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee on behalf of the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act, which works to increase funding for AIDS emergency care in areas hardest hit by the epidemic.
December 1, 1988 marked the first World AIDS Day.
Elizabeth co-founded The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and regularly lobbied President Reagan and Congress to address the crisis. She established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to provide direct care, along with love and moral support, to the most vulnerable patients.
Just as the public embraced Elizabeth’s activism, the world recognized her humanitarian efforts. France honored her with the Légion d’honneur, and President Clinton awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal. In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II named Elizabeth a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Elizabeth Taylor passed away due to congestive heart failure on March 23, 2011. Today, ETAF carries forward Elizabeth’s voice and mission to fight for social justice and human rights for people living with HIV and AIDS and to achieve an AIDS-free world. Visit Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation » Resources for available resources and related contact information.
Source Citations:
Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation » Our Story
Hollywood Icon Elizabeth Taylor Dies at 79 - ABC News (go.com)
Elizabeth Taylor | Biography, Movies, & Facts | Britannica
Pocket Elizabeth Taylor Wisdom – Pages 36 & 37 (Hardie Grant, August 2018)