Elizabeth Taylor: The Last of the Great Movie Stars

Glamour. Beauty. Diva. Icon. Star. Celebrity. Actress. Humanitarian. And the list goes on... With a live life to the fullest attitude and a no-nonsense approach to such, Elizabeth Taylor has to be the last of the great, big movie stars to pass on. In death, I am sure she will be both celebrated and remembered on many levels. She was definitely a celebrity unlike any other. Personally, I appreciated how real she would be in interviews, especially those with Larry King. Usually, a diva of her stature wouldn't be so forthcoming, human even.

As a performer, I appreciate her performances, primarily her bravura, Academy Award winning one for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (her second in 1966; the first win was in 1961 for Butterfield 8 - for a total of five career nominations and the Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Award in 1992). I first discovered the film in high school and then studied it in an Acting class in college. Watching her and Richard Burton was like watching 'acting perfection' - seeing the two of them in their prime, both playing juicy roles to the hilt. It was definitely one of those 'ah-ha' moments of my life. Even now, when I see the film, I am just as excited and wowed by it. You would think I was at a sporting event watching the two of them.

Her White Diamonds commercials were always a guilty pleasure of mine. In fact, it is one of my favorite scents. Diva Kingsley introduced it to me one year when it was given to me as a Christmas gift. I was hooked instantly. I was also fond of all the work she did over the years for those living with HIV/AIDS, a cause she took hold of head on after her dear friend, Rock Hudson, died. She was a fearless activist and also covered a lot of the overhead cost of her Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, so the monies raised would all go towards the research and outreach the organization does. I truly believe that work will mostly be her legacy.

Then just watching her through the years; she was always such a dynamic entity. While the naysayers would dog her out over her numerous marriages (8 total, twice to Richard Burton), her hospitalizations, addictions, you name it... Dame Taylor would seemingly dust herself off and face the crowd, as it were, every time. I, personally, found that to be one of her best qualities. Critics can say what they want, as they all do, but there will be no one like her. She truly does seem to be the last of the great Hollywood divas.

It is the end of an era.