Elizabeth Taylor 1932-2011
By Affection for Taylor is a generational thing; by the time I started watching films with any seriousness, she had become less artist than icon. For my parents and especially my grandparents, though, Liz Taylor was a major cultural figure. I wouldn’t say that her work has aged particularly well, although I like Giant as much as the next guy. I find it just a bit remarkable that she was only 79 when she passed; compare the arc of her career to Clint Eastwood or William Shatner (both about a year older), and remember that at the intensity of her stardom considerably outshone either.
Rest in peace.