Elizabeth Taylor is one of classic Hollywood’s most legendary movie stars, having crafted a revered and decorated resume over her sensational career. Having made her big screen debut in 1942’s There’s One Born Every Minute at just 10-years-old, Taylor steadily took Tinseltown by storm by demonstrating both her dramatic and comedic abilities in a slew of memorable films. The actress gained prominence with unforgettable roles in pictures like Father of the Bride, Giant and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, proving herself to be a major box office draw.
Taylor shared the screen with celebrated performers like James Dean, Rock Hudson, Katharine Hepburn, and Paul Newman, and throughout her illustrious cinema tenure was the recipient of numerous accolades including two Oscars and a Golden Globe. Her career spanned six decades, and she remains a beloved pop culture icon. These are some of the best Elizabeth Taylor movies.
9 A Place in the Sun
Elizabeth Taylor showcased her superb acting prowess when she appeared in the 1951 drama A Place in the Sun, with the picture being one of the iconic movie star's earliest breathrough roles in which she portrayed a wealthy socialite who unknowingly finds herself in a deadly love triangle. Appearing alongside Montgomery Clift and Shelley Winters, Taylor believed the part was the first time she had been asked to embody a character and not just play herself on screen, yielding phenomenal results.
The trio's commanding performances helped the riveting drama become a success, winning six Academy Awards and further establishing the actress as a powerful Hollywood presence. The New York Times declared that she "a shaded, tender performance, and one in which her passionate and genuine romance avoids the pathos common to young love as it sometimes comes to the screen."
8 Suddenly, Last Summer
Adapted from the Tennessee Williams play of the same name, the 1959 Southern Gothic mystery Suddenly, Last Summer centers on a young New Orleans woman (Taylor) who is insitutionalized against her will after witnessing the horrific death of her cousin while on vacation, facing off against her devious aunt (Katharine Hepburn) who wants to keep the tragedy secret and have her lobotomized.
Taylor earned her first Golden Globe Award and an Oscar nod for her portrayal of the traumatized socialite, with the film being her first project since her departure from MGM; she used her star power and box office draw to cast her close-friend Montgomery Clift, who had been struggling personally and professionally following a car accident in 1956.
7 Father of the Bride
Taylor shared the screen with the great Spencer Tracy in the 1950 comedy Father of the Bride, telling the uproarious story of a doting dad's struggles to let his beloved daughter go as her upcoming nuptials get closer and closer, with unexpected hurdles and hijinks ensuing.
The actress showed off her light-hearted side in the sweet and endearing picture, and its overwhelming success with both critics and moviegoers helped lead to the equally buzzed-about sequel Father's Little Dividend, with all the original cast reprising their roles. Father of the Bride remains a celebrated '50s staple that went on to spawn multiple remakes including the 1991 version starring Steve Martin and most recently 2022's updated adaptation featuring Andy García.
6 The Taming of the Shrew
In one of their many movie collaborations, Taylor teamed up with her on-again/off-again romantic partner and fellow cinema star Richard Burton in the 1967 period rom-com The Taming of the Shrew, with the legendary lovers bringing Shakespeare's famous play to life by showcasing the courtship between the headstrong pair.
While Burton had previous experience performing Shakespeare, Taylor never had and was extremely nervous to take on the character of Katherina Minola. After she found her confidence within the role during production, she asked director Franco Zeffirelli if she could reshoot her first day scenes and implement her newly-crafted skills; Taylor's dedication helped make The Taming of the Shrew a critical and commercial hit.
5 Cleopatra
Plagued by numerous scandals and production woes including the affair between its world famous leads and a ballooning budget, the infamous 1963 epic historical drama Cleopatra featured Elizabeth Taylor in the titular role and Richard Burton as the Roman general Mark Antony and recounts the Egyptian queen's rise to power. Taylor made history when she became the first movie star to receive $1 million to appear in a picture, yet the extramarital romance between the actress and Burton took center-stage over the groundbreaking achievement.
Cleopatra was deemed the "Most Talked About Movie Ever Made" and went on to become the biggest box office hit of the year, despite taking multiple years to earn back its money and almost causing Fox to go bankrupt over excess costs. Nonetheless, the drama won four Academy Awards and remains one of Taylor's most well-known and prominent films.
4 BUtterfield 8
Taylor took home her first Academy Award when she portrayed a Manhattan high-class call-girl who gets swept up in a dangerous love affair in the 1960 drama BUtterfield 8, appearing opposite Laurence Harvey and then-husband Eddie Fisher in the adaptation of the John O'Hara novel.
Though Taylor was contractually obligated to star in the film, she went on to become its most raved about feature, with The New York Times noting that "we have the ancient, hackneyed story of the tinseled but tarnished prostitute who thinks she has finally discovered the silver lining for her life in Mr. Right ... By the odds, it should be a bomb. But a bomb it is not, let us tell you ... all we can say is that Miss Taylor lends a certain fascination to the film."
3 Giant
Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean headlined the critically-acclaimed 1956 epic Western Giant, which follows newlyweds Leslie and Bick as they settle in to married life on their sprawling Texas ranch but find their wedded bliss complicated by the arrival of an opposing cowboy.
Hudson specifically chose Taylor to portray his wife in the riveting drama, selecting the actress over fellow star Grace Kelly; the two would go on to become life-long friends after the completion of the film. Giant was celebrated by critics and audiences alike for its compelling performances and intriguing screenplay, and marked Dean's final picture, as the actor tragically died just days after production was finished in a car accident.
2 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Based on the Tennessee Williams Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the 1958 drama Cat on a Hot Tin Roof tells the story of dysfunctional married couple Maggie and Brick Pollitt (Taylor and Paul Newman) as they head to a Mississippi plantation to celebrate the birthday of their quarrelsome family patriarch (Burl Ives). The production of the film was plagued by news-making headlines like the death of Taylor's husband Mike Todd in a plane crash and her publicized affair with Eddie Fisher, all of which caused the studio to worry about the success of the adaptation.
While Taylor's public image took a hit with the scandal, her box office draw did not; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was the third highest-grossing release of the year and the actress became the cinema's second-most profitable star. For her sensational portrayal of the fiery Maggie, Taylor earned both an Academy Award and BAFTA nomination.
1 Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?
Widely regarded as one of Elizabeth Taylor's most esteemed and memorable performances, the legendary actress partnered up with Richard Burton once more in the 1966 drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?, chronicling the explosive and eye-opening arguments and revelations shared between a bitter couple over the course of a painful evening. Based on the Edward Albee play of the same name, Taylor completely shed her glamorous Hollywood image for the role, gaining weight, wearing a wig, and utilizing make-up to appear more haggard and old in order to play the frumpy, booze-loving Martha.
The picture was universally lauded by critics and became one of only two films to earn a nomination in every available category at the Academy Awards, winning five including Best Actress for Taylor. Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe? was considered revolutionary for its depiction of heavy adult subjects and unapolegetic language, with Taylor's performance being called by The New York Times as "the best work of her career, sustained and urgent."