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00:30She sits at number seven on the American Film Institute's list of greatest female stars.
00:36More importantly, she is the only surviving member of the top ten,
00:39earning her the title of Hollywood's last great star.
00:44She certainly leapt out of the blocks.
00:46Born in the London suburb of Hampstead in 1932,
00:49she hit the big screen at the age of nine in the family tearjerker, Lassie Come Home.
00:55Two years later, she wrote a winner called National Velvet,
00:58and became a household name.
01:00She grew up in the public eye,
01:02maturing to a breathtakingly stunning young woman,
01:04who had famous photographers proclaiming her perfect.
01:08Whether or not her eyes were indeed violet, as she liked to claim,
01:11she was a cinematographer's dream.
01:13And on top of that, she had talent.
01:15After three consecutive Oscar nominations,
01:18she finally took home the leading actress award for Butterfield 8.
01:22Liz went on to win a second Oscar for her less than glamorous portrayal of Martha
01:26in the big screen version of Edward Albee's play,
01:28Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
01:31Married twice by the age of 20,
01:33she was on her way to a third husband, Mike Todd, by the time she was 25.
01:37Playing the dutiful wife to the famous producer,
01:39she even threatened to give up her career for him.
01:49But she was never forced to follow through.
01:51As weeks after the interview,
01:52Mike was killed when his private plane, Lucky Liz,
01:55crashed in New Mexico.
01:58Elizabeth then sought solace in the arms of singer-actor Eddie Fisher,
02:02who was married to Debbie Reynolds at the time.
02:05Five years after marrying Fisher,
02:06she met Richard Burton on the set of Cleopatra,
02:09and their tumultuous marriage went on to last 10 years.
02:13In 1974, they divorced,
02:14then remarried the following year,
02:16in time to divorce again in 76.
02:21The same year, she set her sights on senatorial hopeful, John Warner.
02:27The Republican saw his popularity soar as a result of the union.
02:34Quite a change of pace.
02:35Queen of the May, rather than Queen of Hollywood, I guess.
02:38You enjoying it?
02:39Well, it's not May yet, is it?
02:40No, but are you enjoying this new life?
02:43Yes, I am.
02:44The shine had worn off by 1982,
02:47and she didn't dip her toe in the matrimonial waters again
02:50until meeting recovering alcoholic handyman, Larry Fortemsky,
02:53at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1991.
02:57Since their divorce in 1996,
02:59she's thrown herself into the fight against AIDS,
03:01creating her own AIDS Foundation,
03:03which has raised tens of millions of dollars
03:06in the fight against the disease.
03:09She's also been a loyal supporter of Michael Jackson,
03:12championing her good friend in interviews
03:14and protesting his innocence on charges of child molestation.
03:18Defying rumors of developing Alzheimer's disease,
03:21Liz showed up at her 75th birthday bash in Las Vegas
03:24to be greeted by glowing tributes from her celebrity guests.
03:28Happy birthday, dear Elizabeth.
03:33Happy birthday to you.
03:39Globally, this woman, she's changed the world.
03:42She has absolutely changed the world
03:45in such a powerful way.
03:47And I love the fact that she takes action,
03:52and she's so committed,
03:54and she's got such a tremendous heart.
03:56She's my hero.
03:57Even her old love rival, Debbie Reynolds, had to admit.
04:01Elizabeth Taylor is a great American star,
04:04a great American beauty,
04:05just like Ava, Gardner, Marilyn Monroe.
04:09She's one of our icons.
04:11And we're here not only to pay her respect,
04:14but because she's a great friend,
04:17because she is our American icon.
04:23Message to your fans around the world?
04:25God bless you, and I love you.
04:44¶¶
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