ELIZABETH Taylor, the epitome of glamour and wealth, was the ultimate film star.
She married eight times – twice to the same man, Pontrhydyfen-born Richard Burton – and was hailed as the most breathtakingly beautiful woman in the world.
Her life, always in the fast lane, was tempestuous and volcanic, strewn with tragedy and, in later years, dogged by ill-health. She fell in and out of love with astonishing regularity.
At the height of her powers, she was frequently involved in scandal, some of it self-inflicted. She was the darling of the tabloid press, which avidly pursued and recorded virtually her every move.
And towards her death she became reclusive, although not totally so. By then she was without a husband and, instead, lavished her love on her dogs.
Taylor was a screen legend – the first star to receive 1,000,000 dollars for a film – with an irresistibly breathy voice and an unforgettable presence, who started out as a child actress and was playing adults while still in her teens.
It was the Welshman Richard Burton, by far her greatest love, who showered her with diamonds, furs, homes and even a luxury yacht, and who summed her up superbly:
"Elizabeth and I lived on the edge of an exciting volcano. I'm not easy to be married to or live with.
"I exploded violently about twice a year with Elizabeth. She would also explode. It was marvellous, but it could be murder."
Taylor's tumultuous career spanned some half a century, and involved more than 60 films and TV shows.
With her lush black hair, her striking violet eyes, her heart-shaped face and dark eyelashes she was the unchallenged sex symbol of her generation.
Her death marks the end of an era: she was the last of the great screen goddesses.
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