Elizabeth Taylor's Leading Men, On-Screen Quiz

Answer: Peter Lawford

Elizabeth wore a blonde wig with long curls for this one, and she looked quite fetching. She would have been about seventeen when this version of "Little Women" was made. It was based on Louisa May Alcott's story of family life in the 1860's, and four sisters growing into adulthood during the difficult years of the Civil War.

Her sisters were played by June Allyson (Jo), Janet Leigh (Meg) and Margaret O'Brien (Beth). I love this movie.

Answer: Spencer Tracy

Joan Bennett played her mother in this film, and Don Taylor the lucky groom. "Father of the Bride" is the comic story of the wedding of a wealthy lawyer's only daughter. Spencer Tracy was great in this one. Elizabeth's real-life husband was Conrad Hilton Jr, and they parted less than a year later.

Answer: Montgomery Clift

The film was based on a novel by Theodore Dreiser, entitled "An American Tragedy", which in turn was based on an actual incident. A young man is on his way to success and love with a beautiful young woman, when someone from his past reappears, with tragic consequences.

The film won six Oscars, including Best Director, for George Stevens. The fine cast included Shelley Winters and Raymond Burr.

Answer: Van Johnson

The cast of the film included Walter Pidgeon, Eva Gabor and Donna Reed. Based on a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, an ex-GI meets a beautiful young woman in post-WWII Paris, they fall in love, then things begin to fall apart. At this point in her personal life, Elizabeth was married to the English actor Michael Wilding.

Answer: Rock Hudson

In addition to Taylor and Hudson, the cast featured James Dean (in his last film), Carroll Baker, Mercedes McCambridge, Dennis Hopper, and Sal Mineo. The film, set over generations, dealt with the subjects of family conflicts and racism. "Giant" was a huge box-office success and earned several Oscar nominations and an Academy Award for Best Director for George Stevens.

It was a good film, with a fine performance by Elizabeth. She and Rock Hudson became good friends. His death from AIDS was one of the reasons for Elizabeth's courageous crusade against the disease.

Answer: Tennessee Williams

It is said that Tennessee Williams disliked the film intensely. But Elizabeth showed what a fine actress she was, and received an Oscar nomination for it, as did Paul Newman. Burl Ives, Jack Carson, Judith Anderson and Madeline Sherwood played Brick's obnoxious relatives in this movie. About a week after shooting began on the film, in March of 1958, Elizabeth's husband of little over a year, the producer Mike Todd, was killed in a plane crash.

Answer: Katharine Hepburn

Montgomery Clift played a sympathetic doctor who treats Catherine, and eventually uncovers the truth about the incident, thus saving her from a lobotomy. This film was based on a play by Tennessee Williams, and the cast includes Mercedes McCambridge and Albert Dekker. Joseph Mankiewicz directed, and Gore Vidal wrote the screenplay.

There were several Academy Award nominations for this interesting film.

Answer: Eddie Fisher

Laurence Harvey, Dina Merrill and Mildred Dunnock were featured in this one. Elizabeth had received a large amount of bad press for her marriage to Eddie Fisher, since they got together when he was still married to Debbie Reynolds, a very popular girl-next-door type. Reynolds later said that Taylor had done her a favor.

In 1961 Elizabeth was hospitalized with pneumonia, was given an emergency tracheotomy and was reportedly near death. This was the first of the many illnesses that have plagued her.

Answer: Richard Burton

Ms. Taylor was paid one million dollars to star in the movie. While it seems like a pittance today, compared to the astronomical salaries some actors earn, in those days it was a huge amount. "Cleopatra" was the most expensive film ever made at that time.

There were enormous problems with this movie...Elizabeth became very ill, there were many cast and script changes. Still, the film is quite spectacular. When Elizabeth dumped her then husband Eddie Fisher for Richard Burton, the press went berserk.

Her marriage to Fisher lasted less than 5 years, and they were divorced in 1964.

Answer: Edward Albee

She gave a fierce performance in this film, put on a good deal of weight for it, and was made to look frumpy. Her husband, Richard Burton co-starred with her, along with Sandy Dennis and George Segal. Taylor and Burton were married for ten years, divorced, then married and divorced again. Today she is Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Mary Taylor, having been awarded a DBE (Dame of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II.