LOS ANGELES: She was arguably the brightest star in Hollywood's golden era – and her death, after the recent passing of Tony Curtis and Blake Edwards, turns out a light in the Tinsel Town firmament. Elizabeth Taylor, who died Wednesday aged 79, won two Oscars but her impact on the movie industry extends beyond that. In death, she is being heralded for her great beauty, iconic and legendary persona, tireless humanitarian work, and the compassion and optimism she exuded despite decades of physical ailments. But Elizabeth Taylor was, above all else, a performer. While she may not have been the greatest actress of her generation in terms of pure talent and technique, she had an irresistible screen presence that kept audiences ravished by her films. The contradictions alone were fascinating: She could seem demure yet seductive, aristocratic yet bawdy. That tiny voice and petite stature seemed at odds with the intimidating femininity that would define her glamorous aura. The sweetness and freshness of her looks collided with the pain and anger that seethed within many of her characters. One of her strongest performances came in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (1958), as the fragile and damaged Maggie. And then ... there was the 1963 Joseph L. Mankiewicz epic “Cleopatra,” which would become infamous not just for its scope but for providing the place where Taylor's path scandalously crossed Richard Burton's. They'd go on to marry and divorce twice in real life and co-star in several movies together. But it was Mike Nichols who would get the best work out of Taylor in “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (1966).
