Taylor Candids

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

Countless photographs have paid homage to her beauty.

Now a rare collection of shots of Elizabeth Taylor's glittering Hollywood career have been released in a new book titled Elizabeth Taylor: Shining Legacy on Film, the selection of images offer an intimate insight into the late actress's life in front of the camera, from the mid Forties onwards.

Clowning around: Taylor with Don Taylor on the set of the 1951 comedy film Father's Little Dividend

From her first success in National Velvet  at 12-years-old, to her Academy Award winning performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, there are more than 100 black and white and colour photos included in the tome.

 In one image Taylor is shown taking time out from filming to walk hand in hand with daughter Liza along the Big Sur in California.

 

Doting mother: On the Big Sur on location with daughter Elizabeth Frances 'Liza' Todd Burton

 

 Off guard: Shots of Taylor during the making of Rhapsody  and on a radio show in the late Forties

Another catches her off guard applying her make-up.
Masterminded by film historian and author Cindy De La Hoz, the photographs are accompanied by film reviews and behind-the-scene stories from hits such as Butterfield 8, Cleopatra, and A Place in the Sun.

With her violet, almond-shaped eyes, creamy complexion and raven hair, Taylor was considered one of the world's most beautiful women.

She was married eight times and was showered with jewels by admirers. Her famous collection includes pieces from Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Chopard.

Character profile: A hairstyle test from the 1948 romantic comedy Julia Misbehaves

 Ms Taylor as Laura Reynolds in The Sandpiper and aged 12 in her 1944 film debut in National Velvet

Life's a beach: On location filming The Comedians with director and producer Peter Glenville

Richard Burton who married Taylor twice after meeting her on the set of Cleopatra in 1963, described how he was entranced by her beauty.
In November 1968, he wrote in his diary: 'I have been inordinately lucky all my life but the greatest luck of all has been Elizabeth. 'She has turned me into a model man but not a prig, she is a wildly exciting lover-mistress, she is shy and witty, she is nobody's fool.  'She is a brilliant actress, she is beautiful beyond the dreams of pornography, she can be arrogant and wilful, she is clement and loving.'

Professional touch: Taylor was an expert at touching up her own makeup for the camera

In the spotlight: Actor Dana Andrews and company review some of the glorious portraits made of Taylor while shooting the 1954 film Elephant Walk

Centre of attention: Taylor is handed a token from Burl Ives, who played the Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

The screen siren died of congestive heart failure in Los Angeles in March 2011 at the age of 79, having suffered from the condition since 2004.

At the time her son, Michael Wilding, said in a statement: 'We will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world.  'My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humour, and love... Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman.'
Elizabeth Taylor: A Shining Legacy on Film is published by Running Press.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2215350/Behind-scenes-screen-goddess-Candid-photographs-trace-Elizabeth-Taylors-glittering-Hollywood-career.html#ixzz28uHXaAl6